Dopestylevsky is the second studio album by Jewish rapper Eprhyme, released on April 26, 2011 by K Records. It is the label's first hip-hop album in a decade, as K Records is typically known for punk and indie rock. A video for the album's lead single, "Life Sentence", was funded by Kickstarter and released on November 7, 2011.[1]
| Dopestylevsky | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 26, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | Brooklyn, New York Olympia, Washington Phoenix, Arizona | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop | |||
| Length | 41:36 | |||
| Label | K | |||
| Producer | Smoke M2D6 | |||
| Eprhyme albums chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Dopestylevsky | ||||
| ||||
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| PopMatters |   [2] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes |   [3] |
| Skyscraper | positive[4] |
| The Forward | positive[5] |
Dopestylevsky received largely positive reviews. Jessica Monk of Tiny Mix Tapes called it "a solid album of consciousness-raising Jewish hip-hop, [although] not an exercise in genre-bending...we can believe the hype, and take it that this well-heeled genre has finally arrived chez K."[3] John Book of Skyscraper magazine said, "Eprhyme is a nice breath of clarity that isn’t the exception to any specific rule, just hip-hop music at its best."[4] Jay Michaelson of The Forward described it as "a more polished and more professional record" than his debut album, containing "less novelty, less preaching, but perhaps more potential to reach a wider audience with a Jewish flavor of hip-hop and rap."[5]
In a negative review, Mike Schiller of PopMatters wrote, "Eprhyme demonstrates an impressive grasp of rhythm and rhyme, but his words are mere sounds that give us something to hold onto; they’re not meaningful, they’re not really about anything, they’re just there...Dopestylevsky is a perfectly pleasant hip-hop album that won’t get on anyone’s nerves [but not] the transcendental experience its author promises, nor does it even begin to live up to the literary figure referenced by its title."[2]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Grind Thoroughly" | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Life Sentence" | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Poppasong" (featuring Brad B and Foundation) | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Blow Up the Block" (featuring DeScribe and Y-Love; prod. Electro Morocco) | 4:04 |
| 5. | "Elements of Style" (featuring Labtekwon) | 2:56 |
| 6. | "Smoke Break" | 2:31 |
| 7. | "Let's Build" (featuring Compost) | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Notes from the Underground" | 4:22 |
| 9. | "Lose Your Cool" (featuring AKA) | 4:21 |
| 10. | "Divine by Design" (featuring Saints of Everyday Failures) | 3:33 |
| 11. | "Better in the Dark" (featuring Darshan) | 4:24 |
| Total length: | 41:36 | |
- "Blow Up the Block" was previously released in single form by Shemspeed as "Boom Selecta", with an extra verse by Kosha Dillz.
Personnel
edit
|
|
References
edit- ↑ Chernikoff, Helen (August 23, 2011). "Kickstarting Jewish Culture?". The Jewish Week. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- 1 2 Schiller, Mike (August 10, 2011). "Eprhyme: Dopestylevsky". PopMatters. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- 1 2 Monk, Jessica. "Eprhyme - Dopestylevsky". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- 1 2 Book, John (June 27, 2011). "Eprhyme - Dopestylevsky". Skyscraper. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- 1 2 Michaelson, Jay (May 2, 2011). "Monday Music: Prime Time for Eprhyme". The Forward. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
External links
edit- Dopestylevsky - Eprhyme at AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2015.