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The album feels genuinely organic, a common ground of moods rather than a forced fusion.
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The loose, spontaneous nature of the exercise means there's the odd dud, but there are far more hits than misses. The result? A dead concept is temporarily revived.
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Even if the lame parts of BlakRoc are more noticeable than the enjoyable, what really sticks out is how easy this all feels--- not once does anything feel like awkward ambassadorship.
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Without a doubt, Blakroc can be considered a gamble that has most certainly paid off; this is the most credible fusion of the two genres in a long, long while.
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As a memorable exploration of the intersection between hip-hop and the blues, it ain't much.
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Together, they have crafted a succession of enormous, swaggering grooves and mostly compelling raps about rock and rap staples such as sex and drugs and cash.
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Hearing rappers coming from this musical sphere is a refreshing novelty however, and the record is definitely one of the most interesting, if not exceptional things to emerge this year.
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Its sound is hard but loose, rooted in sinewy beats by Patrick Carney, the Black Keys’ drummer, and spooky riffs by Dan Auerbach, its guitarist and singer.
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Dash and the Keys score an undeniable win by keeping the samples homemade and the production pared down, and by hand-picking collaborators who know how to sink into a groove.
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For a first try, the Black Keys do a decent enough job providing the backbone upon which this collection of rappers can spit and strut, but the actual musical output is overshadowed by the concept of this collaboration, and that is Blakroc’s biggest problem.
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Unlike many similar projects, this one doesn't seem overly impressed with its own novelty. A good thing.
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MojoThere are no masterpieces here. But it's a brave venture nonetheless, and one that does succeed in becoming something more than the sum of its parts. [Jan 2010, p. 95]
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Thrillingly experimental hip-hop.
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Mixing nasty guitar leads with cavernous beats, the Black Keys have crafted a dark, sprawling opus that's convincing in its commitment to a unique sound.
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Q MagazineA hip hop album of raw and unusual playfulness. [Jan 2010, p. 118]
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UncutThe Black Keys must take credit for negotiating the minefield of the rap/rock crossover without any serious casualties, but maybe an R&B/rock crossover would have reaped even greater rewards. [Jan 2010, p. 113]
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Instead of acknowledging that they perhaps have something unique to offer and trying to put their own twist on rap, the Keys attempt to strip down their sound to fit within hip-hop genre norms--the result being the taming of many gifted rappers whose time would have been otherwise better spent.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 15 out of 15
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Mixed: 0 out of 15
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Negative: 0 out of 15
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D.P.Dec 3, 2009Good Album, although some of the songs are lacking. Its a good combination of blues-y rock and rap. Coochie wasn't great though.