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Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey

Kurupt - Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey Audio CD

A fair review of the Kurupt "Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Kurupt reviews here, or go back to the Kurupt tabs.

Band: Kurupt
Title: Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey
Rating:

Release Date: 2001-07-23
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Blast Off (Intro) - Kurupt 2: Space Boogie - Nate Dogg, Kurupt, 3: Hate on Me - Kurupt, Soopafly 4: On da Grind - Daz, Kurupt 5: It's Over - Kurupt, 6: Can't Go Wrong - Butch Cassidy, DJ Quik, Kurupt 7: On, Onsite - 2 Dead, Kurupt, 8: Sunshine - Jon B., Jon B, Kurupt 9: Hardest... - Kurupt, MC Ren, Nate Dogg, Xzibit 10: Gangsta's - Mike Dean, Daz Dillinger, Kurupt 11: Bring Back That G... - Goldie Loc, Kurupt, Snoop Dogg 12: Lay It on Back - DJ Lethal, Nate Dogg, Fred Durst, Kurupt, 13: Just Don't Give A... - DJ Lethal, Kurupt 14: At It Again - Kurupt 15: Kuruption - Everlast, Kurupt 16: World - Daz, Kurupt

Smoke Oddessy Never Quite Catches Fire
I expected at least three or four cuts which showcased his lyrical dexterity, as well as a healthy does of DPG style G-Funk. Kurupt is arguably one of the finest lyricists to come off of the West Coast, ranking right up there with fellow HRSMN Ras Kass, and so I had high hopes for this album when I purchased it. Instead, I found the album to be. . . what's the word?. . . blahzay.

Kurupt was never at his finest on this disc. There was never a bar or a verse on here with that, "Oh sh**!" quality that makes you want to press the rewind button and interpret its meaning with your homies.

Although Dr. Dre himself was absent, there were plenty of faux-Dre style beats that never quite measured up to the work of the man himself.

The worst part of all was the cameos. Snoop, Daz, Nate Dogg, Xzibit, DJ Quik, and Jon B turned in respectable work, and Natina Reed (Kurupt's baby moms and Blaque alum) did her pop thing on the obviously radio-friendly "It's Over", but that track was indicative of what seemed to be the objective of the whole album. . . to crossover. If you're putting someone like Fred Durst on your disc, you might as well cut a song with Seth Green's Special K character. This guy is awful, and totally stunk up the track he was featured on. Everlast, a decent MC, tries his hand at singing when he gets his turn on the mic, and the results are less than spectacular. There are also a number of "also ran" guests on there who do little to elevate the level of lyricism.

As a side note, the album opens with a Sun Ra sample which finds the jazz great musing about the ways in which white people have messed up the vibes on planet Earth, and how Black people should make a fresh start of things for themselves on a mythical newly-discovered planet of their own ("We set up a colony for Black people here. See what they can do on their own without any white people there. . . ") This sets the tone for the whole "Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey" thing. And then we find out that Jon B, Everlast, and *ugh* Fred Durst were the three white folks allowed on the space ship? For shame, Kurupt, if you were gonna let three white guys travel to "New Earth" with you, you could've done better than those three, especially in terms of their ability to enhance your album.

This album was obviously Kurupt's attempt to break into the mainstream, and not only did it fail to make him the household name that Snoop is, it also came off as hollow when compared to his more honest efforts like "Tha Streets Is a Mutha".

Best Kurupt album by far!
The second best album Kurupt has dropped is "Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha". I absoloutely love this album. On "Tha Streetz. . " the lyrics were better than on "Space Boogie" I'll admit that, BUT, productionwise Space Boogie outshines Tha Streetz by far. Fredwreck made the album great with all his dope contributions. Westcoast legend DJ Quik and Soopafly also produced one banger each on it. If you like Westcoast music and the Dogg Pound you should immediately buy this cd cause it's a classic!.

"Tha Streets Iz A Mutha" It Isn't, but It's Still A Dope LP (Rating: 7 out of 10- -3.5 stars)
After an excellent sophomore album Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha back in '99, he comes again two years later with Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey. Kurupt is part of the reason why I enjoy west coast rap music. This album still has that west coast sound, which is what I like to hear from Kurupt.

What had me skeptical was the questionable lead single "It's Over Now" with Natina Reed (who really should have stuck to singing because she cannot rap), because it was so pop frendly. But other songs on here redeem that song from making the album a loss. One of the great songs here is "Can't Go Wrong" with DJ Quik and Butch Cassady. Another dope song is the song, "The Hardest Muthaf*****" featuring Xzibit, MC Ren (who rips a nice verse), and Nate Dogg which I really like. And whats a Kurupt album without Daz making an appearance (they're paired together like Redman and Method Man. )? Daz lays down some vocals on "Gangsta's" and "F Da World" two standout songs.

Although this album is dope, it isn't Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha. A lot of these songs here are hit and miss as well. As I mentioned before "It's Over Now" was unappealing. Infact, the beginning of the album starts off real slow and pickes up when you hit the sixth track. Also some of the songs send the album into a different direction like the R&B sounding song "Sunshine" with Jon B, and the political type song "Kuruption" with Everlast's singing. They're not bad tracks, but if you're used to hearing Kurupt, you will be a little thrown off.

But overall Kurupt's third album is worth your time. You still get those tracks that made you love Kurupt and Tha Dogg Pound to begin with. And I really cannot complain, because I had to let this album grow on me. To be honest, it was actually better than I thought. I slept on this album back in '01, and found this album in the used CD bin at the store, and decided to give it a listen. If you're a fan of Kurupt or Tha Dogg Pound in general, I recommend this album to you. Peace.

Lyrics: B+
Production: B
Guest Appearances: B+
Musical Vibes: B

Top 5 Favorite Tracks:
1. The Hardest Muthaf***** (featuring Xzibit, MC Ren, and Nate Dogg)
2. F Tha World (featuring Daz)
3. Can't Go Wrong (featuring DJ Quik and Butch Cassidy)
4. Kuruption (featuring Everlast)
5. Gangsta's (featuring Daz and Mike Dean)

Honorable Mention Tracks:
1. At It Again
2. Sunshine (featuring Jon B).

...Kurupt...
I listened to this cd its not a classic. . but i defneitly enjoyed with such hot songs like space Boogie you just want to listen on. . . high;y recomended.

A Wide Variety of Hip Hop Styles Offers Something For All!
It has some mainstream pop-rap: "It's Over," The album also has G-Funk: 1)"Can't Go Wrong," (DJ Quik heats up the production! Nice funky beat with a jazzy hook. Kurupt's third solo effort: Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey has something for just about every hip-hop fan. ) 2)The title cut, which you can lowride to! and 3) "Sunshine" with an old-school beat. and finally 4) "At It Again" with use of a talk box and a fast party beat! The album also caters to the hard-core fan: 1) "The Hardest" 2)"On Da Grind. " The album has appeal to even rock fans: 1)"Lay it on Back" w/ Fred Durst (does have a hip-hop beat, though). The album also has a few songs with an underground feel like "On, Onsite" w/ Lil 1/2 Dead. The different styles and Kurupt's unique personality make this album a neat addition to your rap collection. This album is not so much set trippin' and gang banging as in Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha (though that one is tight too!) This is his main party album, something to relax to and party to!.

You can see a complete list of all Kurupt discography, or go back to the Kurupt tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.