9th Wonder - The Dream Merchant 2
Dream Merchant 2 Review (all songs rated out of 5)
1. Intro-Ill opening. Basically incorporating different musical moments where the word “dream” is a focal point.
2. Shots (featuring Big Dho & Sean Price)-It’s nice to hear Sean P rip another 9th beat. Big Dho’s verse is kinda underwhelming, but Sean’s humor makes up for it. Also, the song ends with a dope little verse by an unnamed female MC to a beat that 9th reinterpreted from The Minstrel Show. The beat’s bangin’, too. Fuck else would it be—it’s 9th. 4/5
3. Merchants of Dreams (featuring Chaundon, Skyzoo, L.E.G.A.C.Y. & Torae)-All of ‘em are a little too flossy for me. Sky and Chaun have some hot lines, though. L.E.G.A.C.Y. has some nice patterns, but it comes off a little mediocre—especially when he says he’s “hotter than wasabe.” CORNY. Torae kills everyone on the track, and it’s no wonder that he wraps the song. The production’s on some triumphant shit—pulsing bass and a chopped and looped horn section. 4/5
4. Brooklyn in My Mind (featuring Mos Def, Jean Grae & Memphis Bleek)-CLASSIC. Even Memph Bleek comes off. 5/5
5. Sunday (featuring Keisha Shontelle & Chaundon)-Guess what this song is about? Her voice is kind of annoying. It’s real high, on some soprano shit, which is fine in small doses, but not for a whole song. She actually sounds like a sped-up sample—no lie. The beat is a banger, but Chaundon’s verse doesn’t really help. And that same person who spit the little half-verse on the end of “Shots” shows up again. 3.5/5
6. Baking Soda (featuring Big Treal)-Even though Big Treal raps a lot about trapping, he still makes great music. He reminds me of Cool Breeze from the Dungeon Family. He also is one of the few rappers who can do what T.I. does—of course, he does it better than T.I. The hook is catchy as fuck, too. 4.5/5
7. Reminisce (featuring Big Remo the Great & Novej of the A.L.L.I.E.S)-The beat is very nostalgic. The beat incorporates something that sounds like rain in the background, and some nice subtle bells as well. The hook’s kinda generic, but Novej and Remo come off, and that more than makes up for it. 4/5
8. No Time to Chill (featuring Little Brother)-They ain’t lost a step. Nice hook, dope verses—in other words, it sounds like LB again. And Rapper Big Pooh has stepped his rap game up MAJORLY. 5/5
9. It Ain’t Over (featuring Jozeemo & Tyler Woods)-Wow. This shit just screams “street single.” Too bad Jo doesn’t come through. He gets too caught up in the street rhymes, and it ends up sounding really forced and mediocre. The schemes are too simple. The hook and the beat are nice, and the singing ain’t bad. Still—less Jozeemo, mo’ better song. 3/5
10. The Last Time (featuring Royce da 5’9”, Vandalyzm & Naledge of the Midwest Wrecking Crew—The Chi, The Lou and The D)-Royce’s verse is crazy! “My girl got a big mouth/and spits out enough nut to Hurricane Katrina yo’ bitch house!” I laughed out loud at that shit. Naledge is kinda dope, but I never really get impressed by him. He was decent, though. Vandalyzm is dope, though. I haven’t heard him before, but his rhyme schemes are on point. That multiple syllable flow is nice! The hook is whack, though. And who is this female emcee that keeps showing up over these reinterpreted samples on the ends of these tracks? She’s sick! 4/5
11. Saved (featuring Saigon & Joe Scudda)-Saigon’s homophobic. On some real shit, when he said that AIDS came from gay people, I straight up tuned out. I mean, the beat is nice, and Snoop’s vocal snippet is cool, but I mean…why, Sai? And by the way, Scudda’s decent, but he’s borderline whack. Sorry. 3.5/5
12. Milky Lowa (featuring Camp Lo)-Camp Lo is the most underrated group of all time. Them, and Ultramagnetic MCs. Howevever, here they sound uninspired and cliché. It’s actually kind of depressing, especially if you’re a fan of their music. And that goddamn female emcee shows up again! If I don’t find out who she is, I’m gonna go fucking insane!!! 3/5
13. Backlash (featuring Sean Boog of the Away Team & Buckshot of Black Moon)-The beat is real smooth and understated. Sean Boog comes through with a dope flow, and Buckshot drops some fresh bars. It’s business as usual, and it makes for a dope song. 5/5
14. Thank You (featuring D.O.X. & O-Dash)-D.O.X. comes through withc a forgettable appearance, but O-Dash comes through with an intensity that overshadows his partner-in-rhyme’s shortcomings. The beat’s sick, with its cymbal crashes, bumping bass line, and warbled vocal sample. And the end of the song chick comes back for another 8 bars. 4/5
15. Let It Bang (featuring Ness & Skyzoo)-Replete with Sky’s patented d-boy/b-boy swagger, coupled with a swinging horn sample and an appearance by a refreshed and reinvented Ness (of Making the Band fame), this is quite possibly the illest duo on the album. 5/5
16. What Makes a Man (featuring Rapper Big Pooh & Buddy Klein)-The beat is a killer! Poobie comes through with his newly-elevated style (and he wasn’t whack before. That’s what makes his stepped-up game so sick), and Buddy’s thick, syrupy flow is reminiscent of Big Gipp’s, and his vocal tone makes up for the fact that he essentially says nothing for his entire verse. 4/5
17. *BONUS TRACK* Special (Remix) (featuring Strange Fruit Project and Median)-The original is ill, so that makes it hard for the SFP to make this an even iller track. Luckily, 9th opts to add Median and upp the banging drum kit for this one. It works—this joint’s mad dope. 5/5
18. *BONUS TRACK* You Wanna (featuring NBS)-Another street group. In terms of skill, the first member’s somewhere between Big Treal and Jozeemo, but he’s not whack, even though he’s nowhere on Big Treal’s level. The second emcee sounds kinda like Kool G Rap, which is still a plus. Still an ill showcase of street shit. The third emcee is kinda nice with the compound rhymes, but some of his punchlines are real stale. It’s whatever—the beat is knocking, and the trio has chemistry, so it’s not on some bullshit at all. 4/5
OVERALL: The album is dope. All of the beats are banging, but some of the rhymes leave a little to be desired. It might take a while to grow on me. We’ll see
BEATS: 9/10
RHYMES: 7/10
TOTAL: 8/10
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