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Party Music

 
Album Review:

Party Music

  • Artist: The Coup
  • Rating: StarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: November 06, 2001
  • Type: Contains explicit content, Lyrics are included with the album, Enhanced CD-ROM
  • Genre: Rap

Review

The Coup finally attracted some publicity with their fourth album, Party Music, though it was for unfortunate reasons. The original cover, completed in June 2001, depicted Boots and Pam in front of an exploding World Trade Center, with Boots pushing the button on a detonator. Luckily, the album wasn't scheduled for release until after September 11, and the artwork was hastily withdrawn; nonetheless, it made the rounds on the Internet, and even briefly drew the attention of the FBI. Even if the image is now too provocative and emotionally charged, its anti-capitalist symbolism is appropriate for the album's contents, which mark a return to the often militant tone of the Coup's early work. Album opener "Everythang," "Ghetto Manifesto," and "Ride the Fence" are all rousing calls to action, and fellow left-wing populists Dead Prez make a guest appearance on "Get Up." There's also some of the pointed satire of Genocide & Juice -- Boots makes "5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O." sound like a new dance craze, and there are some broad, "Pimps"-like stereotypes of rich folks on "Lazymuthafucka" (though they're intended as an antidote to even broader stereotypes of poor people). But Boots doesn't abandon the sensitive storytelling of Steal This Album either. "Wear Clean Draws" advises his young daughter on how to grow up strong in a harsh world, and "Nowalaters" is another stunning, emotionally complex story-song about a young man nearly duped into taking responsibility for a child that isn't his. Musically, Boots' production is the fullest the Coup has ever had on record, making heavy use of live instruments in creating a warm, organic re-creation of late-'70s synth funk. Other than that, Party Music doesn't really break much new ground for the Coup; it's more a consolidation of their strengths, touching on a little bit of everything they've done well in the past. Hopefully, it will stay in print longer than their first three records. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Everythang (Lyrics) R.J. Riley The Coup (3:52)
5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O. R.J. Riley The Coup (5:26)
Wear Clean Draws (Lyrics) R.J. Riley The Coup (4:51)
Ghetto Manifesto (Lyrics) R.J. Riley The Coup (6:20)
Get Up (Lyrics) R.J. Riley The Coup, Dead Prez (4:02)
Tight (Lyrics) R.J. Riley The Coup (3:12)
Ride the Fence (Lyrics) R.J. Riley The Coup (3:43)
Nowalaters (Lyrics) R.J. Riley The Coup (4:42)
Pork and Beef (Lyrics) R.J. Riley The Coup (4:00)
Heven Tonite D. James, R.J. Riley The Coup (3:51)
Thought About It 2 (Lyrics) The Coup (4:38)
Lazymuthafucka (Lyrics) R.J. Riley The Coup (4:41)

Credits

Boots Riley (Vocals), Boots Riley (Arranger), Josh Jones (Agogo Bell), Dead Prez (Performer), Boots Riley (Finger Snaps), Tony Dawsey (Mastering), Boots Riley (Recording), Keith McArthur (Bass), Boots Riley (Handclapping), Mike Tiger (Clavinet), Victor Hall (Cover Image), Mike Tiger (Piano (Grand)), Degi Simmons (Consultant), Mike Tiger (Sequencing), Mike Tiger (Fender Rhodes), Tahir (Keyboards), Boots Riley (Drum Programming), Tahir (Drum Programming), Mike Tiger (Keyboard Bass), Alisha Calhoun (Violin), Elijah Baker Hassan (Bass), Boots Riley (Producer), David James (Guitar), Tahir (Producer), T-K.A.S.H. (Vocals), Mike Tiger (Micro Moog), Boots Riley (Claves), Josh Jones (Conga), Brandon Arnovick (Package Design)
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Wikipedia:

Party Music

Top
Party Music
Studio album by The Coup
Released November 6, 2001
Genre Alternative hip hop, Funk, West Coast rap, Political hip hop, Rap
Label 75 Ark/Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records
75050
Professional reviews
The Coup chronology
Steal This Album
(1998)
Party Music
(2001)
Pick a Bigger Weapon
(2006)
Alternate cover
Originally intended album artwork

Party Music is the fourth studio album by The Coup, an alternative hip hop group based in Oakland, California.

The album was originally released by 75 Ark Records and has since been re-released by Epitaph Records after the group's signing in 2004.

Contents

Original cover

The album, which was originally scheduled to be released in early September 2001,[1] is best known for its original cover art, which depicted Boots Riley and Pam the Funkstress appearing to detonate the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center[2]. What appears to be a detonating device is in actuality a digital chromatic tuner, which is used in music to tune instruments or vocals during warm ups.[citation needed] The words on the tuner read Covert-Labs.

The art was created in June 2001.[1] After the September 11, 2001, attacks, the album's release was delayed until November 2001 to allow new cover art to be created.

In an interview with Seattle newspaper The Stranger, Boots Riley spoke about his fight to keep the album cover following the events of September 11:

There's been a whitewash in the media over the past couple days over what the U.S.'s role in the world is, and the fact that they kill hundreds of thousands of people per year to protect profit. Now how can I get to the point where I could be saying that on the world stage, and interrupt the lies that CBS, CNN, NBC, and everyone is saying? In my view, that [would be] by keeping the cover. Not because I think by looking at the cover you get all of this message that I'm telling you, but as a way to have a platform to interrupt the stream of lies that are being told right now.[3]

Trivia

Boots Riley wrote the song "Wear Clean Draws" for his daughter.

The song "Pork and Beef" is featured in the 2007 comedy Superbad.

The song "Ride the Fence" is featured on the video game Skate.

Track listing

  1. "Everythang"
  2. "5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O."
  3. "Wear Clean Draws" (featuring Martin Luther)
  4. "Ghetto Manifesto"
  5. "Get Up" (featuring Dead Prez)
  6. "Tight"
  7. "Ride The Fence"
  8. "Nowalaters" (featuring Kween)
  9. "Pork and Beef"
  10. "Heven Tonite" (featuring Kween)
  11. "Thought About It 2"
  12. "Lazymuthafucka"

References


 
 
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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Party Music" Read more

 

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