Album Review: J Prophet “Getting My Shape Up Vol. 1”
J Prophet “Getting My Shape Up Vol. 1”
Released: 2010
Reviewed by: Ed Welch
Rating: 6 (Out of 10)
[xrr rating=6/10]
Can I be honest with you all? My expectation was really low for this project. I had some other reviewers disappear when they started working on this project, so I literally expected garbage that would possibly be harmful to my ears. …I’m sorry, was that too honest? What I heard from the very first song was the total opposite though. My second thought was, “this is a mix tape (so the beats should at least be solid) so is his flow or that bad?” Once again, my initial expectation was totally wrong. I enjoyed J Prophets flow and he actually made me smile on a few lines throughout the project.
Most of the beat choices were solid, ranging from “OK” to great. Some beats were a little too repetitive or monotonous for me. I understand that’s a strongly opinionated statement, but when beats are more repetitive I expect the lyrics to be on a “through-the-roof” level and the vocal presentation to be at least really great. Either that or you’ve got to be telling a really interesting story. J Prophet fell short on that, but not by too far. I would say he did a pretty good job in general. Some beats really took me back like Jazzybell – OutKast and even Sky is the Limit – Biggie Smalls. I just needed him to say, “Uh, I got the good Word, girl you didn’t know?” …I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.
J Prophets lyrics are also pretty solid throughout the project. He held my attention and actually had something to say that was worth listening to. I heard great testimonies centered on God and His work. Good testimonies (that give God ALL the glory) are rare now-a-days…but I digress. Thanks for the breath of fresh air, bro! In most cases J Prophet rode the beats pretty well and sounds confident. Every once in awhile his flow got a little mechanical, but this only happened in certain parts. “Over the Land” and “I’m Flying” are a couple tracks where this seems to happen. Outside of that, the wordplay and lyrical style was pretty cool. There are some tracks where he’s bring great vocal energy (“Roger That”) and other tracks where his energy was lacking (“Hollywood Divorce”). For the most part, his energy was pretty good and I doubt that will be an issue for him going forward.
Speaking of vocals, I didn’t like some of the singing at first. But the vocals got better as the album kept going. Even when I didn’t necessarily “like” the vocals, I really liked the ideas behind the vocals. “Over the Land” is a good example. I loved the “Ooohs” idea, but I wish it was a little bit smoother and not forced (on that last “ooh”). Some added effects could probably help as well. The harmonious vocals on “Sky is the Limit” were great. I would love to hear them mixed a little better. They seemed to sit on top of the beat instead of being intertwined with the music and the rap verses if that makes any sense.
In conclusion, J Prophet deserves some credit, because I was prepared for something horrible and actually got something that was pretty good. In some cases, he even turned my frown upside down with some of his wordplay. Great job! Obviously, I can’t credit him with great beats on a mix tape, but the beat selection was pretty good. It was diverse enough, but still within a certain vein that gave the album a consistent flow and style/flavor. I bet that’s as clear as mud. 🙂 I have one overall negative. Going back through the album, it doesn’t seem to have a high replay value. There’s not much on the album that blew me away, so you might end up skipping a lot to get to your favorites after awhile. But hey, everybody is a critic. I’m just the guy who wrote the review. Peace and much love.
Comprehensive Ratting:
- Music 7
- Flow 7
- Lyricism 7
- Content 7
- Creativity 6
- Credibility 5
- Personality 5
- Presentation 7
- Overall Production 6
- Potential Impact 3
