Welcome to the Afterfuture

Interesting. I like where it’s going but don’t know if it got where it wants to be.

They need a 0 option.

Mike Ladd, more like Mike Badd

A Surprise! Excellent album which I had never heard of from an artist I had similarly never heard of before. This is the kind of album that makes this whole list and this website a lot of fun. This guy has a *very* Madvillain/MF Doom vibe. If you like them, you'll like Mike. I was going to go with four stars, but I really think I've talked myself up to 5. This was truly excellent.

Robert a encore fait son pitre en selectionnant un album que je mets au defi quiconque de connaître, passons, l'heure est à un sujet bien plus important. Cela fait maintenant plusieurs mois que mon camarade robpecunière et moi cravachons pour vous divertir, grâce à des reviews d'albums toutes plus pertinentes les unes que les autres. Nous nous demandions aujourd'hui si un français avait déjà lu ne serait-ce qu'une seule de nos reviews. Si tel est le cas, nous vous donnon srendez-vous: à l'heure ou l'album Qui sème le vent recolte le tempo de MC Solaar tombera sur votre générateur, inscrivez la phrase suivante dans votre review de l'album: "Mike Ladd est le fils de Robert Dimery". Grâce à ce savant codage, nous saurons que nos reviews ont peut-être un jour touché une âme. J'emmenerai personellement des madeleines et une bouteille de jus d'orange à cette occasion.

Based on almost nothing other than the name, I wasn't expecting to like this but I liked it a lot. It's somehow at once lofi and sophisticated, laid back and sharp edged.

Que dire de Mike Ladd... Et bien pas grand chose puisque personne ne le connaît. Je vais donc profiter de cette critique pour vous faire part de quelque chose. Vous savez bien que mon compère eltrapeze et moi sommes très dévoués à l'exercice qu'impose ce générateur, à savoir l'écriture de "reviews" toutes plus inspirées les unes que les autres. Nous sommes, de ce fait, absolument persuadés qu'il existe parmi vous des admirateurs inconditionnels de nos écrits. C'est pourquoi nous vous offrons la possibilité de nous contacter. Pour ce faire, rien de plus simple : écrivez sous l'album Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo de ce cher MC Solaar la phrase "Mike Ladd est le fils de Robert Dimery." Vous serez ensuite informés de la suite des événements par un faisceau d'indices et différents messages codés à déchiffrer dans nos critiques ultérieures. Bien à vous.

I probably could die without having had listened to this. I can appreciate the experimental hip hop sound, but it's kind of all over the place

WHOA what the heck was that?

Incredible beats and vibes, just slightly underwhelming flows.

this was surprisingly good. i especially liked the last track (Feb 4 '99), which was an interesting and powerful departure from the rest of the album, but still totally fit.

I hadn't heard of Mike Ladd before receiving this album, and I guess I was slightly daunted by reviewing another hip-hop album after my severely negative reaction to Fear of a Black Planet earlier this week. Of course, hip-hop is a diverse genre, and it's immoral to judge someone for the iniquities of another. So, I postponed reviewing this for a few days in order to try and approach it open-mindedly. And I liked it, but I didn't love it. Mind, I get a few hints that this is a album not really seeking to be loved. From what I have gathered, Mike Ladd is a whale of an MC in the underground hip-hop brigade who happens to have been a lecturer on poetry at NYU. And I can't deny that this album is a dense, intricately constructed work. The album explicitly draws influence from Afrofuturism and, more broadly, science fiction. 1984, Blade Runner and the works of William Gibson all get allusions, and the bonkers Saturnian jazz leader Sun Ra casts an immense shadow over this album. As such, one can admire the grand scope and craft of Welcome to the Afterfuture, but one can also recognise that such a enterprise will leave some cold: some people just despise sci-fi as tedious piffle. Me, I can enjoy the occasional knee-trembler with, say, a Kubrick film or a JG Ballard novel, but I have no yearning to tackle any form of Dune. This album will appeal to some as much as it will appal others, and others like me will just consider it alright. I should point out as well that the album is rather low-key in its tone. This album isn't hook driven, nor especially virtuousic lyrically. The craft can't really be faulted, but it doesn't elate. I believe this is purposeful; the themes invite contemplation, not joy. This is an album best enjoyed alone, gone midnight. It's an album to admire, not adore. But the by, on the song The Animist, he talks about what his name would be if he were Jewish (Jared), Muslim (Ibrahim) and Catholic (Chris). The name Mike, which I assume is short for Michael, comes from the Old Testament, meaning it's a Jewish and latterly Christian name (and Michael is an archangel in Islam, though I don't know if Michael is a common name in Islamic cultures). Did he forget his own name?

Unexpectedly good. This was a great find - very electronicish, Deltron3030-esque, perfect future-forward sound. if I could give 4.5 stars I would.

Some nice beats but underwhelming bars at times

I wish I had more time to rip into this one. One of the contributors obviously liked boring experimental hip hop with no redeeming qualities. I have to imagine some kind of traumatic brain injury is required to enjoy this.

Now and again something a bit different comes along and this is one of those occurrences. I loved the industrial dark sounds mixed in with moments of beauty: a great combination. A cracking album by my reckoning.

Mike Ladd's WELCOME TO THE AFTERFUTURE is a pretty wild trip that I really enjoyed taking. He won me over on the opening track, "I’m 5000 miles west of my future, Where’s my floating car, my utopia? My Mars colonies, like it’s supposed to be? Space 1999." I can relate. I'm not predisposed to relate to rap albums, but I fell in love with the science fiction vibe and all the ethereal music and atmosphere. There are a lot of compelling lyrics. This is one of the more unique and one of the best rap albums I've ever listened to. Some of my favorites: "5,000 Miles West of the Future", "Planet 10," "To The Moon's Contractor," "The Animist," "Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon"

Wow! Heavy jazz influenced hip hop album. Unexpected for sure, but a welcome surprise.

I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Pretty good.

What the hell's this? Zero chance this survived the edit. Haha, nope. Well Spotify said 2015 so I looked at the wrong year... Anyway you can tell it's 2000, and you can tell it's by a producer. All pretty unremarkable 24 years on. Bladerunners wants to be Gil Scott Heron and isn't. I most enjoyed the long track To the Moon Contractor, and realised this was because the not very good rapping was absent. The last track is a really great sound piece of itself. But after an hour I'm just tired. Huge vibes of when you'd pick up a mystery bundle of 5 cds for a quid in that bin in Vinyl Exchange in the hope of uncovering a hidden gem but instead it would all just be stuff like this.

This one slid through my brain and I don't remember it at all.

Meh. Maybe influential on music outside of my taste. At least it was somewhat listenable

What the hell is this supposed to be????? If I'm reincarnated a thousand times and never hear this album again, then I will be happy. This has no place in 1001 albums to hear.

Evokes images of a gang of future-cyber-punks huddled around a flaming trash can blasting this out of a boombox during the post-apocalypse. A really interesting hip hop album comprising a decaying industrial soundscape. The reflective final track 'Feb. 4 '99' is completely different, but somehow fits perfectly. Form matches function perfectly in this very cool and deliberately artistic endevour. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: Feb. 4 '99 Date listened: 02/06/23

I liked this album a lot more than I thought I would. Conscious and/or abstract hip-hop is always welcome. The groovy double bass throughout the album was very nice and the keyboard sounds were sometimes even reminiscent of Radiohead. The flow of Mike Ladd is varied and perfect. The only flaw of the album is that it was too long.

Shocked to see an album with so few listens show up in this list (per Spotify at least) but it was actually quite good. A strong flow with some strong highs, few real lows.

pretty good hip hop/electronic trend - but a bit crass.

Mike Ladd’s decision to release music under his full name caught my attention. It made me wonder: would albums by Shawn Corey Carter, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, or Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. have carried the same weight without their stage names? But I digress... As someone encountering Ladd for the first time through 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, I was intrigued by comparisons to Kool Keith, Deltron 3030, and MF Doom. However, the album didn’t live up to these lofty expectations. “5000 Miles West of the Future” opens with minimalist beats and jazz-inflected piano loops, creating an atmospheric yet not completely memorable introduction. The chaotic “Airwave Hysteria” follows with distorted beats and erratic samples, leading into the funk-heavy “Planet 10” and the upbeat “Take More Than 41.” While these tracks showcase Ladd’s vast vision, they feel more like scattered experiments than a cohesive statement, leaving me disengaged early on. The album begins to find its footing with “Bladerunners” and “No. 1 St.,” its most accessible hip-hop offerings. These tracks display Ladd’s sharp flow and surreal, seemingly non-sequitur lyrics, offering glimpses of why this album was well received upon its release. The highlight is “The Moon’s Contractor,” a sprawling, largely instrumental piece that shifts between ambient, jazzy passages and glitchy beats. It’s cinematic, hypnotic, and undeniably captivating—though it’s confusing that the album’s strongest moment is one where Ladd’s vocal presence is minimal. The final stretch sees Ladd finally hitting his stride. Tracks like “The Animist” and “Red Eye to Jupiter” balance dense futuristic beats with stream-of-consciousness delivery, evoking the political urgency and poetic resonance of Gil Scott-Heron’s The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. It is shame that they have been placed so late on the album as the album suffers from pacing issues. Welcome to the Afterfuture is cerebral, surreal, and politically charged, weaving themes of Afrofuturism and dystopia through a collage of experimental soundscapes. While its ambition should be lauded, its uneven execution and lack of cohesion make it a missed opportunity. Did/Do I own this release? No. Does this release belong on the list? Probably not. Would this release make my personal list? No. Will I be listening to it again? I may return to a couple of tracks, the album as a whole isbmore of an intellectual curiosity than an essential listen.

Cover Impressions: seems pretty aggressive. Could be rock or hip hop. Why Japanese? Hip hop it is. I maybe misheard some lyrics, but many sounded pretty unusual for references in this genre almost falling into nerdcore? That would also help explain the Japanese stuff too. Finding official lyrics was harder than I expected, and didn't have time to dig to confirm what my ears heard the first listen, but as I struggled to figure out the demographic for some of these I started to think it may be me.... There were still some aggressive songs too that weren't very relatable, but the less lyrical songs like the Moon and Jupiter had some good beats. For an album outside my realm it was pretty good. Favorite track "to the moons contractor" 3/5

Not into most of the rap parts of the album but there was a lot of creativity and I enjoyed the wordless sections best.

i think i liked it?

What the fuck was that 2 ⭐️

This album was frankly just too late, as there is some part of me that wants to respect the abstract choices made with this album; the ambient tracks, the spoken word that feels more like poetry than anything hip hop related, and the lyrical concepts are generally something that would fit well on some sort of concept album. However, most of the album I was only thinking that these concepts and styles had been done before relatively recently upon this album's release, and it makes Mike Ladd unfortunately look like a copycat at best, a complete poser at worst. This isn't really fair to Ladd, but it doesn't mean this album magically becomes timely or really all that well-thought-out. A major issue this album possesses is that it often feels like it can't balance the ambient instrumentals with the rapping parts. Many of the instrumental tracks would make great backing beats, meanwhile most of the actual main beats come off as weak and uninspired. Ladd is also not a great MC flow wise, as even though it undoubtably has to do with the spoken word and poetry influences, it still comes off as choppy, and lyrically it also is reminiscent of a stereotypical slam poetry show; talking. Like. This. To. Make it. Sound... like you're smart. It can just be incredibly goofy. The album does improve upon its growth, with some of the final tracks easily outshining the rest of the album, but at over an hour long it is too little too late. Had this released in the mid 90s, I may be singing a different tune, but by 2000 you had acts like MF DOOM, and while again it isn't Mike Ladd's fault that this has aged like milk, it can be hard to return to, I imagine, five years later, let alone nearly twenty-five.

who would have thunk that critics would inordinately love a guy who looks like he should have been a critic instead of making boring hip-hop

So glad to share this Album I "must hear before I die" with 20.000 other Spotify listeners. It really had a big impact on music and my life before I died.

No thank you

Look mommy, I can make a hip hop album

Once was more than enough for me

This is an album that you don’t need to listen to

It sounds like an episode of a cartoon that shows you how monotone the future will be and it plays you a song with an instrumental that has no sense. Didn't like it

What a refreshing hip hop album. Really loved this one. Three full listens and it impressed me each time. This is why I'm on the 1001 train

Very interesting in concept. I loved the messages and lyricism. They shine out through some somewhat muddy rhythms at times.

I definitely pre-judged this because he's called Mike Ladd, but damn this is so cool! Exactly the kind of hip hop I like. It has a Company Flow feature FFS. Shocking 5*

Amazing. Glad I found this. Funky hip hop.

I had never heard of the artist or album before this, but I REALLY enjoyed this album! It's got such a unique, dark, chill, futuristic vibe going on, and I had a great time listening through it! Definitely will be revisiting.

That was a surprise! I really enjoyed this. At first I thought „no not more hip hop“ but I listened to it twice. That means something!

I like the cyberpunk theme; the texts are smart, and the sound is suitably cool and futuristic. The style is a mix of genres: the proportion of rap varies by track, and the instrumental parts are somewhere between electronica and something almost resembling a jazz or prog jam. You can tell that Ladd doesn't just produce but can also play some instruments himself. The album has some slow moments, but at least they are chill.

Riktigt nice! Kommer återgå till detta 100%

absolute fucking masterpiece

Great atmosphere and nice raps. So sad it is so unknown nowadays!

Idk what it is but this album have potential for it

I had no idea who this was or what this was about. But i reallly enjoyed. Thoughtful quality rapping crazy noise up down in yiur face and moments of abandon and delicate beauty. Reminds me of Ninja tunes type stuff. Im in brother.

This album is DOPE!

beautiful

jj

baita som, não dava nada mas instrumentalzao show

love it. its like a slam poet made a Deltron 3030 prequel and went back in time and released it the month before Deltron came out. Also El-P on track 5.

I Feel Like $100 after hearing this.

Hiphoppy, was not able to distinguish text well

This was really. It’s clearly drawing from all kinds of influences and there is a ton of experimentation.

I didn't expect to like this but I was really surprised. Will definitely check out some more of Mike Ladd's music. MF Doom / Madvillain influences throughout. SO WHY IS THERE NO MF DOOM IN THIS LIST?!?

Alright, I get why this album gets a lot of hate. I think you need to like alt rap to get into an album like this, but on its own merit, for the genre that it is, I think it's a really strong project. The rapping is above average from what you hear from a lot artists - great flow, great diction, not just talking about bitches and hoes. And the production value is something truly unique. This guy is a mix of MF Doom, Open Mike Eagle, Talib Kweli, and the Alchemist and yet he preceded them all. No hate if this kind of album isn't your thing but if you're into a really off the beaten path underground rap concept album this is a great piece.

Mike Ladd is a phenomenal rapper. “Airwave Hysteria” blew me away. I’ve never heard a flow like his before. He raps off-kilter one moment, then falls back into a rhythm whenever he wants to. Some rappers talk about changing flows from track to track but Mike Ladd does it multiple times in a single track. The lyrics are dense. They’re packed with fantastic wordplay and smart political commentary. Even when I was paying close attention to these songs, I knew I would need to go back for multiple listens to catch everything. His verses are brilliant poetry — not a word or syllable is wasted. All of the rap songs on this album are incredible. But only about half the album is rap. I was surprised by how many instrumentals there were and my gut reaction after one listen is that there could have been less instrumentals and more rapping. Then again, when the rapping is this dense and virtuosic, maybe you don’t need to pack the album with it. Also, Mike Ladd is the lead producer on all of these tracks so even the instrumentals are him. Is Mike Ladd a genius? Why have I never heard about him before? Great album.

I loved this. Surprised I’ve never come across Mike Ladd but I loved how unique this sounded. Good sci-fi!

An interesting foray into lowfi beats

Cool futuristic-leaning production though not quite as industrial or cold as other groups in this same vein of abstract hip-hop and illbent that were coming out around this time. I think groups like Cannibal Ox, Company Flow, and Techno Animal had twists on this side of hip-hop that I generally prefer but Mike Ladd still brings a unique sound to the mix nevertheless. While I kinda just wanted to listen to those guys instead (+ plus Deltron 3030) when this album started, as the album went on, I grew more appreciative of what was being attempted here. The sound is jazzier and more ambient leaning than other similar-sounding records of this time, with some standout trip-hop and electronic elements. The rapping almost takes a backseat throughout this album but when Mike does rap, he's doing the unconventional, no-bar-line style you'd expect out of this era with lines that are generally witty and enjoyable, his best performance being on the political ramblings of 'The Animist'. I also really liked the posse cut 'Bladerunners' with Company Flow who I think bring out the best rapping in Mike Ladd. The beats are dark and fat here, I love it when those grainy string samples come in on beats like 'No. 1 St.' and 'Airwave Hysteria'. Overall though, 'To the Moon's Contractor' has to be my favorite song here. Despite the somewhat cluttered opening and minimal rapping, its ambitious length works in its favor as the ambient overlay coasts and rides on this driving bassline and drum pattern for the better part of its runtime. It's a truly fantastic beat. While its closing songs were nothing to cry home about, the better part of this album is composed of some great abstract hip-hop that any fan of the style can find something they like in. It manages to stand out quite a bit as well with its subtle ambient genre fusions. While I still prefer many of his contemporaries, I did end up enjoying this record far more than I thought I would when it started.

At times this reminded me of Stankonia, which I am chalking up to both being experimental hip-hop records from 2000. Really enjoyed 'To the Moon's Contractor'

Es un gran disco! Un sonido muy curado, logra transmitir una imagen muy particular: es el año 3050, el contexto es futurista post-apocaliptico, estás en tu carro escuchando un artista que escribió un gran albúm de hip-hop inspirandose en unos discos (una verdadera antigüedad) de hace 1050 años. El aire está turbio, y la música es la mejor compañia. Está muy bueno.

A banger - lovely fresh crisp beats and some nice instrumental work. All the best elements of hip-hop

Philosophical and poignant. The sci-fi inspired futurism theme really does it for me.

Had no idea what to expect with this, as I've never heard of him. But this was great, seems like a blend of hip-hop with the avant-garde and just found the vibe and sound of this record to be really great.

I feel cooler having listened to this. Not sure if how this album is viewed in the hip-hop community, or if it is mandatory listening, but it was new to me and underground rap is a genre I've never dug into. My favorite was definitely No. 1 St., while Bladerunners was also pretty great (shout out El-P, cool to hear your stuff earlier than RTJ). There were some cool soundscapes on display here, and the poem in the last track is pretty cool too. Interested in more rap in this style.

leuk, nooit van gehoord, maar mooi goed album lekker underground

Nice, old-school, dark & trippy rap album reminding me of DJ Krush

A new name in hip-hop for me, but who had worked with a bunch of names I know. I can see why he had so many top collaborators, but not quite sure why he didn't break through - unless he didn't want to!

Surprisingly good

surprised me! found a lot to like in here, good beats, good vibes

Abstract/experimental east coast hip hop. Not really my kind of hip hop, pretty goofy lyrics but for some reason not in like a good way. I liked a few songs here and there, and I really liked the mellow instrumental bits. I think the album is much too long for what it is, even if it does kind of switch things up a fair bit. I liked the beats a lot, they were pretty fun with a mix of styles. I just kind of got bored way too often. Not really all that much to say about it, just wasn't super into it. Probably won't revisit. 3.5/5

I’m not really into hip hop. I never heard of this before. It’s pretty good, but I don’t think it will be on heavy rotation at my house. Favorite song: no 1 st

Never listened to Mike Ladd before, but I've heard him name-dropped a number of times by Milo/R.A.P. Ferreira. I will say, just three songs in, this album certainly lives true to its name as the beats and effects truly evoke a dystopian "afterfuture" vibe. Love the beat on Airwave Hysteria with the Indian sample injection alongside a super-dystopian electronic drone. Early standout for sure. Planet 10 is equally remarkable for its production. Tripped out, lazy beat with sprinkling electro steel drums and vocals laced in underwater effects make for a really pretty blissful vibe. Takes More Than 41 pivots from that vibe to a blown out boom-bap. Still tranquil, but dusty in place of clear. If I didn't know otherwise, I would guess this to be a Gorillaz instrumental. Beats on here are wild and wonderful; Bladerunners is built around a jazzy bassline and brings serviceable features from all members of Company Flow (featuring most notably El-P). The Animist is another standout, if nothing else for its difference in vocal form. This one finds Mike Ladd sing-rapping a chorus. Really enjoy the crunchy synthline that comes in towards the end. Love the early 2000s underground hip-hop scene and this is no exception. The experimental electronic beats are fantastic, as is the overall aura of the album. This sits at a 4 in my mind. There are plenty of high points, but the album does get a little soft after the midpoint.

This album sure has some unique backing instrumentals. A few of the songs are quite good but then a few I really did not like at all. To the Moon's Contractor was a trippy instrumental I was not expecting to be sprinkled in here. From the beginning I thought this was going to be a pretty generic hip hop album. But this turned into a total mind melter halfway through. This is such a strange album I have no idea what to think about it. There is so much random and unique shit going on it that I have to respect it. It's almost like if Frank Zappa produced a hip hop album. I don't know if there has been an album where I was about to give it a low 2 but then turned around my thought to a pretty good 4. I wouldn't be surprised if I listened to this again and gave it a 2

Excellent experimental take on hiphop

I love atypical hip hop.

This was completely new to me. Reminded me of Deltron 3030. Nice, innovative beats.

Surprisingly good, not usually my thing but a good example Got a bit samey after a strong start though

For me, it really started picking up at 'Bladerunners'. Especially with that persistent bass line that sounds like it could be saying "Blade-Ru-Ners" if only it could shape the syllables. Following that up with lyrics like "if I were pregnant, I'd eat ice cream and pickles [...] Praise the Soul for what you got" in 'No. 1 St.' Then, the quiet song after?? Attention grabbing levels of variety on display here.

Muscular, cool. Beats are terrific and one's 100% down with any MC who name-checks Don Quixote.

Nice surprise. Wasn't expecting to hear what might have influenced Gorillaz, with that trippy, dark and introspective sounds.

Much to like here. The beats are solid and interesting and nicely varied. The rapping just fine, too, with much better than average content (e.g., Don Quixote). A strong chapter of fin de siecle hip hop.

Tässähän on koko universumi samassa albumissa. Helkkarin hyvä! Pitää otteessaan kyllä vahvasti. 4/5

Après plusieurs albums de hip hop de cette période, j'ai trouvé rafraîchissant de ne pas être devant un trip d'ego, un personnage théâtral et des mises en scène, mais devant un travail d'échantillonnage, où la musique, le rythme ne sont pas réduits à des boucles, mais à un assemblage. Le débit était particulier, non forcé. Beaucoup aimé.

Pretty good work background music. Low tempo beat

I don’t enjoy a lot of hip hop but this is exactly the kind I do enjoy. Old school kinda sound, reminds me of Rum Committee a bit. good album will definetely listen again.

wasn't sure what to expect with this album... to the moon's contractor and wipe out on the wave of armageddon were my 2 fav songs on the album.

Los 10 minutos del tema 7 son magníficos

Honestly pretty good

Wow! I expected to not like this it all. Great poetry and I loved the atmospheric music.

This really grew on me, im not big into hip hop (i go as deep as the gorrilaz if that counts) but this stuff is good. Experimental Chill hop i guess?

Wow. Very good

The sampling on this record is the most expiramental I have heard to date, while still being in service to a hip hop beat. Its an out there record, and the lyrical themes are a little hard for me to grab, but i am also quite distracted by work this morning, so probably worth a revisit.