Random Axe
Encyclopedia
Random Axe is the self-titled debut album
of American hip hop
group Random Axe, released June 14, 2011, on Duck Down Music Inc.. The group comprises hip hop producer
Black Milk
and rappers Guilty Simpson
and Sean Price
. The album was produced entirely by Black Milk and features guest contributions from Roc Marciano
, Danny Brown, Fat Ray, Melanie Rutherford, Rock
and Trick Trick.
s. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 82, based on seven reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Allmusic editor David Jeffries complimented its "literate but loose rhymes, free spirits, and dope beats" and wrote in conclusion, "the album barely crosses the 40-minute mark and it doesn’t bother pleasing the crowd, but it rewards its core audience with a freestyle feel and an uncompromising allegiance to true hip-hop". Nate Santos of XXL
noted "forceful lyrics over light flutes, choppy keys and thumping bass" and stated, "the project feels unified, and the three artists mesh well with one another throughout". HipHopDX writer William Ketchum noted Sean Price's and Guilty Simpson's "hard-nosed rhymes with a twist of dark humor", and wrote that Black Milk "eschews his usual soulful, electronic-influenced soundbeds for a collection of tailor-made gritty, percussive bangers". David Amidon of PopMatters
called it "a throwback to the mid-‘90s", adding that "because it sounds, and more importantly feels, so unified and right". Cokemachineglow's Chet Betz commended its "hard" aesthetic and "their vision for street rap, undiluted and pure in its filthy flow straight from the gutters".
However, Pitchfork Media
's Martin Douglas viewed that the album "feels carelessly phoned in at times" and stated, "the verses are reliably good, but the tedium of clock punching replaces the spirit of competition". Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club
perceived "self-indulgence" and lack of "diversity" in the lyrics, but praised Black Milk's "quietly assured production" and wrote that the group is "more than the sum of its considerable parts". Okayplayer
's Niela Orr called Random Axe "a release that’s thematically consistent if not repetitive and evocative of the three’s surefire chemistry" and dubbed Black Milk's production "probably the most positive (feeling-wise) attribute of the album, even though the beats are moody, dark, and gritty". Jesse Serwer of Time Out wrote that Black Milk "finds complementary foils in surly Brooklyn rapper Price (of Boot Camp Clik
and Heltah Skeltah
fame) and Simpson, a J Dilla
disciple whose flow is as intimidating as his name suggests". Boston Phoenix
writer Chris Faraone commented that Black Milk "pays aesthetic homage to Madlib
and J Dilla's Champion Sound
". M.F. DiBella of URB commented that "[Guily] and Sean Price are blessed with two of the best voices in hip-hop" and stated, "The beats here just make your head drift. Milk has cultivated an electro-centric musical sensibility; a sound every bit as reminiscent of Kraftwerk
, Gary Numan
& Brian Eno
as J Dilla".
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
of American hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group Random Axe, released June 14, 2011, on Duck Down Music Inc.. The group comprises hip hop producer
Hip hop production
Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Though the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music, it's most commonly used to refer to the instrumental, non-lyrical aspects of hip hop. This means that hip hop producers are the instrumentalists involved in a work...
Black Milk
Black Milk
Curtis Cross, better known as Black Milk, is a hip hop producer and MC from Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:In 2004, he formed B.R. Gunna, with Young RJ, and Fat Ray, and together they released Dirty District: Vol. 2, a follow up to a compilation released in 2001 by Slum Village, which he had...
and rappers Guilty Simpson
Guilty Simpson
Byron Simpson, better known by his stage name Guilty Simpson is a rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He was previously known as Guilt. Over time, he saw that there were more emcees using the alias. In order to set himself apart from the others, he added his last name to become Guilty Simpson. He is...
and Sean Price
Sean Price
Sean Price is an American rapper and member of the hip hop supergroups Boot Camp Clik and Random Axe. He came to fame as one-half of the duo Heltah Skeltah, performing under the name Ruckus, or in short Ruck, along with partner Rock. He also is featured in the video game NBA 2K11 as a playable...
. The album was produced entirely by Black Milk and features guest contributions from Roc Marciano
Roc Marciano
Roc Marciano is an American rapper, songwriter and producer from Hempstead, Long Island. Originally a member of Busta Rhymes' crew, Flipmode Squad becoming the sixth member after the departure of Lord Have Mercy, Roc left in 2001 to form the UN , a hardcore underground hip hop group consisting of...
, Danny Brown, Fat Ray, Melanie Rutherford, Rock
Rock (rapper)
Jamal Bush, better known by his stage name Tha Rockness Monstah, or in short Rock, is an American rapper, famous as a member of hip hop collective Boot Camp Clik and the duo Heltah Skeltah along with Ruck. He is known for his deep, grimy voice and having a sophisticated and rugged flow...
and Trick Trick.
Reception
Random Axe received general acclaim from music criticMusic criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
s. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 82, based on seven reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Allmusic editor David Jeffries complimented its "literate but loose rhymes, free spirits, and dope beats" and wrote in conclusion, "the album barely crosses the 40-minute mark and it doesn’t bother pleasing the crowd, but it rewards its core audience with a freestyle feel and an uncompromising allegiance to true hip-hop". Nate Santos of XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
noted "forceful lyrics over light flutes, choppy keys and thumping bass" and stated, "the project feels unified, and the three artists mesh well with one another throughout". HipHopDX writer William Ketchum noted Sean Price's and Guilty Simpson's "hard-nosed rhymes with a twist of dark humor", and wrote that Black Milk "eschews his usual soulful, electronic-influenced soundbeds for a collection of tailor-made gritty, percussive bangers". David Amidon of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
called it "a throwback to the mid-‘90s", adding that "because it sounds, and more importantly feels, so unified and right". Cokemachineglow's Chet Betz commended its "hard" aesthetic and "their vision for street rap, undiluted and pure in its filthy flow straight from the gutters".
However, Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Martin Douglas viewed that the album "feels carelessly phoned in at times" and stated, "the verses are reliably good, but the tedium of clock punching replaces the spirit of competition". Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
perceived "self-indulgence" and lack of "diversity" in the lyrics, but praised Black Milk's "quietly assured production" and wrote that the group is "more than the sum of its considerable parts". Okayplayer
Okayplayer
Okayplayer.com is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by Rolling Stone as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The group was co-founded by The Roots' drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson as a loose musical...
's Niela Orr called Random Axe "a release that’s thematically consistent if not repetitive and evocative of the three’s surefire chemistry" and dubbed Black Milk's production "probably the most positive (feeling-wise) attribute of the album, even though the beats are moody, dark, and gritty". Jesse Serwer of Time Out wrote that Black Milk "finds complementary foils in surly Brooklyn rapper Price (of Boot Camp Clik
Boot Camp Clik
Boot Camp Clik is an American hip hop supergroup from Brooklyn, New York, which is composed of Buckshot , Smif-N-Wessun, also known as Cocoa Brovaz , Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C....
and Heltah Skeltah
Heltah Skeltah
Heltah Skeltah is a hip hop duo consisting of members Rock and Ruck . The two are members of New York supergroup Boot Camp Clik, along with Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C....
fame) and Simpson, a J Dilla
J Dilla
James Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...
disciple whose flow is as intimidating as his name suggests". Boston Phoenix
The Phoenix (newspaper)
The Phoenix is the name of several alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts including the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix, the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Worcester Phoenix...
writer Chris Faraone commented that Black Milk "pays aesthetic homage to Madlib
Madlib
Otis Jackson Jr. in Oxnard, California, known professionally as Madlib, is a Los Angeles-based DJ, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, and music producer...
and J Dilla's Champion Sound
Champion Sound
Champion Sound is an album by the duo Jaylib . Half of the songs are produced by Madlib and feature J Dilla on vocals, and the other half are produced by J Dilla and feature Madlib on vocals...
". M.F. DiBella of URB commented that "[Guily] and Sean Price are blessed with two of the best voices in hip-hop" and stated, "The beats here just make your head drift. Milk has cultivated an electro-centric musical sensibility; a sound every bit as reminiscent of Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
& Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
as J Dilla".
Track listing
- All tracks were produced by Black Milk.
Personnel
Credits for Random Axe adapted from Allmusic.- Big Dru Ha – associate executive producer
- Black Milk – executive producer, group member, producer
- Buckshot – associate executive producer
- Noah Friedman – project coordinator
- Ryan Gimpert – guitar
- Hexmurda – executive producer
- Daru Jonesv – drums
- Sean Price – executive producer, group member
- Rosalinda Ruiz – artwork
- Tim Shellabarger – bass guitar
- Guilty Simpson – executive producer, group member
- Skrilla – artwork
- Upendo "Pen" Taylor – artwork
External links
- Album Premiere: Random Axe at Complex