M.E.D.: Classic
It takes some balls to call an album Classic, especially when you’re M.E.D. I say that because who is M.E.D.? You might know him from guest appearances with Madvillian or Madlib, but chances are unless you are a serious Stones Throw Records fan, you have never heard of his debut album, Push Comes To Shove. So to follow that up six years later with an album called Classic is pretty ballsy.
With the majority of the production coming from Madlib and additional tracks being produced by Georgia Anne Muldrow, The Alchemist, and Kariem Riggins, the album is full of classic beats. Lyrically is where the album needs to exceed but it rarely impresses. Most of the tracks range from mediocre to unoriginal.
“JWF” stands for “just wanna fuck” which is repeated as the chorus of the song. M.E.D. gives the track his best LL Cool J flow but it still does not touch “Doin It” status.
“Flying High” has a beat reminiscent of Madvillain’s “America’s Most Blunted” but unlike the MF Doom, M.E.D. turns in verses that are about girls in the club doing X. He turns one of Madlib’s best beats into a typical hip hop club track.
In these respects, the beats seem to save the song. On some tracks like the opening track “Int’l,” M.E.D. actually puts out a more than apt verse. In his braggadocio, M.E.D. raps “I’m here in the absence of fresh/cause rappers recycle like air on a jet.” Its these type of similes that show M.E.D. is capable of witty wordplay.
Although capable of the wordplay, he does not exhibit it nearly enough. In the end, the album feels just too typical. Each track takes a straightforward approach to drugs or girls with only a few tracks addressing more social issues like race. Those more socially conscious tracks seem more befitting of the great production the album exhibits. Instead Classic sounds like a collection of misused beats.
Rating: 6.7/10
MP3: MED
“Flying High”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!
M.E.D.: Classic
