Gbade.X
Honestly Dude,go get a life! this review waz done by someone who knows more bout Hip-Hop than ur brotha will eva know(Of course,U dunno sh*t bout Hip-Hop).Abeg,dey shut-up when the topic is Hip-Hop. U can talk when it's bout Atawewe coz that's ur self-confessed illest.
Read the review and stop sayin sh*t

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2006_11_pentiumix.html

Gbade.X you really got this up yours for real now. did you check the link from kaydee yet? i didnt have time thats why i didnt include it in my post when i referred to it.

well here it is again for good measure
http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2006_11_pentiumix.html

and one more time for the heck of it

http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2006_11_pentiumix.html

when u thru reading it delete /2006_11_pentiumix.html from the url and it takes you to the archive page. then look for sauce kid, read his review and come back , then we can talk

oh my bad !! he's not listed there? damn!! i thot he was the illest, a true hip hop authority, a force to be reckoned with?

N I G G A P L E E E A S E !!!!
ENOUGH ALREADY

YOU KNOW WHAT? I DONT THINK THE LINKS ENOUGH. SO HERE YOU GO

IN YOUR FACE
(and these are the words of a perfectly neutral foreigner, a seasoned hip hop head. not some biased internet pseudonym. are you still talking huh? i didnt think so)


Mode 9 :: Pentium IX :: Questionmark Records
as reviewed by Jordan Selbo
Forget the fact that Mode 9 was born in the UK and now reps Nigeria—whatever else you know or think about dude, know that he is PASSIONATE. In the effort he applies to honing his craft of emceeing, in his desire to keep Nigerian Hip Hop quality, as well as in his blatant disrespect for those that opt to perform and support lazy commercial rap. It's the passion of an assured veteran, the kind that speaks through actions. It's appropriately then that Mode 9's newest project, a 21-song mixtape that rivals anyone else's most carefully polished and sequenced major label release, is a supremely dope slice of Hip Hop. In the best sense, this boom bap flavor is timeless, skillful and universal. Seriously, if it weren't for Mode's slight French-inflected accent and his occasional references to his city of Lagos, I'da sworn this was released alongside "Hard to Earn," "Illmatic" and "Liquid Swords." And though it's not quite as classic as those albums, it does have the same flavor and swagger.

To start with his lyrics I gotta start with the voice: Mode 9 possesses an instantly recognizable and imminently strong instrument, both gravelly and deep (sounding similar to RA the Rugged Man) but also pleasingly melodic (due no doubt to his subtle accent, which comes off as a Wyclef-when-he's-not-singing-wack-shit vibe). His flow is airtight, never even slightly slipping off beat or sounding strained. The content varies considerably, covering everything from social commentaries ("Lagos State of Mind," "Pain", to relationships ("Gentle Wind", and even global economics ("419 State of Mind Pt. 2 Revisited". But clearly Mode's specialty is straight get-up-in-dat-ass battle raps. He excels with lyrics heavy on punch lines, sprinkling in the occasional scientific or technical jargon, packed to the gills with clever metaphors and cultural references. Examples of amazing lines from just one recent listen include: "throw sand in your food if you ever try to crunch me/ you got weak lines but still wanna bungee" to "making more headlines than cornrows and partings" to "I'm off the hook like wack singers on the chorus." Seriously, the dude puts more thought into any one16 bar verse on "Pentium" than most commercial cats put into their whole joints. He often comes with so much craft that it's easy to miss how clever seemingly throwaway lines like "play the wall like Peter Parker" are. It's also important to note that it's clear Mode is one intelligent and well-versed cat, but he manages to be himself and sneak plenty of knowledge into his raps without ever sounding preachy or egghead.

Beat wise, it's even more apparent that Mode takes his inspiration from the second renaissance of East Coast Hip Hop (circa '94-'96). The boom bap vibe includes a liberal use of scratched choruses (a la Premo), basslines that are understated yet chunky and whole, and beats in that New York state of mind. Besides keeping your head nodding, there are also enough interesting flourishes to keep you pressing rewind. Just a few highlights include the gentle guitar loop on the aforementioned "Lagos State of Mind" (big ups on the clever flipping of Nas' original title, by the way), the eerie vocal chorus on "Elbow Room," and the mournful violins of "360 Poetry." I could go on…

In short, if you're a fan of that NY aesthetic of the mid-90's, or of clever and fresh lyrics, or of quality Hip Hop in general, "Pentium IX" is definitely recommended. Matter fact, I'm confident enough to say that anything by Mode 9 would probably be dope. Because it's a mixtape, "Pentium" does lack some cohesion (but as the songs keep coming up dope, I didn't seem to even notice). And my copy is edited, but thankfully expletives are relatively sparse and the censorship of them is creatively undertaken. Never falling to that mass appeal, and straight from the heart, the man is on a mission to almost single-handedly raise Nigerian Hip Hop out of the muck of east money pop rap bullshit. And he just may be skilled enough, and yes, passionate enough to do it. Some haters may claim that in doing so he seems mired in nostalgia for that mid-90s East Coast sound (and maybe the cultural dispersion from US to Nigeria makes this more than merely a choice), but if that's the case, I'm not complaining!

Music Vibes: 8.5 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 9 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 8.5 of 10

Originally posted: November 21, 2006
source: www.RapReviews.com

@christino

nice one u came back!.

seriously, i do not have anything against modenine. Like i said before, i dont even know his name. beyond his photo on the jacket of his CD, i dont even know wat he looks like.
ok, i agree with u. i might have singled him out from all others , . . .reasons, i do not know. maybe cos people like him so much and i dunno why.

i also singled out the songs cry and naija gurls cos those ones sounded like Jay z to me. At the start of nigerian girls he even said this line i think was originally Jay z's "hey, this is ur boy jay z modenine in the building". i know that line for sure is Jay z's.

all these might just be my thinkin but definitely not beef.

i hope we cool christino.

wld be nice if u dropped a note. . .

NO BEEFS, JUST MA STATE OF MIND.

As for me its modo 4 life. Hate it or luv it d underdog is on top. He represents originality 2 da max.

As 4 mi its modo 4 life. Check out malcom ix, pentium ix b4 u run ur mouth.

As 4 mi its modo 4 life. Check out malcom ix, pentium ix b4 u run ur mouth.

As 4 mi its modo 4 life. Check out malcom ix, pentium ix b4 u run ur mouth.

@ azeez23401

you the man!! welcome to nairaland.

Yay! chukky76 has found his fellow groupie soulmate!

@ Gbade.X

U missin a lot if U beef that dude coz he's just good. Nas got mad luv and still rated higher than Jigga or 50 despite the fact that they sell more than him but they know he does Hip-Hop the way it shud be.

aint nobdy can be like Jay-Z, he too unique.

;d

its funny that Gbade.x conveniently never mentioned anything about the jordan selbo review, guess he sees the light now

@ naijafan,

wassup man

so what d titles merge, modenine's simply d best naija's got now. He's got his style although goes too far @ times. but he's still wondefull

CLEAR CUT "no hating" "no beef" "as clean as the Holy Spirit"

When we talk about originality in Hip - Hop, it is not making your own sickling beat. It's about the tradition of Hip - HOp ( To keep it real) Man, Anything you do, be learned.

Anyone who has been sayin Mode9 copied a beat, he's a Jigga wannabe, he stole rhymes from Jigga and stuff. Does not really understand the concept.

See. Listening to Rap does not make you a Hip - Hop BIG BOY. Understandin the Art of 16 bars does not make you a critic. Hip - Hop is beyond what you listen to on the Radio. Hip Hop is defined as the combination and recombination of what has come before.(go and ask someone better thn you do). There are four clear elements of Hip - Hop, but as at today, KRS ONE has introduced five other elements which make up a culture.(dis is just like an introduction for guys who dont understand Hip-Hop)

I heard someone say Mod9 copied Xhibit's paparazzi beat. Am saying it authoritatively, XHIBIT DOES NOT KNOW WHERE THAT INSTRUMENTAL COMES FROM. Nas used the same instrument in a mixtape and it has been sampled by DJ BABU of the Beat Junkies on a SADAT X mix before. (Am sure does guys dont know who Sadat X is)

That concept is the element of Hip - Hop called SAMPLING. (a very strong element which makes Hip - Hop, Hip - Hop)

examples are : Get by Remix ( Kanye West Ft. Talib Kweli) - sampled from a country music.
                         Testify (Common) - sampled the track Proven till found guilty ( so know that the chorus is not invented by Common).

SO. next time dont tell me Modenine copied a beat (it souds like a newbie flows in Hip - Hop). you'll say he sampled a beat.

And to lay it straight - Rappers are different from MCees . I swear by the name of God, Modenine is an Mcee, ruggedman is a Very good rapper.

Its not about rapping, it's about the tradition (keep it realand right)

Modenizzy,  Carry on tradition

for more, am dope.

I forgot to tell you something about CRY. i guess you should know the diffent types of RAP we have, (no you don't),

well the kind of rap used in GENTLE WIND, OGUNSOYE AND CRY IS what they call STROY TELLING RAP (HIP - HOP CULTURE). you can go and ask someone that knows better.

And pls. read the review very well and stop hating.

If RuggedMan releases a dope album, i will die for that album, but he has done alot and he has not moved me, so what da kcuf?

now check these lines and educate yourself who's the best.

NOT JUST BECAUSE

YOUR PUNK SAID SO.

MY MANIFESO

FIRST LINE SAYS I ROCK. - - - - modenine

iT WAS AN INSULT
I TOOK WITH A PINCH OF SALT
AND A BOTTLE OF MALT - --------RuggedMan


the style modenine used is called a morpheme to multiple morpheme rhymes. Used by professionals alone
the style used by ruggedman is called the Partial reduplication rhymes (Malt and Salt --- Understand). the style that KRs one used in lecturing the students of UNiversity of Texas "The basic rhyming scheme".

I would have given you the file of the lecture but i wont tap my archive for who does not understand,

My brother, if you love HIp - Hop go and learn,

@ gbade. x

I must seriously tell you, U're like digracing ur younger brother if you are saying he knows better than anybody and he still prefers rugged ova modenizy, that shit sounds crazy,

@bouzymill:

nikka breathe easy, there's no need for inhalers. Let me make a few clarifications.

- First off, i never said my younger bro knew hiphop more than me and preferred rugged to mode9. Don't, and i repeat don't put words in my mouth. If u have been following d discussion on this thread, and other threads about mode9, you'd notice at a point, one of them mode9 groupies, kaydee, accused me of being wack because i said sumth'n not so good about M9. I called him out for a rap battle. dude was chicken and he refused, claiming i don't know sh*t about hip-hop and that my younger bro was wack as well and he as well didn't know sh*t about hiphop. I SIMPLY REPLIED THAT MY YOUNGER BRO KNEW MORE ABT HIPHOP THAN HE'D EVER KNOW IN HIS LIFETIME. Simple. I never even said my younger bro knew hiphop more than me, that kaydee once again with his accusations.

So learn to read carefully. . .

@bouzymill:

i read your write-up. I must commend u for that nice write-up.

I understood your point, now understand mine.

I agree with your points. Even Christino had raised them. I'm not against sampling. Heck, Kanye west samples like mad. I don't disagree with it.

My bone of contention is that mode9 faithfuls like kaydee, chukky, love accusing other artistes of not being original whereas their mini-god is not being original. And my stance was that that was hypocritical of them, simple as ABC. They keep yelling, "mode9 is so real and original!", meanwhile he samples, "borrows" concepts just as well as other artistes, so WTF are they saying?

I hope u now get my point.

@bouzymill:

i read your write-up. I must commend u for that nice write-up.

I understood your point, now understand mine.

I agree with your points. Even Christino had raised them. I'm not against sampling. Heck, Kanye west samples like mad. I don't disagree with it.

My bone of contention is that mode9 faithfuls like kaydee, chukky, love accusing other artistes of not being original whereas their mini-god is not being original. And my stance was that that was hypocritical of them, simple as ABC. They keep yelling, "mode9 is so real and original!", meanwhile he samples, "borrows" concepts just as well as other artistes, so WTF are they saying?

I hope u now get my point.

gbade.x you telling bouzymill to learn to read carefully. you need to heed your own advice dawg and go back to any of me or kaydees posts and let me know where we said "mode9 is so real and original". we never mention anything about originality because we know that its an acceptable concept in music, i mean music has been around since forever, how many new styles you think there are left? all we say is that mode9 does hip hop the way it should be done. that he above all in naija is keeping it real. i aint even hating on commercial rap, i only get mad when the commercial rappers start running their mouths on being the dopest in naija.

PLEASE DONT MISQUOTE US JUST BECAUSE IT HELPS YOUR ARGUMENT AND JUSTIFIES YOUR ATTACKS ON MODE9.
That aint right

. . . and once again, i'm being misinterpreted and misunderstood. There was once a thread about rugged and his track "ruggedy baba" where kaydee was accusing rugged of being a "snitch" (don't know what the hell he meant by that statement). me and bgees decided to set the nukka straight, and it only resulted in kaydee lashing out with the usual "you don't know sh*t about hiphop " rant. There have been countless threads where kaydee has made such comments about artistes like rugged, sauce being wack. I just took my cue from these statements and various others and put it forth into my writeup.

Chukky,

correct me if i'm wrong, but you made a statement that it was only mode9 you and kaydee knew that did hiphop the right way. Let me ask you a few questions.

- exactly what is the right way to do hiphop?

- exactly what is your definition of being wack?

- could it be that the reason you think mode9 is the only artiste that is doin' hiphop well is because you don't know better ?

- is mode9 your standard and symbol of doing hiphop the right way?

- exactly what is your definition of being "real"?

- by what means did you arrive that mode9 keeps it "real"?
- what is your definition of "hardcore"?
- does one need to be "hardcore" to keep it "real" ?

- what is your take on commercial rap?

- does being a commercial artiste automatically mean one doesn't keep it real?

- being a commercial artiste, does it mean one can't find the balance between doing it for the love of hiphop and the money?

- does being underground necessarily mean you are keeping it real?

- does being hardcore and underground necessarily mean u are doing it for the love of hiphop?


I'm throwing these questions to kaydee and errbody as well.

gbade. x:

correct me if i'm wrong, but you made a statement  that it was only mode9 you and kaydee knew that did hiphop the right way. Let me ask you a few questions.

U're wrong, I never said that!

gbade. x:

- exactly what is the right way to do hiphop?

A way that won't make Nas release "Hip-Hop is dead 2".U know most of them southern rappers think Nas is taking shots at them.

gbade. x:

- exactly what is your definition of being wack?

Why do u need definition?We all know a wack artiste when we see one and we know an ill one too except we want to be sentimental.

gbade. x:

- could it be that the reason you think mode9 is the only artiste that is doin' hiphop well is because you don't know better ?

I think this one is for Chukky if he actually said so but i doubt.Post a link to that. I've seen F-Six,Freestyle,Eldee,Terry Da Rapman,

gbade. x:

- is mode9 your standard and symbol of doing hiphop the right way?

My standard is Nas,Immortal technique,Jadakiss and lately Papoose. If u talkin bout Nigeria,then most def Modenine,then,F-Six,Eldee and Freestyle.

gbade. x:

- exactly what is your definition of being "real"?

Now,Tupac is the realest of all time(I don't wanna include Public Enemy).Being real is different from being dope!Being real is different from being a lyricist.RuggedMan is the fakest of them all,claimin 2 be doin it street when all he's doin it 4 is his pocket.Snitchin on other Artiste when he ain't different himself.An opportunist.Listen to his lame excuse in Ruggedbaba

gbade. x:

- by what means did you arrive that mode9 keeps it "real"?

What Means? Listen to him yourself without a biased mind.What u're trying to say is that u ain't feelin him?

gbade. x:

- what is your definition of "hardcore"?

I have no personal definition,i stay with the general one

gbade. x:

- does one need to be "hardcore" to keep it "real" ?

  Somehow!

gbade. x:

- what is your take on commercial rap?

We all need it to boost sales but when it is your theme,then u lost it.50cent is a good example

gbade. x:

- does being a commercial artiste automatically mean one doesn't keep it real?

For sure!

gbade. x:

- being a commercial artiste, does it mean one can't find the balance between doing it for the love of hiphop and the money?

Yeah!It's all bout tha dough now.

gbade. x:

- does being underground necessarily mean you are keeping it real?

Nonesense!Don't make me believe u too dull.

gbade. x:

- does being hardcore and underground necessarily mean u are doing it for the love of hiphop?

Nah!U gotta be dope,really good at it and stay true to it.Every underground cat want to blow and when they get the chance,they just want to get more dough and that's when they flop

gbade. x:

I'm throwing these questions to kaydee and errbody as well.

Aight but let me say most of your questions are senseless and U're like those hypocrites who gave Jesus a coin and asked him stupid questions after.Do u remember his reply?

@ kaydee:

i didn't ask for insults, i asked questions and if you didn't deem it fit to answer them then don't. What the stupid Bleep do you mean by me being like hypocrites and asking senseless questions? what the Bleep was that supposed to mean? First, Watch your fucking mouth. Second, keep my name out ya mouth. Third, shut your fucking trap if you don't anything tangible to say.

Yeah!Those hypocrites i was talkin bout re-acted just like u did.

If you having optical problems or are on the verge of being visually impaired, i suggest you buy the thickest pair of bottle lens glasses and read my post directly before/above yours.

Part of it says: shut your fucking trap if you don't have anything tangible to say.

gbade.x i was really going to take time out and answer all your questions but when i saw your outburst to kaydees observation i wonder whats the point. you've apparently made up your mind so theres no convincing you. i got stuff i do online not just reply posts on nairaland and frankly u just aint worth it. but i'll giv u one more shot. here goes

all i'll say is that i never said mode9 was the only one keeping it real. i inferred that if you were to ask who was the realest hip hop head in naija it would be mode9. theres a poll functionality on this site, set it up and see 4 yourself, as long as you don't go voting like 600 times to prove me wrong

dude if you don't know a wack artist from a real one then u aint even worth shit and i'm just wasting my time

my idea of a real hip hop head doing hip hop the real way is talib kweli, nas and canibus. and if you don't agree with that then bite me, because you don't know shit
and its not even about dialect, and pidgin englist, because freestyle has it on lockdown and he raps in pidgin. and i'm definitely feeling 9ice and lord of ajasa.

theres no middle ground, its either you are commercial or not. any other thing is just watered down.

commercial = catchy beats and hooks+elementary singalong lyrics+contrived or by force rhymes(i took it with a pinch of salt , and a bottle of malt, what the f u c k is that about?) e'g tony tetuila and ruggedman

keeping it real=poetry+beats that relate to the mood of the song and not just picked for dance value+effortless rhymes that make sense(any of modenines tracks, take your pick. ) if u can't then check this

When i started rapping ,i wasnt ready for the fame,
wasnt used to the stares, so i stepped up my game
got a killer flow,
marking time, to get the dough
made a lot of sacrifices, no regrets though,
wont let go
till my wall is platinum clad ,
only go pop, when i call my dad,
still got my baggy jeans on , never follow fads,
many rappers compromise skills for the wad,
they need to hang a mind the glass sign on they pad
because what they write is transparent, how sad
the industry got you getting all your fans mad
they played you , now you all alone lad
when it happens, just shrug it off like 'shoot my bad'
you be talking about who you were and what you had
game over dude, you fell for the stinker
swallowed all the proof, its hook link and sinker
now you trying to come back like i'm a keep it real,
chill too late , no second chance though
you sold out, claiming you got pushed against the wall
instead of fighting back, under it you crawled


read that objectively and tell me mode9 isnt keeping it real. you know now. he paints a clear and sequential picture using perfect lines without compromising the quality of the verse.

rugged man says lines like         i took it with a pich of salt and a bottle of malt.

mode9 says lines like       you got weak lines but you still want to bungee

nigga pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

my take on commercial rap: its acceptable, in "thanks for smoking" my favorite line is  "everyones got a mortgage to pay". so i understand commercial rap and i condone it, but don't start running your mouth about being king of hip hop in naija, and believe me i've seen interviews where he was referred to as such and he lets that get to his head instead of showing respect for true hiphop.tony tetuila and 2shotz sell records, but they know their place. so ruggedman and sauce should make their benjamins and shut the mess up when real hip hop is being discussed.

now i tried to answer the important ones so anyone i didnt answer i consider dumb and stupid.

gbade.x i only have  question for you

1. why don't you ever admit you're wrong? i told you u misquoted us about the originality thing and you carefully avoided the challenge talking about misunderstading you like your comment wasnt written in english.
and we gave you a link aboiut mode9's album review on rapreviews.com by jordan selbo, an unbiased foreigner and someone who knows about hip hop than you and i do , and kaydee and i were looking forward to seeing if at least you could see some sense, but you just ignored it like it wasnt there.



dude seriously i think you are no longer worth this effort, if you can tell me reasons why i should see ruggedman and co as real artists i would more than be willing to change my views, but you havent been abvle to do that.

but all our arguments plus the unbiased view of a foreign hip hop head and you just wont admit.
so thats it for me, you've made up your mind from the start unlike me so theres no convincing you.

my only regrets is that my girl is watching  "double dragon" for want of something better to do and instead of typing out this long a r s e d reply that still wouldnt convince you, i could have been getting some.

You have ur views, i have mine. That i respect. Now i know where you and that mofo kaydee are coming from.

Thank you very much for answering my questions. God willing, if i've got time on a PC (always using my fone to access nairaland ), i'd post comments about your answers.

Once again, thanks.

You have ur views, i have mine. That i respect. Now i know where you and that mofo kaydee are coming from.

Thank you very much for answering my questions. God willing, if i've got time on a PC (always using my fone to access nairaland ), i'd post comments about your answers.

Once again, thanks.