Built From Scratch
by The X-Ecutioners
Metascore
62

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. Alternative Press
    60
    The collaborations produce some occasional gems, but midway through the disc one gets the impression the X-men are no longer "in their own session." [Feb 2002, p.82]
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  2. Launch.com
    70
    But for all the high-level assistance the group receives, what keeps Built From Scratch consistently interesting remains the fantastic four’s work on the wheels of steel.
  3. Neumu.net
    30
    Just like an album of guitar solos, an album of battling fancy-fingered trick-pony turntablism is an utterly artless endeavor.
  5. AllMusic
    60
    Built From Scratch is a sharp ode to old school hip-hop that focuses on the roll of the turntable rather than the vocals of an MC.
  6. Dot Music
    70
    Although it is an immensely enjoyable experience featuring often breathtaking dexterity and turntable trickery, it rarely deviates from a strictly old school template.
  7. CDNow
    80
    On Scratch, they masterfully explore breakbeat fusion, flowing smoothly from scratch to hip-hop to rock and everything in between.
  8. Rolling Stone
    50
    These collaborations reveal one fatal flaw in the album's formula: All the imported noise makes the X-Men's delicate routines of cutting and juggling seem hopelessly obscure.
  9. The A.V. Club
    70
    Purists might object to Built To Scratch's overt commercialism, but the four-man crew succeeds in making turntablism accessible to a mainstream audience without sacrificing the kinetic demolition at the heart of its music.
  10. E! Online
    75
    Each cameo adds style, pizzazz (and most importantly, cool vocals) to the four-man crew's turntable acrobatics.
  11. Entertainment Weekly
    91
    While their lightning-fast deck skills evoke nostalgia, the X-men still sound like the freshest crew on the block.
  12. Austin Chronicle
    40
    With no new scratches, no innovations, and an abuse of mere battle scratches, the X-ecutioners overcompensate for their overall lack of creativity by cluttering tracks with constant restatements of reaffirmation, forcing even credible MCs to become pawns of the ornamental obsession to their own greatness.

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User Score
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User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. DankyM
    Nov 27, 2005
    6
    Fuck that Linkin Park shit that track keeps it from being a "7". The best track on the album is "a Journey into Sound" its got a Rakim sample Fuck that Linkin Park shit that track keeps it from being a "7". The best track on the album is "a Journey into Sound" its got a Rakim sample and Dan the Automator beatboxing what more do you want. the end of album though is just weak like they rush it not worth buying, but if you got some extra room or your hard drive definetly pirate it of the internet… Full Review »
  2. JackM.
    Mar 7, 2002
    8
    This album kicks assiola!!! my favorite song was the song "Its Going Down" with those Guys from Linkin Park. Its Going Down (:]
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