Reviews (page 6 of 7)
I don’t think Mike Ladd ended up being as important as the editors of 1001 albums thought he would be.
So many thoughts: 1) in general, I don't like rap. Since if this was a lurks tolerable. 2) The juxtaposition of high culture and low culture references... I honestly don't know if I liked it or wanted to roll my eyes at it. I mostly land on: that didn't work for me. 3) I askari didn't like the ethereal moodiness although it made it more lustrnable than a lot of rap or hip hop is for me.
Some of the backing tracks are interesting but not a fan of hip hop, so cannot rate this album more than a 2*
This tries too hard imo. I get it, futuristic new wave hip hop of its time, but thematically it’s just all over the place. So many experimental songs (which I can respect and enjoy) but it really doesn’t leave me wanting to come back. No 1 st. Was a standout track to me, I just really liked the more straight forward hip-hop on here.
This sounds like a harder Hamilton. Sorry he sounds like Lin Manuel to me. That’s all I can hear
I've never seen such a short Wikipedia album summary on this site before. So non-notable even fans can’t be bothered putting a few words together. This review is longer. Clearly it got the attention it deserved.
some nice classic stuff on her but most of it is bland :/
Man, what a disappointment. I really wanted to like Welcome To The Afterfuture but unfortunately, due to many factors i will list out, i just can't. This album just suffered from really inconsistent production quality. Sometimes the songs could sound decently mixed, other times they sounded poorly. The lyrics are also stupid and in general, the album just lacks direction and just kinda goes all over the place. Its honestly a shame these issues are present because i do legitimately really like some of the musical ideas and i would really like to see them in a better album, But alas, we have them in this album where they can't shine to their full glory. Best Song: The Animist Worst Song: Bladerunners
It was ok.
I love rap and this was still hard for me to sit through. It sounds like something someone recorded in their dorm room and uploaded to Soundcloud.
what was this all about then. the guy's a nerd! let's get him
This was definitely a different sound. Can't say I enjoyed, but it had a few moments. Thought it opened up OK with 5000 Miles West of the Future even though that opening riff reminded me of that Britney Spears song oops I did it again. And something about Red Eye to Jupiter I liked, but everything else just wasn't for me. It has it's times of a good vibe and beat, but not enough to enjoy overall. Just not for me and I can't even get it to the 2.5, middle of the road rating. 2
2.5 I saw this album had a lot of negative reviews, so I was expecting it to be bad - but it’s fine? I mean, it’s certainly not great either, but it’s at least mostly inoffensive on the ears. Some of the beats are actually pretty solid in an ambient sort of way (I liked the opener in particular), though I do feel like they gradually get worse as the album goes on, to the point that I was a little annoyed by the time Red Eye to Jupiter rolled around. As far as lyrics go - well, they leave a lot to be desired. I have no idea what this dude was on about with The Animist when he started listing out what his names would be if he followed different religions, but the worst bar by far has to be the below from No.1 St: “When I shave my head I look like Mr. Clean But I never had an earring, I got an Oedipus complex Which is as complex as a Serbian-Bosnian war rear reflex Which is like a race of whites and blacks Breaking love on a bit of bloody Rice Chex” What? As a matter of fact, I really have no idea what this is about as a whole. It seems to be doing some kind of sci-fi/post-apocalyptic thing, but it never quite feels like it fully commits to the bit. Is this supposed to be a concept album? Maybe some symbolism is just going over my head, but to me it seems like it’s lacking a sense of direction. It’s almost there atmosphere-wise, but once again, it just didn’t do quite enough with the tools it had at its disposal to really suck me in. There was also no reason this needed a 10-minute track on it. Overall, just vanilla. Aside from the lyrics, it seems to do everything okay and nothing great.
Can’t say I liked it. Nor did I understand why it’s included on this list. Perhaps because it is futuristic, and it WILL be important, we just don’t know it yet? Bladerunners is by far the best track, To the Moon’s Contractor is the most unnecessary one
Another album and artist I have never heard. I liked a few of the tracks including Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon, 5000 Miles West of the Future,
So much potential, in a style I generally enjoy, but it’s derailed by Mike Ladd’s juvenile lyrics. The weird lo-fi tangents were actually a welcome reprieve from lyrics that squandered the music’s potential.
Its kind of a confusing album, huh?
Actually listened this time. This was fine. Sounded repetitive, nothing stood out
I appreciate its iconoclastic nature, but I just wasn’t feeling it.
Wish I could do 2.5 Some cool moments, some annoying, some ignorable.
После первых двух-трех песен я впервые за почти 200 альбомов был уверен, что брошу. Для меня проблема здесь в чем: с одной стороны это подается как музыка будущего, ага, инновации и эксперименты; при этом в 2024 звучит это всё ну настолько устаревшим и просто банальным; все эти басы были доступны в демо-версии фрути лупз лет пятнадцать назад, смиксовано кое-как, и так далее; читка - ну такое... Абстрактные, эмбиентные части - окэй. Хип-хоп - не, спасибо. Лучшая песня - Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon
sometimes fun, mostly weird
There were some clever lyrics in here, but I'm not gonna lie, this wasn't anything special. Like it wasn't bad, but I also really don't see why this made the list.
Different from any other hip hop albums on the list more electronica and even some jazz influences on the music though the flow is not great in places. Not a bad album but then again not that great interesting to hear but would never listen to it again and wouldnt miss it if I never heard it.
It's definitely a hip hop album with some ambitions but it's not really that enjoyable of a listen.
Still not into hip-hop.
Not really my sort of thing
I was on the verge of giving this 1 star, but the last two songs saved a 2 for it. This really isn't my thing, it's a bit of an avant-garde rap album from 2000. He seems talented enough, but the neither the lyrics nor the beats were really interesting enough to keep me hooked. Like I said though, the last two songs were actually pretty good, so I'll give it a 2 because there's some talent here for sure. "Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon" is mostly an instrumental but the beat is great, and "Feb. 4, 1999" is less a rap song and more an autobiographical spoken word poem about growing up in Cambridge, MA. The whole album probably couldn't have been like this, but these were both a great change of pace that I enjoyed. Favorite song: Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon Other: Bladerunners, Feb. 4 1999 7/11/24
Not my thing. Strange combination of rap, techno, and classical, but I didn’t like the lyrics and nothing jumped out at me.
that was a really interesting listen. But way too long and "spacey". 2 stars
nothing groundbreaking here. kind of underwhelming.
Meh
2 stars bc the production is interesting
Not bad but nothing special. Sorry Mike.
Beats are great bars are bad
This music was definitely unique. It was different from itself everywhere and it was interesting, however the type of music was everything I don’t like unfortunately. I can see the influence it’s had because of the experimental sounding and combination however none of the songs were good.
Tough one - there are some really groovy um....grooves and beat on this especially around the bass and drums, but there's zero cohesion to any of these songs whatsoever and I'm not a huge fan of his rapping... I like the occasionally jazzy beats and it could have led to more - nay, should have led to more. Maybe he did with future albums? Not sure I care enough to find out as even minutes after listening I don't really remember much of it... 5/10 2 stars
Nja
Nothing special.
El hip-hip de vanguardia era esto a finales de los 90. Mientras en el tema "Airwave Hysteria" utiliza samples propios de Bollywood y un impresionante scarching futurista, en el tema de apertura, "500 Miles West of the future" destacan una línea de bajo y órgano difuminados que lo sitúan en el límite del estilo, acompañando unas letras introspectivas. También destacaría "Planet 10", desarrollado en anillo y utilizando voces ralentizadas para seguir dotando al álbum de un buscado tono futurista. Otros temas a citar son "Bladerunners" y la lentamente caótica "I Feel Like 100 Dollars".
rym 3.03 hip hop ma la parte musicale per ora mi sembra ok quella era solo la prima traccia, il resto sembra molto debole a dire il vero la vocina di bimbo che appare ogni tanto è davvero fastidiosa niente da fare è solo molto noioso e monotono qualche base è interessante ma niente di più 2/5
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
New album for me - i like the sound but the songs are not so special and wont listen to this again i think..
It all takes too long with too few hoogste to hold on to.
I feel like Welcome To The Afterfuture isn't something I'm meant to get, obviously not a massive hip-hop thread but I've heard more than enough over my time to know what I like and what I don't, but most anything from the last decade just doesn't hit the spot, and this is more experimental by design and doesn't get that right either. The beats aren't as good as others have produced, there are too many electronica-based influences, the flow and lyrics are weak, most of the good bits are just imitations of someone who did it better and it's really just too low key for me to really enjoy. I guess a 2?
Not really my groove of electronica
Some good stuff on here but not enough of it imho.
I wanted to like this album more than I did. I really enjoy underground hip hop, but this one just seemed a little boring. I don’t know, it’s fine. I’m really torn. I don’t want to give it 2 stars, but I’m just not sure it’s good enough for three. I would give it 2.5 if I could. Since I can’t, I have to go with 2 stars because I was just bored.
Tribal hip hop
This is almost a 3. There were some parts of it that were good, but in the end it was a little grating and self-important for me to want to revisit it. It did make me want to listen to Deltron 3030, which has similar future-dystopia themes but is more loose and fun.
Great first and last tracks but the in between didn’t do it for me. Favourite track: 5000 Miles West of the Future.
Has an MF Doom vibe but didn't quite have the skills to match. Mid 2.
IDK, maybe I'm not a fan of the genre. Won't make my personal 1001 list. I guess it is important to someone. 2*
Some okay songs but so much random filler beats and sounds. So much of it was unnecessary. 2 stars for me
A couple standouts like Airwave Hysteria and To the Moon's Contractor that I really enjoyed on this one. Otherwise, not my jam.
Not bad but I kinda lost interest halfway through
Meh, not really into this kind of hip hop at all, and sitting through over an hour of it was not a great time overall. The best was the chill out vibes on "To the Moon's Contractor", of which I was surprised to enjoy as it was the longest track on the album! Best: To The Moon's Contractor Worst: Planet 10
Maybe a 3
Nothing special. One beat used for all the songs everything just meshed into one boring drone
A bit too experimental for my tastes. Not too much hooky or catchy. Boring.
I'd been waiting ages to hear some hip hop and then I'm served this mediocre slop. How did this get on the list but there's no Saul Williams? Lazy and uninspired.
I could have gone a few lifetimes without ever having listened to this. Lewd at times and boring at others.
Some decent cuts and samples, but will not seek this out.
There were mere snippets of enjoyment. And a lot of other things that were not well tied together. Didn't hate it but won't repeat listen either.
Mikey, I know what youbwere going for, but you didn't quite go hard enough
Mike Ladd is obviously pretty prominent within the experimental hip-hop scene. I can tell this album was pretty influential to artists like Earl Sweatshirt. The beats are ok for the most part. Mike Ladd seems to experiment with different cadences and not stay on beat all the time which can make for a difficult listen. The lyrics can get cringe at some points too. Not really something that was super enjoyable but I'm glad I heard it because it seems pretty important in the history of experimental hip-hop.
This feels like an artist's night terror episode, but done in an overlong fashion. I think I see a glimpse of something cool, but it's not for me. Fav tracks: N/A
Some good tracks in places
doesn't speak to *me*
Waarom? Waarom staat dit in de lijst? Het is super experimentele hiphop, maar naar mijn mening is daar veel betere van gemaakt. Staat er een album van El-P in de lijst? Van MF DOOM? Meerdere van MF DOOM?? Ik kan er gewoon niet helemaal bij dat dit in de lijst staat, het is prima, het is bij tijd best wel interessant, maar het is niet zo baanbrekend dat dit absoluut in de lijst van 1001 beste albums hoort. Staat Oxymoron van Schoolboy Q er in? Of iets van Danny Brown of JPEGMAFIA? Ik denk het niet, en dat is eigenlijk mijn grootste probleem met dit album. Ik snap dat vooral de productie de ster is van dit album, maar heb nog steeds niet het idee dat dit onderscheidend genoeg is om een plek te verdienen. Sorry. Ik ben gaan kijken en als ik zie wat voor hiphop albums uit deze lijst zijn gelaten zodat dit er in staat dan word ik gewoon boos, wat een onzin zeg... FAVO: No 1. street. , To the moon's contractor
An abstract hip-hop record with some interesting ideas presented in a quite messy way, without any especially memorable hooks or beats. The overall vibe is quite similar to Deltron 3030 with Aesop Rock-style vocals, and some reviews on this site have compared it to Madvillainy (a comparison I don’t see as much personally), and the fact that neither of those three artists are anywhere in the 1001 albums list really begs the question as to why this made it here instead
Interesting sound, Different. Not for me at all though. Struggling to find a favourite song from this. If i had to pick blade runner is OK. I gave the album 2 listens to see if i changed my mind and didnt. I cant believe it made the top 1001. Favorite song: Blade runner Least favourite song: most of the album Album artwork: No idea what this is
4/10 Experimental, this deserves a place on the list but it's not that good imo. Good to listen to once, beats are minimal and well crafted but the flows don't quite do justice to the instrumental
Not my groove
Tavallaan tosi magee, mutta en vaan saanut kiinni musapuolesta.
Taas liian pitkä ja epätasainen. Oli siellä joku kiinnostava biisi mut muuten jää kakkoseksi.
An album that was stronger towards the end, perhaps because I had gotten used to Ladd's erratic, discordant style. The Animist and Feb. 4 '99 stand out as the most musically pleasing and interesting songs, however they tend to get lost in a muddy cloud of discordant sound
This was a strange album. I was pleasantly surprised and quite liked the first few tracks. None that I would recommend to a friend or play at a house party. I can't really explain it - they were just enjoyable while bombing up the M6. It's probably because I just like the sound of late 90s Hip Hop. Also, he says the line, "She stares me up & down pathologically, And I'm thinking about gynecology." Brilliant. But halfway through, this album goes off the rails. It ditched the Hip Hop and switched to boring instrumental tracks. I genuinely thought that YouTube had skipped off Mike Ladd and put on a Moby album in it's place. It never really recovers after this. Not total shit, but as a complete album it was confused and disappointing.
Alright
Absolutely sure I could have died without going through this neverending experience. [0149/1001]
This album is tragically less “full of [quirky] life” than it was probably intended to be. Especially tragic, because the song names allude to something really creative that never really gets off the ground. The artist was clearly trying to showcase nifty space-rock elements (e.g. filtering vocals to emulate alien speak) to merge with some prominent hip-hop themes, but in my opinion space-rock completely fails to convince when there’s no melody, very little (real) percussion, not many contrasting “elements of humanity”… Honestly, this album isn’t that bad – in fact, it’s close to getting 3 stars on account of its fun textures – but it just doesn’t succeed at all in its goal of genre-blending. The closest the album gets to a convincing, musical, spacey atmosphere is the semi-layered synths and bluesy bass playing in To the Moon’s Contractor (which I think is the album’s strongest track). In particular, the drum sound in the last couple minutes of the album’s centrepiece is really cool, and I wish they’d leaned more into that in other tracks. The track following this, I Feel Like $100, is also pretty good.
mmm
Not a great hip hop album. Maybe I’m missing something?
Did not care for this. Didn't hate it. But didn't really like it either.
Bof
I get the concept of the album, but musically I really can’t seem to understand it. It’s weird, experimental, a lot of talking over jazzy productions, honestly not my cup of tea. Didn’t know the artist beforehand, also.
meh
se me hizo tan duro que ni lo acabé. no lo volver a escuchar. 3/10. canción fav: no tengo jiji
Not for me, though for the right person I feel like this would be extremely well received. I can appreciate the lyricism and artistry, but don't really understand the purpose. I feel like if I was ever in the mood to listen to something like this, I'd sooner put on MF Doom (RIP).
meh
Svona 50/50 plata. Sumt mjög gott, annað algjört drasl.
La verdad es que no tuve paciencia con este disco. 5 canciones que no me hicieron ni cosquillas y pasé al siguiente.
I enjoyed this album more than I thought I was going to, but that's not saying a heck of a lot. This is better than the other futuristic-rap album that I have blocked out of my memory. I come back to whether this album is on the list just to make sure all genres are covered. Not sure why I need to hear this album, because this does not seem to break new ground or enhance the rap genre.
Very interesting experience. Chill. Didn't dog all the tracks, but saved a couple. Definitely not my usual thing to enjoy, but I appreciated the talent.
It gave me anxiety
"Welcome to the Afterfuture" by Mike Ladd, released in 2000, is an avant-garde exploration that blends hip-hop, electronic elements, and spoken word. Ladd's thought-provoking lyricism tackles social and political themes, and the album is ambitious in its attempt to push boundaries. However, the experimental nature might alienate listeners seeking a more conventional hip-hop experience. The disjointed production and at times inaccessible lyrics make it a challenging listen. While some may appreciate its artistic intentions, the album's lack of accessibility and coherence warrants a modest 2/5, as it might not find widespread appeal beyond a niche audience.
Bof bof. Pas atroce mais rien d'incroyable.
Zeer meh album voelde het niet zo
This is very stereotypical and boring of me but: I don't really listen to rap. I quite like the Beastie Boys and I can still remember all the words to some Cypress Hill tracks (Tip for white people: "Neighbour" is a perfectly good substitute for the n-word. As in "I got to roll with the self control / in the green tank when the shit unfolds / hold up. I got it sewn up / me and my [NEIGHBOURS] are about to blow up") So, anyway, I like some of the music and samples here, the strings especially. I like some of the sci-fi Blade Runner references. I think I probably like the political angle of the lyrics but it's hard to tell because I'm not sure what the lyrics are and, although this album is in the 1001 to listen to, there aren't lyrics on Spotify or any of the lyric transcribing websites. So, I dunno. I would have to spend time working them out to really gauge if I was into it or not. It's not really my sort of thing but it's good to be made to listen to something different.
Like sand in your vegan burrito
As a whole not really my thing, but the last track was pretty great
I appreciate the ambition here, but man, this didn't grab me. It's not off-putting - the production is pretty tastefully done. It just floated off into the background.
Does very, very little for me. The best, most immersive moment was the lengthy instrumental break on 'To the Moon's Contractor'. Otherwise, this barely left an impression. I don't aggressively dislike it though, so two stars.
Samesies. I played it, music happened, no emotional connection was made one way or the other.
As much as I like hip-hop I really didn’t like this. The beats were not great. I get they were trying a futuristic theme but the instrumentals just weren’t good. Planet 10 sounded like people using Voice Mask on Xbox when I was a kid. The raping didn’t have a great flow to it. “Watch me as I go pee-pee” was a solid rap lyric. “The moon’s Contractor” had a cool soundtrack for 10 minutes with 1 minute of rap. Really wasn’t feeling this one 3/10
Man I really wanna like this one. I'm a huge rap/hip hop fan and understand that this is a rough concept album but even going in with that there's too many flaws. You gotta have a combination of fire beats, good flow, and/or meaningful lyrics. I don't think a single track on this album combines the three to standout. Do you know how irritating it is to hear him rap over an awful beat with decent lyrics then the next track is an amazing beat but NO LYRICS AT ALL? Overall the sound is ALMOST there and some songs are frustratingly close to great like Bladerunners, The Animist, and Feb. 4 '99 but randomly have major flaws. 4/10
I tend to listen to the music/beats rather than lyrics so I feel like I tend to be biased on these more lyrically based hip-hop artists. There was definitely some cool production choices I enjoyed throughout this record. But overall wouldn't revisit.
5,000 miles west into the future slapped, didn't super feel any of the others though
Feel like the guy is barely riding the beat, his flow sucks and the beats are boring as hell. Ok, 'To the Moon's Contractor' is pretty cool. PS2 era chillwave Red Eye to Jupiter is also good. Overall bad but not 1/5 worthy
Cool beats on a dull record.
I could barely listen to it.
Experimental albums can be hit or miss and this is no exception. I enjoyed parts of it but it never really kept my attention. Felt a little too much like I was being lectured at. 2.5 stars
Meh
Ei mun kirjoissa ihmeellinen
Poor
Hip hop. Futurista, apocalíptico. Rollo.
The last track is pretty good, but the rest was not really my cup of tea.
Given this one a few listens, but really not doing it for me.
A fascinating listen., though I will say that calling this a Hip Hop album is wildly misleading. Only one track on here (Bladerunners) would I say even is close to fitting into the Hip-Hop genre. The rest fee like an avant-garde experimental beat tape with some ambient and grungy synthwave and distorted freeverse/spoken word vocals as opposed to rap verses. Regardless, even though I didn't really enjoy many of these songs nor would I listen to them again for pleasure, it was fascinating to listen to a well-made album that basically said "let's get weird". Worth the listen despite I probably wouldn't listen to again.
More like Mike Badd. First two verses of Bladerunner sound like El-P. Idc about this.
more like mike badd. I was the first to say this, anyone else who says that stole it and is a bt
Mike Ladd? More like Mike isn't good.
Rating: 5/10
I didn't like it. My hopes were high at the beginning but that didn't last long.
Cool concepts but I didn't care for the music that much
Just found this a bit boring. Jazzy but dull. Started skipping tracks to make it to the end.
Some VERY annoying samples on this, and other than that, it sounds like an unremarkable rap record. A long, dragging one.
Pretty cool production style but not really feeling the vibe.
Not a fan of this one.
No, I'm pretty sure if you were Christian, your name might have still been Michael.
Hip hop. Futurista, apocalíptico. Rollo.
Only notable for having Company Flow on track 5. Every other contribution is frankly pathetic. Production is alright, but there's a lot of elements here that make the album come across as half-hearted. It's hard to believe it got so much praise from reviewers at the time. While Welcome to the Afterfuture explores some unique ideas, it's mostly aimless and poorly executed.
There are some interesting rhythms and tunes but most of the songs aren't my cup of tea at all. It also doesn't feel like a coherent album, rather than different songs put together one after each other.
Not good, but not shitty enough. Also, this dude went to Hampshire College so that should explain some things.
Having also gone to school in Western Massachusetts, you can tell he's a Hampshire College graduate.
What an odd pick for the list. Good beats, but Ladds flows aren't exactly awe-inspiring. Should just have Company Flow on here instead, or better yet, RTJ! 👉🤛
Didn't really grab me - not very melodic.
Probably influential but a bit too edgy for me to get into
Certainly a vibe here, but not my vibe. Irritated by some of the vulgar lyrics. 1 - bad 2 - average 3 - good 4 - great 5 - outstanding
Just not very good...
eh
not my jam.
Another album I wasn't really looking forward to once I'd opened the site. The start was a real surprise - really interesting, great sound. Then it slowly morphed into boring hip hop albeit with some musical interludes though all basic repetitive phrases.
Nice production, crap vocals.
Interesting sounds used. Didn’t stick with me tho. 2/5
Mi rimane poco o nulla
A puzzling inclusion, neither the best of any particular hip hop sub genre nor distinctive enough to make a significant mark. A few gems are scattered throughout but the album takes a long time to get going and by the time it does interest has waned. Ladd is no doubt an interesting, smart artist and is worth a listen but I can think of hundreds of rap albums to include here over this.
Started off ok but started to drag.
Awful
Pretty weird
Difficult to find
a very interesting album, half rap half kind of spoken word over music. i can’t say i really enjoyed it but it also wasn’t bad
Just not a sound for me.
That was more or less a waste of space and time. Some weird electronic rap, not sure what this even was
I like the beats. The rhymes not so much.
2/5 A nicer person might call this a soundscape. Yea, a soundscape of hell. It just sounded like someone got a new music editing program and put every sound effect on one track at the same time. Or, alternatively, leaned on the whole keyboard and called it done. This a cacophony of voices and noises and samples. Just. Ugh. Just not my thing.
Some very interesting sounds & lyrical themes here, but overall a mixed bag. 2.5 stars
À jour pile pour le tiers de la liste 🥹
No one should have to work so hard to find shit like this on a streaming service in 2022.
Pas trippé honnêtement
As an entire album, "enjoy" is a strong word. However I hope to find more albums like this: hard-to-define, experimental pieces by artists I'm unfamiliar with. The track I was dreading listening to (an over 10 minutes-long "To the Moon's Contractor") ended up being one of the highlights for me. Then there's a song like "The Animist", which wears out its welcome about 2 minutes too soon. HL: "Planet 10", "Bladerunners", "Moon's Contractor", "Wipe Out" December 12, 2022 (late)
Liked the almost easy melody done by a trumpet but otherwise not really super enthusiastic besides a couple cool bits
Interesting, a bit different.......but then the almost inevitable rant on the last track which lost me completely ! 2*?
Not great but was half asleep.
Can't get access to the album so I'm going with 2 stars
Not on amazon music.
Rap not really my thing but these instrumentals and vintage lyrics were kinda cool.
It's got the spirit 2
It's everything I like about electronic and rap but this just doesn't hit for me... Interesting project and nice to see Mike Ladd is still making music.
Helemaal niet mijn ding. Er zitten wel enkele atypische nummers in, wat ik wel apprecieer
2.5. It has its moments
Meh, nothing memorable. The variety of sounds was nice. Standouts: wipeouts on the wave of Armageddon
Decent rapper but the mix is so busy it's pretty irritating to actually listen to.
Can’t listen to. Not available on Spotify
Average late 90s indie hip hop. Really doesn't do much for me. 1.5/5
p867. 2000. 2 stars Rap. Well done of its type - I like the Indian samples and jazz influences - but otherwise, not my thing at all. Would not listen to it again.
fucking boring
pretty boring and honestly I don't get what's so special about this album especially for 2k hip hop
Instrumentally it's fine but something about it rubs me the wrong way, lyrics are pretty dumb.
I normally love rap but I'm so far not enjoying this album thus far. I'm not a fan of the beats, the flow, or the weird vocal modifications. I really like the Bladerunners song. Love the El-P cameo. Too experimental for my tastes.
This is new to me. It completely passed me by when released. It started promising, but then I got a little bored tbh. UK trip hop does the slowed down beats far better. This just reminded me of dull late nights in over-priced Shoreditch bars over 20 years ago.
Again, not my favourite genre.
This album is all about space but unlike it, this shit is boring. So before I start tearing into this album, I might as well start off with some positives about it, first one is the production. It has a very spacey vibe about it which is expected, I mean it is an album that takes place in space. The scratches are also cool but that is of course a given. Another positive about this album is the title name. I don't know why but the name WELCOME TO THE AFTERFUTRE just sounds so cool, like if all the humans had just died out. So to be negative, when the fuck did this album come out. It says here that it came out in 2000, but it says 2015 on Spotify. Maybe it was just added to Spotify in 2015, but it's weird that they did that. This is by far the most confusing cover art that I've ever seen. What I can see is that it looks like it takes place on some space station. I have no idea if this is true and I'd love if someone could confirm it for me, but I don't think that anyone would ever see this review. Also, I'm just tired of these "rap albums" getting recommended. Don't get me wrong, they mostly sounds good to me. I gave Drunk a 7/10 despite saying that it wasn't really a rap album. Here, most of the tracks don't even have any vocals in them. Just because an album has like two fucking rap verses doesn't make it a rap album. That would be like if I claimed to have made a country album just by rapping over a country beat, it makes no fucking sense. Some albums that I think are good like Goblin do have tracks where it's just an instrumental playing, but that was just for two short tracks. One last complaint is the theme of the album. I don't blame Mike Ladd for making an album about space since I think that space is pretty cool, but I'm just tired of hearing it. The album where the cover art was the moon was about space and The Incredible True Story is also about space, but they at least have cool ideas. Favourite track would have to be "Red Eye to Jupiter (Starship N#gga). Mike Ladd sounds hungry as fuck on the track, and the horns on the track just sound so satisfying. Least favourite track would have to be "To The Moon's Contractor". It’s just long, boring and tedious. Yeah, this was just a waste of my fucking time. 4/10
Sci-fi trance rap and beat poetry, like a Grandaddy and Gil Scott-Heron collaboration. Good idea, disappointing rendering.
Those "deep thoughts" you have when you're high aren't actually that profound, and you definitely shouldn't build an entire album around them. Best track: 5,000 Miles West of the Future
Interesting for about 5 minutes then dull and repetitive with no discernible difference between tracks. 2/5
Primera noticia de este disco y de su autor. Aburrido y monótono. No le doy 1 estrella porque eso lo reservo para los realmente malos. Pero es totalmente prescindible.
It was fine. I didn't connect with it. Seemed long.
Meh. I didn't activly hate it, but it didn't have anything I really liked, either.
I listened. I couldn't tell you anything about it.
not my total bag baby
The Animist was pretty good track. The rest of it was interesting. I would never set this as playlist material, but if it were on, I don't think I'd mind too much.
Das ist so schlecht nicht, es ist aber auch nicht gut. Ich habe mit mir gerungen, ob das schon drei Sterne sind, kann aber nur zwei geben, dafür finde ich es nicht interessant genug.
A 2000 hip hop album, mostly spoken word with techno synth keyboards and what sounds like a drum machine, plus other interesting futuristic sound effects/samples. Despite the album cover Mike Ladd is American and based in the Bronx. There is some mild nods to Japanese music riffs (verging on racist tbh) and in the lyrics. The overall mood is future dystopia, but with a beat you can dance too. Interesting and well made, but doesn't really speak to me personally, although I did like certain bits quite a lot. No. 1 St. in particular reminded me a bit of Cantaloop clever and bouncy.
Borrrrrrrrrring
Very Interstellar!!! Right??
This was odd, I felt like I should have enjoyed this but I didn't. It makes me wonder why/hope we get names like scroobius pip on here but I somehow doubt it
Clearly Mike Ladd has a message and there are certainly some interesting experiments here, but I definitely not compelled to listen to it repeatedly. Definitely interesting, just not enjoyable.
31. Welcome to the Afterfuture - Mike Ladd 13 Tracks It was all a bit..... wishy washy as if he couldn't decide whether he was going to go full scale hip-hop or something else. As a result it couldn't hold my interest. 2/5
Yawn, but it’s ok
Hip hop album, beats seem to have an Industrial slant to them. First few songs were pretty good and tied into the "Afterfuture" theme with some sci-fi and futuristic lyricism. The DJ work throughout the album is solid but the rapping is hit or miss. Didn't like Bladerunners, juvenile overly sexual lyrics. Red Eye to Jupiter also terrible. Best song was Wipeout on the wave of Armageddon On the plus side, this is the first album where absolutely none of the videos had ads playing in front of them on Youtube.
Pretty decent, versatile album. Not likely to put it back on, but I didn't hate it.
This album was my introduction to experimental hip hop and this album hasn’t convinced me on the genre. The flow and bars were good and the production was interesting at the very least with its Asian influences, but none of it really stood out. It was also a bizarre choice to have jazz tracks seemingly randomly inserted in between hip hop songs
Brian Whitener of AllMusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "Welcome to the Afterfuture is a blender of sounds and styles and epitomizes the search that is leading cutting-edge hip-hop further into avant-garde and non-Western musical traditions."[1] Jon Caramanica of CMJ New Music Monthly commented that "Ladd's futurism is merely a mask for his very tangible discontent with the present."[2] He added, "References to the police state permeate the album, arguing that the new world order and newspeak are more than just things weeded street-corner bards philosophize on; they're integral to maintaining the power status quo."[2]
I had no idea what to expect from this album - new artist and new music to me. This album was a mix of okay tracks, tracks with good music but lyrics that I didn't like, a couple tracks I didn't like at all, and a couple tracks that I'd listen to again ("Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon", and "To the Moon's Contractor"). With only a first listen, this album feels like 2 stars.
Straight garbage. Really? A top album?
I was fairly excited prior to listening - just not my thing
This has all the elements that made me love the DJ Shadow album, but I just don't like Ladd's vocals. They're tiring and drawn-out, and I'm unable to enjoy the atmosphere of the beats like I want to
Saved Prior: None Off Rip: 5000 Miles West of the Future Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Kind of a harsh 2, there was the concepts of a plan for a sick album here but it didn't stick the landing for me. Shocked this man hasn't featured on a Gorillaz track.
Hip-hop. Creative tracks. Religiones
256.
Not my type of music really. I’m sure fans of hip hop would love it but I didn’t like it at all.
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.
Nope
Previously unknown. The parts that weren't annoying have been done better by other people.
Boooooooooooring. The music. The rapping. The production. All of it just so dull.
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
Rock, Rap, 2000 -> 1
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.
How was this even on this list?
Not a fan
Why are so many albums so bad...
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.
terrible.
Really not my thing - generated no response in me on any level
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.....
nope
My patience was already tested due to the current heatwave but this really pushed it.
trap-rap estadounidense del malo, muy malo.
Really disliked
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.
DOn't like it. It began wearing on me half way through. One star.
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.
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
WTF is this album? Hated this “trip hop” “music”. DNF (1)
2/10 I fail to see why this was on the list.
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”
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.
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.
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
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
what a load of bilge.
I didn’t like.
*No music, just rap and some foul language
3/28 Shitty rap trash
Aldrig hørt om det her, virker som et dybt bizart valg til listen. Han rappede fint og sådan men de instrumentale dele varede for eeeevigt.
Wtf did i just hear? I don't want any more of that, ever, please.
This was fine. It's telling that my favorite part of the album was El-P's verse on "Bladerunners." I don't think I'll be listening to this again.
Abstract hip-hop and experimental spoken word built on sparse beats, ambient textures, and dragging, half-spoken vocals unfolds with deliberate, heavy pacing. Listening feels like wading through thick mud where each step takes effort and momentum never fully arrives. The concept might be intriguing and texturally rich for some, but the sluggish flow and vocals just feel annoyingly slow.
Awful!
I had no idea what to expect, but this was really unique!! Not really my vibe though, too slow for my liking. Fav song is ‘Airwave Hysteria’.
Doido, por bem e por mal. A estética futurista já está bem datada, e o álbum tem apenas 26 anos. Muitos dos instrumentais são bem interessantes, com aquela mistura de rap experimental com trip hop. O ponto fraco do disco são os vocais. O MC não é dos melhores, sendo gentil com ele. Mas pelo menos é algo diferente, em um gênero que desesperadamente precisa de coisas diferentes. Entendo a inclusão do disco na lista, pra tentar diluir a mesmice do Rap na representação aqui. É legal ver algo diferenciado, que busca ritmos diferentes e aborda temáticas fantasiosas. Mas nem sempre o resultado é inteiramente alegre. Vou voltar atrás e deixar de ser gentil, os vocais aqui são péssimos. Se esse fosse um disco instrumental, ele passaria, seria uma experiência OK. Mas os vocais estragam bastante a experiência. Os versos de Rap são medíocres e as sessões de canto são ridículas. E pra piorar, possui uma duração interminável. Depois de um tempo o disco perde todo o seu charme e fica bem chato. A capa é legal pelo menos. 1.5
Wouldn't something that is after the future still be the future? This is just another stupid album title. I didn't enjoy a single minute of this.
Don't remember it from last week.
Wow this was painful. No business being on this, or any list.
Nah, elevator hip hop music.
Some songs are just a pain to listen to. Didn’t like the production vocals and lyrics on this album. I’ve got to give it a harsh rating because this rating expresses how much I enjoyed the album afterall.
Dziwne dziwne, jakby pomiedzy wszystkim i jakby było niczym
Did not like
i wanted to like it i swear
Couldn't get past 3 songs, what the actual is this. RYM: N Saved a song: N
The first time around I gave this a 2 because the beats were interesting and I appreciated the social commentary. Those are still positives but this album just doesn't work for me.
Just get into this at alll - not for me
Trash
First impression: overly stylized, pseudo rap something. It's not horrible, but it's also not revolutionary or all that good or enjoyable. Bland, and just too much digital modification. I have no idea what any song is about. Rapping is also very monotonous and dull. I'd guess East Coast. Songs are too long. They often start one way and end another, but not in a pleasing way. Each track comes with a realization by the listener like "oh, I'm still listening to this song?" It's not a great album. It's not the worst music that I've ever heard, but I can't give this good marks. I don't care to ever listen to it again.
Awful. Not my thing at all.
Poor sludge
Nope just didn’t like this
"These goldfish know jujitsu, better watch yo'self"
I actually wanted to like this one
Didn't land at all. Gimmicky, sprawling, really boring rapping. Don't know how it found its way into this list. I enjoyed the sample on Bladerunners, couldn't work out whether it was an oboe, or something more sinister.
I thought this was very boring, very hard to get all the way through.
Shite.
Hier schrik ik van
Mike Ladd ist ein US-amerikanischer Rapper und Produzent aus Boston, dessen Arbeit im Bereich des alternativen Hip-Hop angesiedelt ist. Welcome To The Afterfuture wurde 2000 veröffentlicht und in mehreren Studios erarbeitet, darunter Mike’s 4Track in Brighton (Massachusetts) und Mischungen bei TME Studios in New York; weitere Arbeiten fanden in UWMSC Studios statt. Die Produktion nutzt sparsame Beats, elektronische Texturen und freie Songstrukturen. Das Album bewegt sich im Genre Hip-Hop mit experimentellen Einflüssen und lyrisch dichten Texten. Zu den bekanntesten Stücken zählen „5000 Miles West Of The Future“, „Airwave Hysteria“, „Planet 10“ und „Bladerunners“, die thematisch dystopische, gesellschaftliche und technologische Fragestellungen berühren. Ladds Stil verzichtet weitgehend auf eingängige Refrains und setzt mehr auf narrative und klangliche Vielfalt. In seiner Wirkung richtet sich Welcome To The Afterfuture an Hörer mit Interesse an unkonventionellen Beats und Texten im Hip-Hop; das Album entfaltet seine dichte Atmosphäre besonders bei wiederholtem Hören. Bewertung: ein konzentrierter, eigenständiger Beitrag zum alternativen Hip-Hop.
Doesn’t grip me but I get where it’s good, two stars.
This is in the running for the worst album on this list.
Альбом не перейшов перевірку часом. Допускаю, що в 2000 він звучав цікаво порівняно з клубною лихоманкою від Джей Зі, Мейса з Дідді та компанії. Якщо хотілось показати щось цікаве та підземне з того часу, то є дуже очевидні круті варіанти: Company Flow, Cannibal Ox чи Operation: Doomsday МФ ДУМА. Скоріше за все укладачі просто не шарять)
The second song reminded me this is truly an album from the year 2000!
It tries to be hip hop and electronic at once. For me it's more of a background noise album.
So glad music didn’t go in this direction
1/5
Absolute shit
2 in a row , unable to listen to whole album, just not my taste
Not for me. Raps weren’t the best and the flow and the beats never worked for me. Wasn’t a lot of or entertainment value.
not my thing 1/5
I think the creator of this list should have stuck to genres that they were familiar with. Maybe stay away from hip hop.
No thanks
Mike Badd
How does stuff like this even get made? Nobody thought to tell this dude that it was ass before he released it?
Just didn't enjoy this. It was just a mess of bad flows with no continuity. The quality of the recording was ok, but there was no production value. It seemed like a really well mixed demo tape of random songs.
😭😭😭😭💀💀💀
Neo American experimental hip-hop with a Gallic twist. Not for me though.
Klipp og lim. De klarer ikke å gjøre det bra en gang 😞👎🏻