The Doppelgangaz - Dopp Hopp Review

The long awaited fifth full studio album release from Orange County, NYC duo (well trio if you included Big Josh) The Doppelgangaz is finally here and is a great listen from start to finish.

The production as you would expect is superb and runs the gamut of a solid Hip Hop production arsenal: deep bass kicks, kicking drums (a break or two in the mix but not full break-beat loops), swirling keyboards, all kind of samples from flamenco guitar, soul etc and rumbling and smoothed out bass lines, not to mention that they get quite experimental with some of their break downs ("Bubblin" for one is a great example of this), which just shows just how devoted and serious about the craft The Doppelgangaz are.

Truth be told, I have always likened Matter OV Fact and EP to EPMD as they have that kind of chemistry and once again MOF and EP drop amusing lines about the opposite sex (“Strong Ankles”), pharmaceuticals, the cloak lifestyle ("Pride's Cloak", "If It Wasn't For The Cloak") Humourous ish (“Boston Beard”) and amusing anecdotes "Beak Wet", "Dopp Hopp" on well everything really.

The engineering on Dopp Hopp is top notch too and you can pick up little things in your headphones especially on "Future 86" that vocal distortion is ill AF.

There are a handful of tracks on Dopp Hopp that in a realistic World should be all over radio "Roll Flee ft Tnava)", "Die 4 It" (a perfect outro song for an album) and "Bubblin", E.W.W.” all sound like they were designed for cruising down the road with the system pumping loud and the windows down (12’ o’clock at night mostly ;)

In all actuality Dopp Hopp often reminds me of Masta Ace Inc's classic sophomore album Sittin' On Chrome (1995) simply because some of the production has an East meets West feel and the album is a mesh of solid boom bap tracks and smoothed out joints, Dopp Hopp is a much needed breath of fresh air from the lame, boring and dull music currently polluting the industry and the culture.

It wouldn’t come as a shock to hear some longtime fans say that they aren’t feeling this album but I for one am seeing, hearing, feeling and appreciating the Dopp progression…say yeah!

8/10 






Pick up Dopp Hopp here 

A Tribe Called Quest-We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service...

Throughout these very dark and bewildering times, we now have the sixth and final ATCQ album We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (the tile is apparently a reference to Veterans Day) in our ears to take our mind off this crazy World and I personally feel that it is better than expected and a fitting farewell to the late, great Phife with a few missteps that hinder the album somewhat.

It's an album with a smorgasbord of talented musicians and artists (Andre 3000, Jack White, Elton John, Anderson Paak and Busta Rhymes) along with a few others, the album sets off on a classic sounding Tribe vibe with "The Space Program" and hearing Tip and Phife trade verses and Jarobi going for broke was just pure enjoyment...that track along with "The Donald" (featuring a gruff sounding Busta Rhymes), "Solid Wall of Sound" (featuring Elton John) which is actually hard to describe but I personally think it works on all levels and "We The People" with it's fat and loud Black Sabbath drums, Q-Tip abusing the m.i.c. with lyrics of consciousness and truth are definite highlights.

"Whateva Will Be" again sounds like 90's Tribe but with a modern twist, "Dis Generation" (with an aggressive Busta Rhymes) could easily make radio, but radio is far more interested in playing and supporting cookie cutter trash made by ignorant idiots that have no business being in the industry and while I'm not huge on the Andre 3000 feature on  "Kids" it isn't the worst track on the album, no that honour goes to the "The Killing Season"...that one should have been left off the album.

Kanye's hook was just awful and I wasn't feeling Talib on this one, he wasn't wack I just...I don't know...it didn't move me at all.

The somber and very heartfelt and honest ode to their fallen comrade Phife can be found on "Lost Somebody" but in all honesty this track confuses me, why does it break into silence at 4:19? yes I get that it was to showcase Jack White but the chorus cuts off abruptly...and seems a bit odd.

"Ego" is another dope sure-shot as is "Moving Backwards" (with Anderson Paak) but "Conrad Tokyo" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) "Mobius  are fairly average fare.

I would say that this is overall a better album than The Love Movement and as a long time fan I am still quite impressed with this album, despite the missteps.

7/10

Edit:  The poppy "Enough" is actually a delicious slice of soulful Tip and is a complete ear worm with lush production.

ATCQ appeared on Saturday Night Live and honoured Phife with a superb performance.