Sit up and take notice of the first thoroughly brilliant hip-hop album of the year. Now, at first this may not strike you as such, but if you dig a little deeper and realize that every beat, every blunted rhyme, sample arrangement, drum, strum, and piano came from one guy in a Padded Room With A View, then perhaps brilliant would become a little more appropriate. But, by the same token, Begborrowsteel is meant for padded rooms. I'd be shocked to hear any of this on the radio or at a club. With 16 tracks counting in at less than 30 minutes, the Count rarely lets a cut crack the two minute mark. It's a tight knit release somewhere between an EP and an LP, where each beat melds into the next at what would be considered break neck speed for hip-hop. Much like Blockhead and Madlib, D brings an original approach to the way in which beats are produced. His bass is always as banging as all out, but the spread synths and sample filters create some downright atmospheric tones. This is the sound of intelligent hip-hop.
1. Bullets Hit Brains
2. Doxology
3. The Mingus Sextet
4. Nina & Weldon
5. Gimmie A Gig
6. Drug Abusage
7. Kumbuka Watu Penda Pesa (part 1)
8. Kumbuka Watu Penda Pesa (part 2)
9. Des Fausses Impressions
10. Dollar Bill
11. Down Easy
12. New Edition Karaoke
13. Low Batteries
14. No. 3 Pencil
15. Body By Jake
16. Canerow Waltz
More about: Count Bass D
