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While Quality may lack the basement charms of [departed producer DJ Hi-]Tek's finest, it more than compensates by employing a funkier and more upbeat sound palate to further draw out the nuances of what is already one of the most rounded and complete rap personas in the game.
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Quality is proof that intelligent hip-hop need not lack excitement, soul, or genuine emotion; it's one of the best rap albums of a year with no shortage of winners.
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For once, the production-by-committee approach works, strengthening Kweli's vision rather than diluting it.
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SpinKweli wins by spitting knotty verbiage over high-test beats. [Feb 2003, p.99]
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What makes Quality worth it is exactly what dragged down Train of Thought -- the slow and syrupy songs.
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A perfectly contemporary hip-hop release rescued from the ashes of independent hip-hop cliche.
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MixerOne of the most thought-provoking hip-hop albums in recent years. [Dec 2002, p.75]
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Despite his best intentions, it seems, Kweli's best songs on the record move away from social criticism and into more conventional hip-hop subjects.
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Kweli smoothly bridges the physical and the political.
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He's proven that he can do some beautiful long players, but this just sounds like someone else's greatest hits. Which isn't to say it's not one of the top 20 albums of 2002, because it is. But it shoulda been Top Ten.
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Quality has songs that rock, smooth songs, songs that make you think, songs that will make you dance. It contains nearly every feeling that music can evoke in a person.
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BlenderQuality is full of witticisms, but it draws equal strength from sonic diversity. [#12, p.145]
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Quality is a very conflicted album. On one hand, many of the tracks are close to the level mind blowing, production and rhyme wise. On the other hand, some of the tracks are just plain boring and muddy.
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UncutIt's lyrically potent stuff. [Feb 2003, p.76]
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Alternative PressA little too close to the mainstream for comfort. [Jan 2003, p.91]
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Compared to ambitious contemporaneous concept albums by peers such as Common and the Roots, Quality feels unexpectedly conventional--a strong collection of songs in need of a unifying force.
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He manages a harder edge without completely sacrificing credibility.
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In the end, his big head seriously weighs down the quality of Quality.
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Q MagazineSonically, his second solo effort is dry and unimaginative. [Feb 2003, p.97]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 31 out of 35
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Mixed: 0 out of 35
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Negative: 4 out of 35
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Mar 15, 2022
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Jan 25, 2014
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stevejMar 19, 2007