Jean Grae Review

Jean Grae
The Evil Jeanius
Babygrande Records


New York emcee Jean Grae has once again, silently but surely, slipped an amazing LP into the hands of the consumer. Said LP, titled The Evil Jeanius, is a collaboration with all production done by Blue Sky Black Death; similar to Jean's other release Jeanius with 9th Wonder on the production. In fact, the way the album is presented, it might be more fair to call it a Blue Sky Black Death album with Jean Grae on the vocals. Either way, it is a very interesting hip-hop album.

First off, to those who think women can't rap, or it might not sound as good, I say, fuck that, listen to old Queen Latifah. But if that's not hard enough for you, then I say, Jean Grae. This New Yorker can truly crush a beat, with verses as complex as any of the best males in the game. "There's no back up, nigga, this is the last plan. Stalkin' a tunnel like a cat scan...I'll jack a fuckin' beat from your motha', I trust none of ya'." This is how Grae opens the album up on "Shadows Forever." Hard. Real. Quick. Vulgar, but not too vulgar. She brings it, and isn't afraid to tone down lyrics by any standards, which I really like about this album. Because there is opposites. "Away With Me" is a love song, where Grae's lyrics is up there with Common's on Dilla's "So Far To Go." Meaning, there is real feeling there, and you forget that she was cussing over a hard beat only a few songs before. "Nobody'll Do It For You" shows Grae's poppy side, with rhymes that snap right along to the upbeat production. Vocally, this is the most impressive part of the album. Grae molds her vocal talent to whatever the song calls for, creating an incredibly diverse hip-hop that anyone can find something interesting in. Which brings me to the production.

While on the topic of vocal diversity, let's talk about the diversity in the production. One of the better produced albums I have heard in a while, Blue Sky Black Death covers most the bases of modern popular hip-hop. You would think DJ Premier did "Ahead of the Game," Blockhead on "Strikes," and Kanye West doing "Threats." Songs that follow each other immediately. Yet there is no confusion, no questioning, nothing but fluidity and awe. Blue Sky Black Death mix all the great things from production into one album. Their field is a large one, with everything from samples and scratches, to electronic bass bangers. The closing track, "It's Still a Love Song," even follows the greatest things about Wayne's "Let the Beat Build" and UGK's "International Player's Anthem..." a seemingly soft love number, and then BAM, the beat drops hard, one of the more fun things in hop-ballads of late. Grae's vocals act as a string that ties all of this production together, which seems like a dangerous game for a fragile album, but luckily for the listener, Grae brings her verses with such strength that her string becomes a chain, and the beats are welded on. This is a powerful hip-hop album, extraordinarily eclectic, and a real treat from the Jean Grae/Blue Sky Black Death collaboration. I can only hope for more.