Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Mucho respect for the man
Starts quite good ("5000 Miles") but it is getting worse and worse with further progression. 1,5
I have a rule, that if the Wikipedia blurb is only 1 sentence that basically just says that the album was released, RYM has 500 ratings or less and all the reviews are people doing this challenge, then the album is just not important of influential enough to be on this list. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I know it's going to be a long and boring album. Let's be honest, has anyone ever heard of this guy before? How did the author find him, was he his neighbor or something? The beats here are actually pretty cool and interesting, but the rapping is just baaaaaad... he has one of the most generic voices and it sounds like he just did one take for everything. A lot of the songs kinda drone on for way longer than they should. Mid 2.
Why this instead of Deltron 3030. Both are post-apocalyptic hip-hop concept albums, but Deltron is better and made more impact. This is okay I guess. More grounded than Deltron, it doesn't reach as much with it's futurism. Seems more commentary than futurism.
JL : 4, Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon (No. 1 St. was great too, lowkey dope and unique album, might have been a 5 without those weird voice filters)
Occasionally great.
its electronica hip hop! Some of the beats just sound too robotic and too dark, if that makes sense. The rap flows are pretty good, and some of the vocal filters used make for an interesting sound, but overall I think this feels like a missed experiment. Interesting, no doubt, but not much beyond that.
Enjoyable enough but the whole time I just wished I was listening to Deltron 3030.
256.
Why was this one here? No really. It's not technically the album's fault that I had to listen to it, so keeping it at a 2 for now, but that may change later. The most irrelevant-feeling album I've gotten thus far. I'm not usually this girl, but maybe there should be a stream count minimum for an album to be considered one of the most essential of all time. The actual work wasn't awful, it's just that I'm 99% sure everything that was cool about it has already been done better by hundreds of people.
Ok hiphop
Not my type of music really. I’m sure fans of hip hop would love it but I didn’t like it at all.
I love smart hip hop. I don’t know why this album wasn’t bigger except that fact the world has moved against intellectualism. So many of these songs exemplified a unique world view that blends Christian mythology and street-smart reality. I admittedly don’t know a lot about Mike Ladd but his influences-musically and literarily- are huge. This is not a religious album! However, I appreciate the references. I liked how he also incorporated everything from jazz to muszak and EDM into his mix. Key songs for me were Bladerunners, which was smooth and poignant at the same time, and the closer Feb 4th, which felt like a hip hop testimonial. I’m coming back here sometime.
Random thoughts: * This was interesting and better than I wanted to initially admit. * This would be what you get if you combined 90s rap with Radiohead's Kid A. It is definitely interesting and kept me on my toes. * I wondered if this was a personal favorite of the 1001 author but I can see this was added because it was interesting to listen to. * Planet 10 was one of my favorites. This even had some of the sounds like it was from the track Kid A or from In Limbo. * To the Moon's Contractor was also a stand out for me. Along with the Animist. * Overall, interesting inclusion. Maybe not essential but definitely worth checking out.
If this is the Afterfuture, I don't wanna go
Illbient, my new word for the day and a brilliant genre idea and name. Even better than Glambient.
Weird
Took me a while to get around to this, hadn't heard of this before but this was a great listen! It does a great job conceptually imo, using a sort of post-futurist (Mike Ladd described the approach as such in an interview) perspective on the present, creating a concept that enables him to encompass a wide array of social issues through a (to me) very unique turn-of-the-millenium sort of sci-fi fixation, tearing this whole thing apart to talk "post-futuristacally" about present issues. I think that was probably very badly formulated but eh, to me it works great lyrically. And the production is wonderfully weird and diverse and continiously surprising throughout this (kinda long) album. It does something unique while also 'keeping it real' to the integrity at the core of the genre, and especially early 2000s experimental rap. Forward thinking and experimental but still very hip-hop. It's a dense record, and theres a lot that needs to be revisited a few times to really appreciate. Highlights for me is "5000 miles west of the future" and "Feb. 4 99" - dope album opener and really beautiful closing track. And what a journey between them. Solid 8/10
Its an okay hip hop album. Not really an album that I like and i struggled to get through it. 2 stars for me
3.6 but going to round down. It’s fine. Not bad but not going to say good
Welcome to the Afterfuture Mike Ladd cleans your gutters, Mike Ladd works in logistics, Mike Ladd was a 3rd division right back in the mid to late 80s, Mike Ladd is the life and soul of the golf club Christmas dinner, maybe Mike Ladd plays keyboards in a band with friends doing the odd gig in a pub. Mike Ladd does not make oddball alternative sci-fi accented hip hop. I really liked this, it feels idiosyncratic while having a few great touchstones, a bit of Dan the Automator, a bit of Wu Tang, a bit of Doctor Octagon, a bit of Mos Def, with a slightly askew point of view and take on some of the standard hip hop tropes and themes. It has a cracking start, 5000 Miles is excellent, the main riff is a great hook, I love the squelchy synths and the lyrics about a promised future. And the Bollywood samples alongside the synths give Airwave Hysteria a great atmosphere, and it has some great lyrics and turns of phrase like ‘its a magical macrame tapestry cornucopia’. The atmospherics continue with the almost ambient Planet 10. Bladerunners’ jazzy bass and 50s film score strings accentuate the sci-fi references of the lyrics. I really like the 10 minute odyssey of To the Moon’s Contractor, it's got a kind of slowed down drum and bass beat and a great hazy, unhurried flow, like a hip-hop/electronica take on Music for Airports, particularly with string arrangement towards the end. I Feel Like $100 is excellent, with a nice Strawberry Fields reference, and again a sort of synthy jazziness, reminding me a little of Money Mark. I like the Casio keyboard freakout at the back end of The Animist, and the fraught tension of Red Eye to Jupiter, and the stylophone riff of Welcome to the Afterfuture. Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon has a slight Outkast feel to it, with a very Questlove drum pattern. Feb 4 ‘99 has a solemn frustration to it that is very affecting, a great closing track, the strings echoing the Sci-fi-ness of the rest of the album, but with a frank real world set of lyrics. This is a great discovery and is easily a high 4. I’ll definitely come back to it and am interested in listening to more of his back catalogue. 🪐🪐🪐🪐 Playlist submission: I Feel Like $100
An eclectic surprise. Alternative hip-hop with a nod to Native Tongues, jazz (Bitches Brew-type brass on ‘Red Eye to Jupiter’), and even ambient drum and bass. The double bass on ‘Bladerunners’ brings The Roots to mind, although the Company Flow contribution rather ruins the vibe by focusing solely on vagina. The musical interludes are amongst the best moments. ‘To the Moon’s Contractor’ drops into a Roni Size-style breakdown; ‘I Feel Like $100’ has a slowed-down early-90s baggy feel. ‘Planet 10’ has the warm ambience of Boards of Canada. ‘Takes More than 41’ and ‘Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon’ superbly cross ambient chill with hip-hop beats. Dissonant strings occasionally bring Wu-Tang to mind. A broad range of influences distilled into one dark, woozy atmosphere.
Not very diverting. Boring production and vocals. One for the musos only
Something completely new and interesting. Very boring at times but I highly value the uniqueness factor.
The project is torturing me, day after the Kraftwerk bleeps I get a hiphop artist I never heard of and I would have appreciated that it stayed that way. Hiphop from space. I stopped halfway which I hardly do. Not for me, next please
This is weird, and not in a listenable way.
Muy interesante. No conocía
Nope
Someday I might make a playlist of artists who went to Hampshire. I know I am supposed to review this album, which I guess is pretty good, but I'm more interested in the stuff he did later, which may or may not even be music, about Black police officers and Black Americans in the Soviet Union. He seems like a cool guy. And yes, Cambridge someday will buckle under its own ego.
It’s been a minute, coincidentally, since I got a rap album and it was just such a welcome change of pace for what I got recently (especially after the boring byrds album I got yesterday). My first big compliment is that instrumentally this album is sick! It’s like space themed and super different from what I’ve heard from most rap albums (instrumentally). There’s so much I liked about this album, the really silly “red eye to Jupiter” song, the fun and creative samples, and even the second half of the album is great. In fact I’d say the second half of the album is the slightly stronger half. The tracks I liked the most were “5000 miles west of the future” “airwave hysteria” “no.1 st.” “I feel like $100” “the animist” “red eye to Jupiter” “welcome to the after future” and “wipe out on the wave of Armageddon”. All of which had really great and original beats and lyrics. Honestly my only real critique is that I didn’t like the first half of the album as much as I liked the second half. This is a total under the radar album for me. I feel like I’ve never heard of this artist or this album but I’m excited to hear more soon.
Heard before?:❌️ Will listen again?:✔️ Fun sci-fi vibe
The title has my attention. And glancing at the song titles, I’m intrigued. Opening track is good so far. Ok, it was a weird start but help my attention. But once it got going “5,000 miles west of the future” is fantastic. On track two now. This album is great. It grooves, it swings, and the lyrics paint a picture. “Redeye to Jupiter” is my favorite track so far. Absolutely love the intro on “Wipeout on the wave of Armageddon”. Great mellow trippy sounds with a great beat. This album is amazing. I need to listen again. It was so good.
5000 Miles West of the Future Bladerunners Welcome to the Afterfuture Wipeout on the Wave of Armageddon
Previously unknown. The parts that weren't annoying have been done better by other people.
Weird hip-hop album that wasn't too bad.
Jesus, nope. Lots of concept, not so much of melody.
No me generó mucho. Hip hop sin mucha cosa llamativa la verdad. 4/10
Hiphop men ganska okej. En tvåa
I got into this, didn’t expect a hip hop album, some songs though rather long….
Surprisingly good
Not the worst hip hop album I've had to endure on this list
Nej, detta var inget för mig. Tråkigt och enformigt att lyssna på. Jag tar inte med mig en enda låt från denna lyssning och inser att denna artist inte är för mig.
head was bouncing! never heard of mike ladd before but enjoyed the lyricism and vibes. an album to walk home to
If Van Gogh had heard this he'd have cut his other ear off.
Hmm this sounds kinda cool so far; I haven’t really heard this kind of sound/beat before I have no idea why this is on this list but it’s not bad
New name for me, but this is hiphop I really like. Some good flows and nice sampling.
Some classic hip hop. Old school. No particular songs that stand out for me.
boring
Boooooooooooring. The music. The rapping. The production. All of it just so dull.
I was quite enjoying this album. Maybe because it was a change of pace to the previous ones. But I like the slowed hip hop beats - ‘Planet 10’, ‘Bladerunners’ and ‘I Feel Like $100’ were decent tracks on the album that was following a nice smooth pattern and offered something different to other hip hop albums in terms of exploring music thematically almost. But the last 4 tracks were really poor and maybe shouldn’t have made the final cut. As an album it’s sporadically enjoyable but overall it goes down as a below average album without being awful.
Blade runners To the moons contractor Red eye to Jupiter Wipe out on the wave of Armageddon
Spacey beats with a Sci Fi feel, slow and atmospheric, constructed from an eclectic mix of ambient dnb and turntable samples from funky jazz to gritty post-industrial sounds to abstract orchestral padding. The verses are wordy, mumbly and muffled, delivering backpack vernacular and Dennis Miller style similes in a breathless staccato flow.
Rich atmospheres, cool instrumentation that is reminiscent of other genres in an album that feels very enticing. It does feel like it is missing something to deserve inclusion in this list. 7/10 [DROP]
5000 Miles West of the Future - 3/5 Airwave Hysteria - 2.5/5 Planet 10 - 2/5 Takes More Than 41 - 2/5 Bladerunners - 3/5 No. 1 St. - 3/5 To the Moon's Contractor - 2.5/5 I Feel Like $100 - 3/5 The Animist - 2.5/5 Red Eye to Jupiter - 2.5/5 Welcome to the Afterfuture - 2.5/5 Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon - 3/5 Feb. 4 '99 (For All Those Killed By Cops) - 3/5 Part of me wants to like this, but I really can't catch where he is trying to go with this. It seems like he wants to do some rapping over jazz or whatever, but most of the time it just comes off as noise. Overall: 2/5 Favorites: Feb. 4 '99
can’t say i loved this one or remembered much from it tbh
Basically retro futurism now - like a y2k time capsule (and en el-p feature) Some cool production (especially for the time) but a lil too “lyrical miracle the world is spherical” for my taste. Wipe out on the wave of Armageddon was my favorite track lol
I'm not sure how what amounts to a SoundCloud rapper managed to worm his way onto this list, but I am baffled by its inclusion. The only thing giving me pause is that this came out in 2000; so maybe Ladd is the original SoundCloud rapper? Some of the worst music I've heard, especially compared to the rest of the albums in this project. I'll think of this record whenever I doubt my own musical ability
Känns som att det borde ha passat mig, brukar gilla sån här lofi "underground" hip hop. Men detta funkade inte
Nytt för mig och ett riktigt härligt sound och allmänt skön vibe som påminde mig om MF DOOM.
Återigen rätt intressant.
Rock, Rap, 2000 -> 1
It’s really interesting and different, but some things aren’t very pleasant to listen to. Hip hop isn’t my type of genre either so I’m trying not to be hating. It definitely stands out among hip hop that I’ve heard but it leans into a lot of just random sounds for its songs, like a lot of albums on here I’ve noticed. The album does have its moments with some nice rhythmic instrumentals and classic hip hop type of songs but those odd ones really do stand out. It’s ultimate down fall is that it tries too hard to be revolutionary
I loved the samples used and the beats all together were good. I was hit or miss on his style.
This album could have been an email. There are much better examples of experimental hip hop out there
Didn't hate it, but it felt like it wasn't doing anything that other albums did better 20 years earlier.
Really not my thing. Pretty hard going hip-hop.
A bit of waste of time. Nothing good or bad but 2015 has way more to offer than this album.
probably my least favorite hip-hop album that ive heard on this list. didn't really do much for me, didn't love the random avant-garde jazz loops, and the flow just wasn't there
I have no idea what exactly I just listened to? Somehow it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve heard on this list? Chill beats at least.
I did not like any song that had lyrics/raping in it. It felt amateurish and had no flow. I liked all of the songs that were instrumental only! Disappointed overall with this album.
Another one I hadn't heard of before, but that I mostly enjoyed. Anything with sci-fi vibes will usually get me, and a lot of the lyrics are (sadly) still very relevant. May not listen again, but I'm glad I did at least once.
I’m sure somebody called Mike Ladd should be running an artisan butcher’s shop somewhere in Lincolnshire. It would be preferable to him recording this woeful shite.
Didn't really feel the first half, but the second half surprised me. Saved oe song for later
Its messy, its lo-fi, it might benefit from a remaster but these beats go hard. Lots to love here on a project I've never heard of anyone involved with. Favorite Songs: Bladerunners, Takes More than 41 Favorite Beat: Airwave Hysteria
Pretty bad, and it mostly stayed that way. Except for one moment: The Animist. Something shifted — melodic, almost psychedelic, different enough that I got up to check whether it was still Ladd playing or whether Apple Music had moved on to something else. It was still Ladd. The B part of the song then goes somewhere completely strange and does not fit at all. But that part gave me a riff idea, so I'll take it. 2/5 — one good moment, one riff idea, not enough.
A HipHop album which is musically decent, interesting even in some places and doesn't rely solely on its rapped lyrics. The strange ambient elements woven into the songs make this the best album I know in a genre that doesn't really click for me. 2.5/5 - okay
3.75, only gets a while .25 bc of the last song: Feb 4th, ‘99 (for all those killed by cops).
What’s annoying is I really liked the spooky soundscape aspect of this, but a lot of this was very boring and bland hip-hop. Wish there was more of the latter
I had never heard of this guy before but for some reason the name Mike Ladd conjured up images of a lounge singer. I thought perhaps he was part of the whole 90's lounge revival scene and possibly Scandinavian. I couldn't have been more wrong, this is a hip hop record. It's a little bit experimental and jazzy and sounded a bit like a forerunner of Kendrick in places. I enjoyed the first track 5000 Miles West of the Future where he evokes 2029 as some distant space age and asks "Where's my floating car?" Quite, but we do have self-driving cars which would have seemed pretty wild at the time of release. It meandered a bit in places and I preferred it when it was a bit more reined in but overall, it was decent.
deep lyrics, good overall it was a strong listen
No cohesive sound or theme, sometimes feels like noise
Interesting obscure rap album from 2000 from a lesser known rapper. Enjoyed the lyrical variety and the production sound. 3 stars for now.
Fin blanding af noget elektronisk, og hip hop. Fungerede faktisk fint.
Ikke det værste Hip-Hop.
Makes me feel like I'm dying and not in a good way. flow sucks. beats are alright sometimes. It was a holy fucking shit god damn fucking chore to get through this. I'd rather wash my dishes in silence and clean a shitty toilet than listen to this. After "The Animist" came on I actually felt like I was going to scream. What a headache.
Really good album for a late night listen. Nice and relaxed with some great beatmaking and decently witty lines throughout. I feel like "Illbient" as a term is kind of a misnomer but I love the music it describes, especially this album. The quieter beats like the one on To the Moon's Contractor are really neat to me. It feels like an album that's simultaneously five years in the future and five years in the past.
An atmospheric, cerebral album that fits right in with the abstract hip hop of the early 2000s. If I have any criticism here it's that I wish there was more rapping. After a couple rap songs, the third and fourth tracks are very spacey, and while the production is great the vocals are lackluster and I find myself waiting for something to happen. The centerpiece "To the Moon's Contractor" mostly makes this style work, but it's the exception. The rap tracks are very good, including the one with Company Flow (El-P kills his verse) and "The Animist." Ladd's flow is great and his lyrics are thought-provoking, even if the abstract stuff doesn't always quite come together. The closer though is much more direct and very powerful. Despite the music being very good - "Red Eye to Jupiter" is an example of how jazzy the album can get - it meanders just a bit too much for me.
This is so bad. Please, God, give me something good to listen to today.
Some interesting sounds, almost MF DOOM esque, but ultimately falls flat a lot
Some really unique, cool ideas on here, albeit with mixed results on the execution. Some of the rapping gets a little corny or backpacky but the beats and the instrumental (ambient?) sections are pretty consistently cool. Would be a fun listen while high.
How was this even on this list?
Kind of industrial hip hop. Liked it, didn’t love.
OUTER SPACE MOTHER FUCKER! Took me a bit to get into this but once it took hold it didn't let go. I hear a lot of the influence this must have had on Gorillaz, MF doom, and Hamilton. Really interesting and unique sounds, and the spoken word piece at the end really brought it all home. The album cover is also a plus.
This list and the compulsion to put any conscious rap on here no matter how wack it sounds
Hard work. Couldn't finish it
Not a fan
Ugh.
hip hop sperimentale, carino a tratti
I was not at all familiar with this but it’s musically and lyrically interesting. Beats are solid and it’s ambitious. Like a hip-hop descendant of Kraftwerk. Not sure I’ll put it on again, but worth a listen.
I'll take the Afterfuture
Some hits, mostly misses
I wanted to like this because I typically dig this style, but I just didn’t. His voice and flow are mostly uninteresting. Neat jazzy instrumentals though. Favorites were Bladerunners, and The Animist.
I'm not sure why I see so many 1 star reviews on this one. I loved this, it was experimental and accessible at the same time. It reminded me of one of my favorite hip hop albums, Phrenology by The Roots. It's musical and weird but still with a good groove. On more listens this may rise to 5 stars
This was a welcome change from the recent albums. It reminded me of the output on Def Jux at the time and this was a very good thing to my ears (the presence of El-P on one track made this link even more pronounced). I will definitely listen to this again.
Much more the kind of hip-hop I’m into. Dense internal rhymes, poetic metaphors, harder hitting beats. Reminded me a lot of ‘the cold vein’ by Cannibal Ox, one of my favourites, so wasn’t surprised to see that El-P had some involvement on it. Particular shout out to ‘to the moon’s contractor’, an interlude that really added to the atmosphere. Not many hip hop songs reference both The Fall and Blade Runner in the same song (‘the animist’) and so Mike Ladd should be credited for it.
I kept waiting for this album to rise high enough to be on par with MC 900 Ft. Jesus. But it ultimately fell flat. It lacks the cohesive, hypnotic brilliance found in the works of MC 900 Ft. Jesus, making the experimental production feel messy rather than visionary. The conceptual sci-fi themes felt forced and failed to engage me, and unlike MC 900 Ft. Jesus, who masterfully balanced abstract storytelling with infectious, jazz-fluid beats, Ladd's delivery felt disconnected from the somewhat chaotic music.
Kind of shit my uncle likes.
Cyber future fever dream constructed from the sound memories of the masses drained by the mega corps. --------- The soundscapes are disjointed, glitchy and erratic. Like the classic tabletop RPG - cyberpunk transposed into a hip hop record. After watching interstellar last night this hit the mood. Mike's vocals are ok, although I really dislike the "singing" at times. His lyrics flow, and for me they are nothing compared to the atmospheric aspect of the album. I'm a big sci-fi guy, a genre often wild, sometimes prophetic. This certainly captures that vibe. [To the moon's contractor] was my personal favourite track, a jazzy sprawling bass driven ambient journey inter shot with machine like percussion that felt like walking across the wasteland in a massive Mech. It takes a while to get going, like a rocket countdown. One it's blasts off the album hits velocity and cruises into experimental spaces. 4* - so good I played it twice.
Great samples, and good flow from start to finish. Really surprised how much this album worked on almost every track. A few moments felt dated but overall as good as anything coming out in 2026.
Why are so many albums so bad...
So obscure, not bad though. 2.5.
Not heard of Mike Ladd before, but this was a cool time. Maybe slightly less fond of the instrumental longform tracks like 'To the Moon's Contractor'. Favourite tracks: 5000 Miles West of the Future, Airwave Hysteria, Planet 10, Feb. 4 '99 (For All Those Killed by Cops).
Hmm... no. I like me some experimental hip-hop, but I really did not care for this. Mike Ladd is an artist that I know nothing about. After listening to an album of his, I still know nothing about him. I didn't really get much from this album. I will admit that there is actually one thing that I feel mostly positive about regarding this album, that being the production. I actually think Mike Ladd is a solid producer for the most part. Not every moment on here works, but I think the beats on this album are mostly good. The rest isn't great. Mike's rapping is kinda weird. I'm not really a fan of his flow, but it's not the worst flow I've ever heard either. The writing felt kinda nonsensical at times. Honestly, the issues with the album just got worse as the album went on. I actually kinda liked the opener "5000 Miles West of the Future," but by the time the closer started, I was pretty much out of it. And of course, the album was over an hour long. This album really wasn't great, but I think the production was good enough to save this from a lower score. I almost gave it a 2, but I think I'll go with a low 3/5. MF DOOM is better.
At times there were moments where I thought the album would take off, then it came crashing down in some mundane way.
Entre le rap et l'électro planante, pas degueu mais pas non plus un énorme kiff
Je ne connaissais pas, c’est sympa ! J’ai pas écouté en entier car j’ai trop d’album de retard
J'ai trouvé ça plutôt sympa, assez chill
Sounds like a fever dream.
1/5
<heavy sigh> I really appreciate this project. Listening, reflecting on the experience, trying to reduce it to words, and reading about others’ experiences has made me a more open-minded and attentive music fan. But there are days when I realize how much happier I'd be if Dimery had even a modicum of taste in music to compliment his cultural curiosity. This is definitely one of those days. If this qualifies as music it is objectively terrible music.
This has that end-of-the-millennium paranoid trip-hop sound.
There is soom good lyrics/rhyming on this but also very questionable instrumentals. “Red Eye to Jupiter” gets a particular frown… Quite weak overall 2/5
terrible.
Very good album. Good backing tracks not your typical rap album thoughtful.
Mike’s flows are occasionally interesting, but the beats throughout the album are either forgettable or annoying, with nothing in between. The style hasn’t aged the best, and ultimately this album has very little to say and way too many points where it absolutely drags along.
Really not my thing - generated no response in me on any level
Rap, no mi rollo
Uhh there's some Gorillaz stuff in here but it's so dense and garbled with other stuff. It's ok as a background album but this album definitely doesn't hold me. Top track: "Bladerunners"
it's fine.
--5000 Miles West of the Future...this is interesting. an off-kilter start/stop syncopation. nice, fat low end --Airwave Hysteria...not sure about Mike's flow (do the kids still use "flow" today?) but the production is cool --Planet 10...silky and sinister --Takes More Than 41...don't like this one. sluggish --Bladerunners...the vocals and the beat seem to be fighting each other --No. 1 St....more interesting production but I'm not really connecting with the vocals --To the Moon's Contractor...sound collage. after a rough start it becomes a groove --I Feel Like $100...another collage. interesting but whatever --The Animist...some nice after hours hip hop. the rattling effect is overused --Red Eye to Jupiter (Starship Nigga)...the rapping is actively fighting the beat again --Welcome to the Afterfuture...guh, the compact disc era really convinced artists to throw any random trash they had lying around to fill out the space --Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon...cool instrumental --Feb. 4 '99 (For All Those Killed by Cops)...powerful
I'm down for some underground hip hop, but this is pretty meh. Some weird cyberpunk-feeling lyrics over passable but not great futureclash production. A couple good bars here and there, but noting I'll remember. Nice to hear Company Flow in there. Was pretty bored by the instrumental, drum-n-bass-y tracks. Remember RJD2? No? Yeah, well, this is like that. Yeah, that wasn't very good either. The upside: this shuffled over into Cymande's "Dove," which I'd never heard before and absolutely loved.
Good beats.
Never heard of the so called 'King of the Hip Hop concept' and couldn't really come to terms with the mass of sound effects and relatively characterless grooves with not exactly electrifying rhymes. Another one to put in the 'why this one?'category.....
I really liked that one. Something about DJ heavy early 00s hip hop that just hits right for me. I think I'd heard OF Mike Ladd, but hasn't really explored his work.. I'm glad this one came up.
2.5
nope
I liked to the moons contractor. Over ok
My patience was already tested due to the current heatwave but this really pushed it.
Some high points, some low points... Where are we going indeed
This explores some interesting ideas. The beats themselves are at times quite capturing, but my big problem here are the rap-parts. They just don’t really hit, except No. 1 St which instantly moved to my library. To The Moon’s Contractor is the definitive centerpiece of the album for me, though the title track could also claim that position. Ultimately an interesting listen that i probably won’t return to in full, but some tracks definitely caught my attention.
What do you call this genre? Hip hop derived of course but with sparse electro synth sound (sometimes detuned) and even some interesting chord and harmonies. So, art hip-hop? Global influences fused with rap in Airwave Hysteria Lyrics fuse biblical and futuristic themes - really interesting Bladerunners is more sexually explicit crossed with scifi aesthetic - reminds me a bit of Dr Octagon Ah there we go, spelled out in No 1 St - "This is jazz". So jazz-hiphop fusion is the intent Long chill instrumentals in To the Moon's Contractor Really interesting overall. Rhymes are complex, lyrics are poetic, like Bob Dylan in Feb 4 '99 Planet 10 is interesting, I'm sure every repeat of the refrain is performed differently - emphasis, timing Final track is like an MLK speech, and it is quite moving as the intensity ramps up. Best track - 5000 Miles West of the Future, Airwave Hysteria, Planet 10, Welcome to the Afterfuture, Wipe Out... 4 stars - fascinating and very well made
trap-rap estadounidense del malo, muy malo.
I'll make this quick. Some of the tracks are okay if I turn to the experimental side of my brain and not the one that wants that heavy boom bap, but dude's flow is not my thing. For the love of god stop putting 2000s French-hop on this list. Final warning.
I quite liked this, alternative hip-hop with some quite abstract lyrics and out-there themes. He has a nice turn of phrase and wit and I find the flow pleasing. Maybe it lacks a few bangers to really elevate it though.
Really disliked
Highlights: 5000 Miles West of the Future, Airwave Hysteria, Bladerunners, I Feel Like $100, The Animist It was ok in general, but my mind wasn't blown. It sounds a lot like it was a template for the Gorillaz debut or something from Del at the time (3030?). Basically any contemporary trippy hip-hop records, but it's not nearly as interesting as those. I wasn't interested enough to really follow the lyrics, but they didn't sound too important at face value... I've noticed he really likes to name places doe. Also, his vocal style reminds me of someone, but I just can't put a finger on it. Maybe someone from De La Soul?
(36/100)
This reviews on this album seem like nobody has ever listened to an indie rap album before. It’s catching way too much hate. It’s a lot of cool beats paired with some interesting flows from Mike and also had Company Flow feature. Could use a trim coming in at over an hour but it’s a good snapshot of the indie rap scene from the early 2000s without being too crazy…
A little myopic when it comes to future-telling but some nice beats.
I was hoping that whatever Abstract Hip Hop project The 1001 albums to hear before you die list would include some heat since they famously omitted Madvillany, but this is some straight garbage. There are some moments that should have came out beautiful or other parts that really should have elevated the rapping but I feel like Mike Ladd was really trying to juggle a bit more than he could handle because this project has problems in all fields. Even with El-P of Run The Jewels fame helping out with the production here, it just feels so misguided and like the ideas and execution are on two separate plains of existence. Nothing here works and it feels like you are listening to the instrumental beats of one project mixed with the entirely wrong rapper. The longer it goes on the more the hole is dug for Mike Ladd and company until it is too late and past the point of return. I honestly can't remember a single thing about this project and I finished it not even 10 minutes ago. Maybe some of the more knowledgable Hip-Hop heads will enjoy this but I found this to be an utter mess.
Not really feeling anything here. The music is happening. I am aware I am being musiced at. But it has no effect on me. I find it a bit annoying to be honest. The first few songs are so... nothing. They're mellow enough but, like, yeah I got nothing. Planet 10 is fucking irritating to listen to. Bladerunners is quite good, but that's due to the guest artist. There's a 10 minute instrumental. It's fine, nothing amazing. Followed by another little instrumental, which is again fine, but again, nothing special. I don't want to listen to this anymore. It's tedious. I'm not really into rap and hiphop and all of that kind of stuff at the best of times. So maybe it's good for people who do like it, but for me it's very unimpressive and tiresome. It's not completely without merit, but I gained no enjoyment from this at all.
This is a tough one because I like what it's going for, but the execution isn't quite there (particularly in the vocals). There are other acts who do this kind of moody, experimental hip hop but they are so much better than this
DOn't like it. It began wearing on me half way through. One star.
I'd never heard of him, but he's a guy after my own heart. A song about Buckaroo Banzai? This is the stuff. And every other track is stuffed with SF references too, plus there are fun samples and unusual musical backgrounds. The density of the highbrow references leads me to think he took the same college courses I did. Anyway, I liked it, can't quite say I loved it, although I wish I did.
Chill jammy rap. Pretty cool.
No afterfuture I want
BARS. Plus the beats got groovy.
Rap branco de gente branca, coloca umas batidas eletrônicas e manda um flow pior que o outro. Muito ruim.
Mike Badd
Jeezuz! This was horrible.
Was okay background music but didnt really draw me in. 3/5
This was a weird one. Started off pretty strong, but around the midpoint disappeared up its own arse (I'm looking at you, To The Moon's Contractor). I'd never heard of this artist nor the album - while that's not uncommon for this list, it is a bit more unexpected given this came out during a period I was listening to more new music than any time during my life. This album has a ridiculously low number of Spotify plays, and while that's not a surefire indicator of cultural relevance, it does suggest this album has been forgotten by most of those who ever knew it existed. Doesn't surprise me much.
This was a lot better than it had any right to be, I think. It's goofy. it's weird, it's all over the map, but it's consistently fun.
Definitely not for me. I appreciate the experimentation and the boldness to put this music out there though. I feel like I appreciate the instrumentals more than the MC. On that same point, To The Moons Contractor was a vibe. Despite its length, I really enjoyed that track.
“If I was Catholic my name would be…Chris ” straight bars?
This just sounds like a rip off of Dr. Octagynacologist to me.
The fact that it was labeled as hip-hop put me off right away. As usual, though, I gave the album a chance and listened to it. I was also motivated by a few reviews. I found the first track quite interesting, but by the second track at the latest, the album’s heavy focus on hip-hop became all too clear to me. After listening to a few more tracks and finding that they all seemed to be the same, I gave up. Hip-hop isn’t music. 1/5
This album was interesting at times, but I never felt it was any good.
Wasn’t for me
Started strong with 5,000 miles but interest kind of faded midway through
A new find. Enjoy this genre of music so found this a great listen!
Felt anonymous to me
Never heard of him before. When it started I thought "Oh this is different". However as it went on it just became more and more monotonous.
I liked this
This is pretty cool. You can definitely see the inspriation this style of hip hop had on a lot of contemporary experimental artists. (JPEGMAFIA, Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler, MIKE, Kota). The lofi style beats with the kind of world building lyrics. It feels similar to MF DOOM, if MF DOOM was a human and not a comic book villain. But the style, the world building, the interconnected songs and themes. Its really cool. Its probably something that needs more time to get the full affect.
I’m surprised how much hip hop is on this list that I have never even heard of. Pretty interesting sound and really good when paired with competent rappers (and even pretty good when by itself). I immediately googled to see if Ladd had produced any MF Doom songs and was surprised that they had never worked together despite coming up at the same time and Ladd producing the most MF doom sounding beats I’ve ever heard. 3.4
2.5 beats are solid, the rapping stinks
Parts were interesting, but didn’t Rey like it.
WTF is this album? Hated this “trip hop” “music”. DNF (1)
Maybe this was really interesting in 2000...
There were parts where I really appreciated his skill. This was a little too underground for me however. Sometimes it sounded like he was just putting words together to just rhyme them. At times, I found this to be a little to abstract from the hip hop I like/am used to.
2/10 I fail to see why this was on the list.
So this is like...pretty maligned everywhere I look, but this sounds refreshing and really cool at times to me. "Afterfuture" is right. Considering one of my favorite hip hop albums of all time is cLOUDDEAD s/t, any reasonable amount of atmosphere and ambience is enough for my ears to perk up for a hip hop record. Mike's flow is interesting too, it's very loose and off-the-cuff but it never sounds like it's struggling to keep up or stumbling. The slow build-up of "To The Moon's Contractor" was a welcome surprise too, I was sorta dreading the idea of a nearly 11-minute song on an album like this but it scratched an itch.
At last, a weirdo hip-hop album has infiltrated the list, a surprise banger. Lyrics that hook and entice you into listening, thinking harder; lurching structures full of freakish sounds; parts that call out to A Guy Caller Gerald and ambient nerds; a full-team appearance by Company Flow when I begin to think “this reminds me of Company Flow”; and a cameo dirty, gnarled bass that could’ve been come from an ‘80’s pigfuck record, this comes close to justifying its length. Ends with a euphoric lament. My four stars are perhaps stingy.
The first half follows some interesting, doomy threads. The latter drifts a bit into angry ranting, but still entertaining. Not bad, never head of him before.
Oof. That was bad. Another $1 bargain bin find at Tower Records for sure. Remember, be very suspicious of any album on there where the only accolade in Wikipedia is “included in the 1001 albums you must hear book”
I liked this alot. So much so that I listened to it again a few hours later. I like the offbeat nature of the lyrics and the beats..... just good stuff
Mike Ladd’s Welcome to the Afterfuture is a slow-burn underground rap album that heavily echoes the abstract, dense style of artists like Aesop Rock, earning a decent 3/5. While the vocals are consistently slurred and recessed—making the overarching message difficult to parse—the production carries the project through a space-bound, futuristic journey. The tracklist balances hypnotic standouts like "5000 Miles West of the Future" and the gorgeous, poetry-driven spirituality of "Feb 4" against generic filler like "I feel like $100" and the uninspired "Red eye to Jupiter." Ladd excels when embracing a distinct sonic atmosphere; "Airwave Hysteria" thrives on a Madlib-esque Bollywood sample, while "To the Moons Contractor" and "Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon" deliver stellar, floating lo-fi hip-hop beats. Though cuts like "Planet 10," "Blade Runners," and the title track evoke an uncertain, cosmic vibe, the murky vocal mix ultimately holds the album back from being truly stellar, leaving it as a solid but flawed underground trip.
Interesting. Sub standard for the genre after first listen but intriuging enough for further listening.
Some occasional interesting moments, but lots of beats centered around cheesy keyboard sound effects and many of the songs are a bit dull and repetitive.
Mike Ladd falls into the “I've never heard of this guy before” category. Mix that with a genre that isn't my usual go-to and it could go either way. Thankfully, this was a great discovery. I couldn’t find too much info about him, but it seems he started off in spoken-word poetry before bringing samples, beats and production into the mix. Not musically identical, but I’m reminded of that poet-turned-rapper space occupied by the likes of Scroobius Pip or Kae Tempest. Like most hip-hop, the lyrical content is central here, but man, these samples are incredible. It's built around affected drum machines, old sci-fi textures, Bollywood fragments, electro-funk, jazz, glitches, street noise, and… political dread. This is dystopian hip-hop. It's dense and heavy, and needs a particular headspace to properly appreciate it. Opening track “5000 Miles West of the Future” is the catchiest tune here, in a collection of tracks that aren't the least bit concerned with being catchy. The theme of idealistic futurism framing Ladd’s discontent with the present is so damn clever. As is the way it's portrayed: with sounds and samples that mix the old with the new, and seriously confrontational lyrics. Welcome to the afterfuture. But it's not what we were promised: “Where’s my floating car, my utopia?”
Amazing album! Love the art cover abd surprised me a lot!
Enjoyed my 1st listen to this. I’ll play safe with 3 stars but further listens could push it up to a 4.
That was definitely an album. Regarding why it is on this list, I have no idea. Bad beat poetry over ambient sounds and no clear indication of an impact on any genre or lasting legacy.
A notch above Rap. Not my kind of 'music'. Partially listened and as expected, I didn't like it.
This is an oddly surreal hip-hop record. It's futuristic and almost desolate-sounding in both its politically charged themes and atmospheric instrumentals/sampling choices. Kind of reminds me of Delton 3030's debut record in that regard to be honest (which I will be selecting as my user submitted album once the time comes). This wasn't quite as memorable as a whole body of work, however.
Don't think I'd listen again, but wasn't awful
It's been a while since I gave some actual longer review. It's been bugging me since. I mean, it's just more fun to give out real reviews, right? Most of my, heh, "reviews" were just random words I had in mind at that moment or some joke from a certain day or just some twist on the album title or the artist's name... And it's not fun. I've been a bit tired lately, didn't feel like giving out real reviews - and I am not gonna go back to do so. Also, if somoene's reading this in the reviews of this album: sorry, I use these reviews like a diary sometimes, my bad. Don't mind it. So, here I am, with another album. I did not like it that much. Quite frankly after first songs I wanted to give it a 1 star rating, and I am still very close to giving it that. But there were moments that were redeeming for this piece of music. Some less hip hopy, more electronic songs were a nice breath of fresh air between some slop... And yeah, it wasn't that good overall. A lot of it sounded quite shitty, a lot of very amatourish sounding stuff, a lot of weird bass sounds all over the place which hurt my ears. And let's keep in mind I am an experimental and avant-garde lover, for gods sake! But yeah, this one was... a miss. BUT. Uno, it gave me motivation to get back to reviewing albums, which I respect highly. And dos, as I mentioned already, it did have certain moments that I enjoyed a bit, so I am not gonna rate it a 1. Mikey, me boy, here's 2 out of 5 dabloons for you. For your effort and time, cause I am pretty sure you put a lot of it into this piece. It just ain't for me. But don't worry, I also make shit music, we're in this together. (I'd give myself also 2 star rating)... Okay that's all, I think. I am sleepy af. Goodnight.
Okay.
Nottttt great tbh
Unfortunately meh. Can see on another listen really enjoying this, but when next to Dr octagon this pales a bit.
Cool album - perfect for a sunny Saturday morning. Favourite track: The Animist
Never heard of this artist.From the art work I was expecting a Kraftwerking vibe. So was somewhat surprised when kit turned out rap album I have been finding since I started this adventure that there are some things I don't like jazz and anything adjacent. Long songs and high pitched screaming. Strangely I have found I like the rap records which has surprised no one more than me. I enjoyed this album not an all time favourite but loved the beats and the lyrics
Held my interest, but the theme never crossed my mind until the long track To The Moon's Contractor so I started again and Yes I liked it. I prefer the bits where he's not talking though. This sounds pretty current to me.
I gave this a second listen to be completely fair to it but I just sadly detested this. I’m sure this was incredibly important and influential but it pales in comparison to all of its spiritual successors. Hundreds of newer artists have done what Welcome to the Afterfuture is doing in a far more cohesive and compelling manner. Every time a track started getting me on board there would, without fail, be some element (instrumental or vocal) that would be brought in that ruined the whole vibe for me. First album I’m rating a 1/5 on here though in retrospect maybe I should have been a bit meaner to some others rather than being generous and giving them a 2/5.
Это могло звучать на фоне какого-нибудь киберпанкового аниме. Довольно суховатый инструментал, да и читка такая себе (хотя мне сложно по настоящему оценить, о чем пел майк ладд, т.к. я нихуя не понимаю). но вайб присутствует, поТОСКовать можно. А еще обложка пиздатая. 3/5
I forgot I listened to this
Honestly not the biggest fan. Yeah I like hip hop but this one sounded like the same song over and over.
Pretty good, first rap album I think we got. Nothing stood out to me, not bad though.
Really like the Korea town oddity, needs another listen though
Really enjoyed the production on this one. Loose and kind of experimental with cool little synth melodies. Especially toward the back half of the album. Overall, the concept is vaguely like Deltron 3030. 3.6/5.0
Why are these albums so fucking long The first half with rapping is far less interesting than the back half, which i enjoyed a lot
bit of an unfortunate one, because this is a very interesting album that's just been swallowed by the legacies of its contemporaries. Apparently this was a very influential album for the underground at the time, but today listeners seem to dismiss it compared to other, better remembered rappers of this era eg. MF DOOM, El-P, Deltron 3030. Does it still sound as influential as it once apparently was? Not really, but to say it's aged like milk is just not true either. There's a lot of interesting stuff on here here, especially in terms of Ladd's production, which is notably more abstract and "clanky" than other underground/backpacker tapes from this era. The beats shift between skittering electronica, processed classical and jazz samples and some pretty interesting pop sample loops spun into something that resembles industrial rap, and even Warp-esque ambient. The main problem for me is the vocals, as well as the runtime. The lyrics are... fine. Kind of run of the mill semi-intelectual, overly conceptual and nerdy, but they flows and delivery stay mostly in the same lane across the whole tape with just a couple notable exceptions (Planet 10). For a runtime over 1 hour, it becomes hard to decipher one track from another. Still a very interesting piece of history for underground rap and industrial plunderphonics.
Fine I guess not sure it needs to be on this list.
Thought this one was just unique and everyone rating it 1 needs to relax. I like the first track.
Wait. What? Don't know what I was meant to take away, but it was something I didn't know I didn't need.
I can't stand lo-fi.
Очень интересно - нестандартное смешение звуков
this album is pretty good. the slow numbers are kind of a snooze tho. interesting that the wikipedia for mike ladd and the album is so sparse and it's included on this list.
IF WERE CATHOLIC MY NAME WOULD BE CHRISSSSS
5000 Miles West of the Future 3.5 Airwave Hysteria 3.2 Planet 10 3.4 Takes More Than 41 3.5 Bladerunners 3.2 No. 1 St 3.3 To the Moon's Contractor 2.7 I Feel Like $100 2.8 The Animist 3 Red Eye to Jupiter (Starship Nigga) 2.9 Welcome to the Afterfuture 3 Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon 2.5 Feb. 4 '99 (For Those Killed by Cops) 3 Score: 3.076923077
Hip Hop, 59 eme album => 1/5
Seems quite a standard rap album, think I’m missing what makes it special/worthy of the list sadly
Me imaginei em um cenário de Homem-Aranha no Aranhaverso escutando esse álbum descoladíssimo! Ele me trouxe uma vibe distópica junto do hip hop com misturas e sons diferentes que me deixou surpresa, pois parece real que entrei em algum novo gênero de “som ficção científica”. No Spotify fala que o disco é de 2023, mas na verdade ele é dos anos 2000, o que explica ainda mais as críticas e como o Mike Ladd foi visionário quanto ao futuro. Eu não o conhecia, mas pelo pouco que pesquisei vi que ele utiliza sua arte para criticar como o capitalismo e a tecnologia estão nos transformando em robôs, e o álbum traz uma história de como tudo deu errado em um futuro não tão distante. Me lembrou muito a criatividade do De La Soul, mas é como se o Mike fosse a noite e eles fossem o sol. Ele usa uma forma de storytelling mais falado que às vezes me incomodava, mas para o estilo do álbum eu entendi e passei a curtir a forma que foi mesclado; só foi meio difícil não sentir um estranhamento e tédio às vezes. Minhas favoritas foram “Welcome to the Afterfuture”, “Bladerunners” e “To the Moon's Contractor”. No fim, Welcome to the Afterfuture é um álbum descolado que usa e abusa de sons e ritmos diferentes, misturando isso com letras que fazem críticas que se encaixam super bem, mostrando as múltiplas facetas que o hip hop pode incorporar.
Strange album, and by the end it was getting a little off the rails I felt. I did enjoy it though, especially around the middle, where there were a few stand out tracks. I'm going with four stars, which feels slightly high, but it was too good for three. Favourite track first time round was Bladerunners.
Can get down with it Will I listen to again: 50%
That was one of the worst hip-hop albums I ever heard, all they did was put a random ass beat on and started speaking nonsense. If I were to rated this I rated a 0 but that not allowed so I have to give it a 1
okayyy
Shocked at how bad this is. I like this style of Hip Hop, but this is not it. I think it's a combination of boring rhymes and a forced flow. I think I'd like it more without the rapping
i love this one its one of my favs
An unnecessary album.
did not enjoy
This album feels and sounds like and indie/alternative rock version what the "Let's Make A Deal" 'whaawhaa' sounds like. Not my style. Definitely something I'm going to change the radio station on if it comes on the airwaves. (Also, why are the worst albums the ones with the longest songs? And always over an hour long, I swear.)
This is not enjoyable.
Sounds nice
Interesting kinda trippy and all over the place
Knew nothing about this one.. glad I found. It
This is alright, but from this time I was listening to a tonne of Anticon artists and people in the orbit of El-P and Company Flow that did it so much better. Not the most obvious or inspiring entry, but had it's moments, usually when there was a guest artist in the track.
This was actually pretty cool, I was vibing to it
It's not half bad. Some nice beats, but Ladd's vocals can be a bit hit-and-miss at times. He's got potential as a rapper, but he needs to work on his delivery. The production's solid though; there are some really standout moments here that had me grooving along. But yeah, it's a mixed bag overall. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - 5,000 Miles West of the Future - Bladerunners - To the Moon's Contractor
Best Track - "5000 Miles West Of The Future"
Leave it up to this list to find some obscure hiphop album nobody's heard of and include it on this list when complete classics of the genre were left off. First impression: What the F is this. On a closer listen, trying to get over Dimery's dumb selection choices, I starting coming around with some tracks. Indian samples, bass beats that kind of sound like solo Kool Keith albums of this era. Ladd's rapping is at least decent compared to much of the junk that came out in subsequent years in the oughts. Some of these tracks are more triphop-ish in vibe, which maybe explains why Dimery likes it, since it's more hiphop adjacent than an actual rap album. It has great moments, just kind of an uneven venture. 3/5
This Hampshire grad wears his Hampshirean hat too tight & conspicuously to be taken seriously, but the real problem is that there's so much hip-hop out there that's in this vein but way better: Kool Keith, Aesop Rock, Del the Funky Homosapien, to rattle off a few. I actually wish it was more smoked-out than it is, b/c this isn't druggy, it's languor, apathy, & intellectualism of a bogus & tedious kind. Kerouac & Cervantes creep in inanely, just showing off rather than reading deep: 'Dharma bums, rolling drum work better than GIs'; 'I'm as good as Don Quixote, smokin' peyote.' I thought 'Bladerunners' was the best track, but then realized that the Company Flow feature made it bang. Once Ladd came back in, I was asleep again, literally knocked out.
Not very good, but I respect what it's trying to do. With a name like that I was expecting some techno electro beat from the tail end of the 90s, and to be fair there's definitely influence from that on the album. But it's not executed well enough to be good. That being said, the overall idea and cohesiveness of the album is pretty great and is saving it from a 1/5.
the beats were really good on here, but it was kind of all over the place lyrically and just with the overall sound. I like experimental most of the time but I feel like it just didn't work here on this album for the most part. 2.5/5 for me overall but some good tracks if they were just by themselves.
This was a good find. An alt-hip hop artist whose music more interesting than a lot of hip hop
No esta mal, tampoco bien. Beats disonantes e incomodos, pero con algo que te hace quedarte
it was fine
Het is jammer dat Eigen Wereld van Opgezwolle nooit internationaal is opgepikt vanwege de taalbarrière, want als je het mij vraagt rent dat album met 2 vingers in de neus rondjes om dit album. Zowel qua productie met electronische invloeden als qua rap. Al is dit album misschien wat minder rapperig en wat meer trippy/jazzy van aard. Ik vind dit geen vervelend album, ik vind dit geen slecht album, maar ik kan niet echt bedenken hoe dit in deze lijst terecht is gekomen. En het klinkt wel een ietsiepietsie gedateerd. Ik wilde nog typen dat hij bij "Bladerunners" klinkt als El-P van Run The Jewels, maar toen bleek na wat doorklikken op Wikipedia dat het ook daadwerkelijk El-P is van Run the Jewels die je hoort. Lekker, haha. Uiteindelijk hoor ik dit een stuk liever dan Ice Cube, dus ik moet niet teveel zeiken. 3 punten voor Mike Ladd.
2,5/5
found it really satisfying to be introduced to something i had never heard of - enjoying this was really just the cherry on top after a run of largely wonderful but very familiar records. i don't love Ladd as an MC - sometimes he gets the tongue-in-cheek sci-fi thing just right, but that's a hard thing to maintain, and he often ends up too earnest (the closing track) or too crude (encouraged by the Company Flow guys on the one they feature on). the production here is wonderful though - dusty retrofuturist music, electronic sounds brought over from Europe and the UK and retooled to fit a very NYC record. i don't think this is the best example of this sound - something from El-P/Company Flow themselves, or Cannibal Ox, would tick the early-2000s east coast dystopia-rap box a bit better - but it was really fun to dive into this thing unawares, and when Ladd goes full head-blown electronica mode, it's pretty great
Hadn't ever heard of anything from this guy, it's unique and kind of interesting but I don't see a ton that makes this mandatory. I feel like if this clicks for you, you'd be all about it.
This didn't much for me. As I listened my thoughts would drift to the fact that I've heard better versions of what this is doing. It was fine though.
Meanders around and never goes anywhere.
Even if the list's taste in Hip-Hop is generally pretty good, I really didn't think I was gonna see any genuinely deep cuts from the peak of backpack rap. But sure enough, here we are. I haven't heard of this and that feels kind of wild (Note: It turns out that I *have* heard Mike Ladd before, he has a pretty great verse on Christine by Billy Woods, a song off of Aethiopes, which is an *unbelievably* good album if you like unique and heady rap music). Hell, there's a company flow feature here, meaning an El-P verse, and this *still* isn't really talked about a ton. This is an underground hip-hop album with an aesthetic based in Afro-Futurism, experimental concepts, and heady writing. The closest stuff I can think of that broke bigger is Deltron 3030, or The Cold Vein by Cannibal Ox, but this actually came out first (not by a whole lot, admittedly). Regardless, I'm not really sure why this hasn't been re-discovered in the internet era, maybe it's the weird, tiny label this came out on, or maybe it's because this is a little more abstract than it's peers, but regardless, this is still certifiably underground. Although I think the quality *is* here. There are consistent, futuristic beats. Dense, creative, and conscious verses, and plenty of great songwriting moments across the runtime. The strongest song here may be Bladerunners, with a fantastic set of features from Company Flow. Even a song like the 10 minute long To The Moon's Contractor is worth it; even if it functions more like a techno song than anything. I also really enjoy Airwave Hysteria, No. 1 St., and Red Eye To Jupiter. Although Feb. 4 '99 (For All Those Killed By Cops) may have the best verse by Mike Ladd on the entire album, he's basically just delivering some really incredible slam poetry, but it *works* here. But this whole project manages to be consistent and ambitious across it's runtime. The only complaint I have is that the lyrics end up occasionally a little cheesy. It's the few moments where Mike Ladd is saying something important that he just can't neatly slot into his poetry that jump out the most. It's the risk that some conscious Hip-Hop runs, but it's usually not distracting here. This manages to be a really interesting hidden gem that I am glad to discover.
This was okay. The production was probably experimental at the time, and it sort of still holds up today. Favourite Track(s): Bladerunners, Takes More Than 41 Least Favourite Track(s): Planet 10
1001 albums to hear before you don't have a afterfuture 71# Sometimes it makes for a good experience. it's a shame that that just happens a few times during one hour. I admire the vision and some of the execution, but few songs sound complete and not like demos. I like the sound it is going for. But it kind of stops at that, it doesn't achieve greatness at what it's trying to do. Making a futuristic-esque hip hop concept album. I don't really like his rapping much and doesn't keep my attention for what his saying. On the last track Mike has the best performance but the instrumentals don't help out much
I would have preferred the sign to read Now Leaving the Afterfuture, because all I wanted to do was turn around and stop listening. Welcome to the Afterfuture by Mike Ladd had absolutely nothing to offer. It may be the most lifeless, generic-sounding hip-hop album I’ve ever heard. Just add it to the growing list of albums I definitely didn’t need to hear before I’m six feet under.
This is just a cacophony of bad musical choices layered with subpar rapping. It's eclectic, but it's boring and never entertaining or enjoyable. The only saving grace was that every second that passed was a second closer to the end.
Look, I’m all for an artist experimenting with form, genre, and style to create something more avant-garde. I tend to be more generous to artists who are clearly trying something different, even if it isn’t perfect. But, this just doesn’t do anything for me. The rapping might be okay, interesting lyrics at times (often obfuscated by a wash of reverb), but the beats are often dissonant and disjunct such that they sound weirdly amateurish. In contrast, I think of artists like Peter Gabriel or David Bowie who went pretty avant-garde, but still wrote great songs. And then there’s the final track, which I genuinely found brilliant. How do I weigh that against the rest of the album? I think I need to consider the album as a whole.
New to me. Zero expectations. Good find
Favorite Track: Blade Runners
Proto-lo-fi hip-hop beats to study to.
Quite interesting right, quite rnb think we found it was alright.
Starts off cool and exciting, but peters out into long-form noodling after five songs. Shoulda been an EP.
I certainly enjoy music like Welcome to the Afterfuture, but this is not it. The beats and production are decent, off-kilter, hip hop, but it's all just fine. Some tracks can stand on their own, but not money. Likewise when there is rapping or a vocalist, it isn't very inspired or interesting. I had never heard of Mike Ladd prior to this list, and now I understand why.
Creo que es muy experimental como para que sea una escucha ligera, pero los tintes de east hip hop lo hacen digerible y es definitivamente algo de lo que uno se acuerda 7,5/10
3.4 Some refreshing unserious non-cringe rap/hip-hop. There's actually some decent mostly instrumental stuff on here that wouldn't sound out of place in a good 90's UK EDM album. The lyrics are funny and interesting. Only drawback is the length, which is compounded by some of the beats being rather basic. Trim those tracks and it's into 4* territory.
Overall Rating - 2.42/5 (4.85/10). Weird, vaguely unpleasant at times, but also decently fun at times.
Not my thing
From bad to worse. Come on with this crap. 0.00
7/10
Experiment
Achei que não ia curtir nada, mas mesmo não sendo meu estilo, foi bom de ouvir. Os caras são bons, dá um sentimento interessante ver a raiva dele falando e rimando. Interessante.
6/10
This was painful to get through. There were a select few moments of experimental musicality that captured my attention, but lyrically, and overall, this stinks
Got some really cool beats, and whenever he's not trying to rap over them the resulting song is really cool as well, like Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon
Quite dop3
What if hip-hop went to space? After listening to this, you’ll realise it’s a question nobody should have asked. I suppose we can praise the creativity of Ladd’s concept, but ultimately this sounds quite basic in the beat behind it and the rapping. It’s average lo-fi music paired with average hip-hop, so the result is predictably underwhelming. It wasn’t actively bad, so I’ll keep it at 2.
Went into this one blind as I was completely unfamiliar with Mike Ladd coming into this. I felt it was an interesting mix of hip hop and electronic music which worked well for the most part. The main highlights for me are ‘The Animist’ and ‘5000 Miles West of the Future’. I wasn’t immediately taken by it at first, but it grew on me the second time of listening. I suspect it might be one of those albums which rewards repeat listening, but at the moment I would give it a solid 3.
Mike Ladd for the most part does a just about passable job with this album’s electronic-infused hip hop sound and space-themed concept. It (mostly) wasn’t horrible, but I enjoyed it only sporadically. It was also much longer than necessary and rather tedious. ‘To the Moon’s Contractor’ certainly did not need to be over 10 minutes long, but other tracks were much worse, featuring a variety of irritating, awful falsetto vocals and electronic noises. ‘Bladerunners’ was probably the best track, thanks to Company Flow’s feature more than Mike Ladd, whose rapping is bang average. Just barely enough to escape 1-star ignominy.
meio estranho mas ate que no final e bom
fav tracks: "I feel like $100" and "Welcome to the Afterfuture"
The music is a vibe, with chill beats, but I wasn't in the right mood to listen to it. It's not grabbing me today.
I really vibed with this. Loved the wordplay, loved the electronic influence, loved that he read Boston for filth in ways only a local could.
what a load of bilge.
What the? Some of this is decent, but then some is terrible OUT OF SPACE MOTHEFUCKER.
03/04/2026 Got to agree with everyone else here, 2 stars max, and that's me being generous. Spotify listeners: 37.7k
Its.... OK
Lyrically very interesting, musically not my bag. The last song was really good, though.
Pleasantly surprised. More of a chill vibe with good musicaliry
Listen to this again
Very good, crunchy hip hop beats. Not sure if I’d call it essential but it is rock solid.
This is the third rap album by a white guy
It’s fine! I think i would enjoy it a lot more without vocals honestly? Okay after finishing it, it got A LOT better as it went on and started getting weird lol.
I didn’t like.
Chill but doesn't feel particularly impactful
Nothing really stood out to me as very good. There were some annoying parts with some terrible singing
Some interesting ideas but I kept getting pulled out of the vibe by lyrics that felt overly pretentious to me. I liked the sampling and beats though
Funky sound