Obie Trice - Cheers
Reviewed By: NOTORIOUS
Album Rate: 4.25 out of 5 Stars
After bubbling on the underground for years and
then hooking up with rap king, Eminem's Shady
Records, Obie Trice hits the world up with his
debut album, "Cheers."
1. Average Man - Cryptic sounding beat with Obie
Trice hitting it up with some lyricism. Pretty
good way to start this album off.
2. Cheers - The title track sounds like an ode to
making it no matter what your doing - just making
it. Again, Obie laces the track with some pretty
good bars. Obie shouts out the 313 on this track
which probably would have fit pretty well on the 8
Mile soundtrack.
3. Got Some Teeth - OK, this is the video song.
After seeing the video and hearing the song on the
radio before the album dropped, I wasn't feeling
the track too much. The unedited version is a
little better but I just wasn't feeling it.
Marginal at best. Too much sound effects and not
enough consistency in this one.
4. Lady f/ Eminem - Eminem laces the hook on this
banger. Not only is this track top notch, it's a
Ja Rule diss song. Obie drops a tight verse,
followed by Eminem taking on all takers on his
verse. Each emcee drops 2 verses. Very tight
song.
5. Don't Come Down - First thing you notice when
you hear this song is Kanye West. A very
Kanye-sounding beat by Eminem and producer Emile. Obie drops knowledge on his
life and growing up on this track that is more of an ode to his mother. He shows the talent on this song. Really solid effort.
6. The Set Up f/ Nate Dogg - The beat on this song
has a Young Gunz - "Can't Stop..." feel to it.
Nate Dogg is on the hook so you know this has to be
considered for a video single. Unfortunately, Nate
Dogg adds little to this track. Not the best
effort from either.
7. Bad Bitch f/ Timbaland - After the letdown from
the previous track, Obie is back with
metaphors-a-plenty. Decent track.
8. Shit Hits The Fan f/ Dr. Dre, Eminem - I know
everyone's heard this track. Another Ja Rule diss
track. This one is a street banger in every sense.
This is one of the more-venomous in the war
between the Shady/Aftermath - Murder Inc. feud.
9. Follow My Life - Another track about the life
and times of Obie Trice. Not a video song but then
again, not all songs are intended for that. A
slight Biggie sample can be heard in this one.
10. We All Die One Day f/ 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks,
Eminem, Tony Yayo - This track was featured on the
DJ Muggs' Soul Assassins mixtape and is every bit
of a street banger than the first time I heard this
track. 50 adds the hook, Lloyd drops and verse as
does Em. Em takes on Kim Osorio from The Source on
this track. Very nice effort from everyone
including Tony Yayo who just adds ad-libs. "I'm a
psycho/ Mariah ain't got shit on me" What a line!
11. Spread Yo Shit f/ Kon Artis - This track's got
a Cee-Lo feel with the way Kon Artis is singing the
hook. Not feeling this track too much.
12. Look In My Eyes f/ Nate Dogg - Now this is the
way I remember the Nate Dogg guest appearance tracks. This
one is a winner. Obie and Nate Dogg - a great
combination. Pretty much anyone with talent and
Nate Dogg - a great combination. Top notch track.
13. Hands On You f/ Eminem - Good beat that has
been featured on some mixtapes. Good verses on top
of it as well. Eminem drops the hook in his
singing way. Another potential single on this one.
14. Hoodrats - In the same breath of Got Some
Teeth, another ode to the ladies from Trice. Just
what you would think the track was based on the
title. Decent track.
15. Oh! f/ Busta Rhymes - Obie Trice, real names,
no gimmicks - he states at the beginning. Slow
beat with decent verses from Trice as well as Busta
Rhymes on the hook. Very good effort by all thos
involved.
16. Never Forget Ya - Another slow beat with Obie,
once again, talking about real life situations that
happened to him. I like songs like these, so I am
feeling this one. Basically, it's Obie Trice
saying that he's made it but he's not forgetting
anyone.
17. Outro f/ D-12 - Eminem starts the track off
with some very nice verse. D-12's effort is not as
good as Em's or Obie's but that is to be expected
as Obie and Em outshine just about anyone on
tracks. Nice way to end the record.
Overall, I was very impressed with this album.
Obie Trice's album was one of the most anticipated
records of the year but many people may have slept
on it with the emergence of 50 Cent. Those who did
sleep on it should check it out as it is a top
notch effort. Those who do buy this album are up
for a chance to win the "golden ticket." The golden
ticket allows the holder to enter the studio with
Eminem as he records his next album. Not too bad
of a reward for an album that should be had.
Obie Trice - Cheers