ALBUM REVIEW: Death of a Pop Star, by David Banner & 9th Wonder.

I've been waiting on this album for a whiiiiiile, and it's only fit for me to review it on it's official release date. Death of a Pop star was originally supposed to just be a mixtape, but with two high profile acts such as Banner and 9th I'm glad that they decided to make it an album. David Banner has always been highly underrated to me and hopefully this effort will show that southern rappers can be lyricists too. 9th Wonder on the other hand has been my favorite producer since the early 2000s.

By the way, my partner on this website Ced, (@dinkawatkins), came up with a good way to rate albums. We're going to be doing it on based off spins, 5 being classic, 4 being great, 3, being average, 2 being poor, and 1 being "Nigga I should have never reviewed this", so look out for that at the bottom, as well as in future posts. Death of a Pop star ladies and gentlemen....

1) Diamonds on My Pinky

Great way to begin the album. Banner kills it with crazy punch lines and touching on all sorts of different issues  from Obama, to slavery, to things in Mississippi...all in one verse! Ill beat to go along with it.

2) No Denying (Channel 4)

"The richer you get the more you stray away from God, the poorer you are the more you steal cuz it's hard." Enough said. Good, but not great production from 9th.

3) Mas 4

Crazy beat from 9th, I could see a lot of different rappers hopping on this one. Light one minute rant from Banner, a few hot one lines, but nothing too impressive or worth noting.

4) The Light

Banner touches more on issues in the hood and all through society. He makes GREAT points on how a lot of black people lost focus after Obama was elected and simply thought that everything was going to fix itself after that. I like the concept that listening to conscious music can lead listeners to "The Light" and show what's REALLY going on in the world. 9th KILLS this beat.

5) Slow Down (Feat. Heather Victoria)

The first single. Heard this song for the first time about a year ago and I've been playing it ever since. The beat is different than the version that was previously released as just a single, but I don't believe it takes away from the song at all.. Banner talks about how a lot of young women in society need to slow it down and live a little better, then the young lady singing explains that sometimes they don't have a choice. Kind of like a new "What Would You Do" by City High.

6) Be With You (Feat. Marsha Ambrosius & Ludacris)

The second single. Definitely one of my favorite songs receiving radio play. Marsha's one of my favorite to hear on hooks so I'm happy to see her getting some mainstream spins. Ludacris drops some ill bars on this one, showed flashes of his old self and not that "Battle of the Sexes" bullshit he's been putting out as of late. Banner doesn't disappoint of course.

7) Stutter (Feat. Anthony Hamilton)

The NC to NC connect from 9th Wonder and Anthony Hamilton. Smoooooth beat from 9th, smooooth hook from Hamilton. Banner raps about how this particular woman makes him lose his words and makes it hard for him to say things. We've all seen a woman or two like that.

8) Silly (Feat. Erykah Badu)

9th drops a rare verse as his alter ego '9thmatic', says some ill shit too. Mrs. Jay Electronica drops a ill little bridge. No stand out lines or anything....but definitely a smooth track.

9) Something is Wrong (Feat. Lisa Ivey)

Back to touching on the issues, such as homosexuality, name brands, and racism. Also talks about how it's not too late and big changes can be made around the world for the better. I don't really like the hook on this one, but you can't let that take away from the message of the song. The last verse is one of the stronger ones on the album. He raps about a convo he had with a gay man and how he became that way. Shows that you can't judge every book by it's cover because you never know what that person may have been through.

10) Strange (Feat. Big Remo)

I've fucked with this song for a minute. 9th murdered this one. Banner and Remo rap about a few different topics with the big message being that they want rappers to be known for the art that lies in their music, and not clothes, gold teeth or other materialistic things. Don't we all?

SUMMARY: 

After the long wait, I really enjoyed listening to this joint. It's a great work from start to finish, hopefully people will go out and do the right thing and purchase this one. Their goal when they first thought of this album was to show that real music still exists, and they damn sure accomplished it with this one. With every single song having a strong message and a meaning behind it, David Banner shows that southern rappers aren't all about cars, chains, hoes, etc. My only peeve with this one is how short it is (30 minutes) and how it has a lot of old, but great, material on it. Other than that minor concern, I can't complain too much about. Shout out to David Banner and North Carolina's own 9th Wonder.

BEST SONGS: Stutter, Diamonds On My Pinky, The Light.

WORST SONGS: Silly

SPINS: 4.5