Review Summary: Miclub shows Canibus at his all time best lyrically, while the beats are fresher than ever before.
C True Hollywood Stories was nothing short of embarrassing. Not only were the beats awful, but the lyrics were uninspired and Bis’s flow was a fluid flowing down the drain. All this and the fact that the album had started a feud with famous rapper Eminem, who would annihilate him while rapping over the beat for “Children’s Story”, made Canibus the underground laughing stock. Canibus wouldn’t allow himself to be commercially ignored and laughed at by hip hop fans though, so he started preparing a new album to allow fans to realize that he is back on his peak game.
Miclub - The Curriculum is that album, and the combined new effort from Canibus and his army of new producer allowed the album to be the rappers best album at that time.
The problem with old Canibus albums is the absolutely terrible production and mediocre pick of beats.
Miclub – the Curriculum, however, is truly something new for the rapper, it’s an album with mediocre production, but an excellent selection of beats. I mean, the production on the album is far from bad, it’s the best Canibus has ever been given, but compared to the glossy, detailed focus on mainstream hip hop albums, the production just falters behind. The production perfectly fits golden age-style samples, and ultimately this is what Canibus truly flows over comfortably, so while it’s far from perfect, it definitely fits what Canibus is going for. The beats on this record overall, excellent. The best beats are the ones that Canibus truly gets his lyrical assault armed, whether it be the hypnotic piano rhythm “Behind Enemy Rhymes”, the foresty violin madness “Bis vs. Rip”, or the groovy anthem “Poet Laureate”. Each beat has its own persona, allowing Canibus to stay himself throughout the entire album, which keeps
Miclub from becoming another
C True. Not to say that all the beats are good, but none are truly stand-out bad. There are, however, some relatively average beats, like the tropical “ ‘C’ Section”, whom repeats itself too much to be truly appreciated, and while “DR. C PHD” is good for the first few seconds, the skin-rippingly fast piano riff gets excruciating by the end of the song.
Speaking of that, Canibus’ lyrics are also back in top for. Like
2000 B.C., he is completely rejuvenated in his assault, but since then he has changed a lot. During those albums he was more aimed toward battle rapping and just having weak beats reflecting. Since the beats are more focused and artsy by comparison, Canibus’ rhymes reflect that, and he ultimately sounds like a rapper who has learned something over throughout his career. He used to mention scientists out of the blue, but now he mentions more musicians, poets, and more people that apply to rapping. Sure, he is more arrogant than ever, and for the most part he is still a battle rapper, but overall he is a much better rapper.
“Bis Vs. Rip” may sound like a cheesy attempt at Canibus trying to create an alter ego, but it ultimately an extremely well-executed track. Rip, or Rip The Jacker represents the wild and crazy side of Canibus, and while he is a bit crazy, he is the lyrical sides of the rapper (explains why he wasn’t there in
C True). Bis, or Canbis, represent the business-oriented side of Canibus, and it was the side that got Canibus into fame. Bis is much calmer in his lyrical style, and he just flows with the beat, while Rip flows over the beat with magnificence. In the track, Rip is upset with Bis, he doesn’t get near the notice that Bis does, and yet he all of the good rhyme work. Bis tries to keep Rip calmed down, but the rapper refuses and goes into an all out battle rap, and while Bis is impressed, he tries to use the situation to calm Rip down. Rip gets even madder after that though, and ultimately leaves Bis behind by running for the Jeep and going on to a hip hop career of his own. For all that its worth, “Bis Vs. Rip” is an excellent concept track, with excellent battle rhymes out the wazoo, a perfectly fitting beat, and two conflicting characters that make for an interesting story.
Miclub isn’t the perfect hip hop album, but what it is is a solid album, and among Canibus’ best albums. While it didn’t revive his commercial position (in fact, it made that even worse), it did make the underground regain interest in the rapper, in hopes for another excellent record for the rapper. Overall,
Miclub succeeds in its effort of reviving Canibus’ career, and fans couldn’t be happier.
Recommended Tracks:
“Bis Vs. Rip”
“Behind Enemy Rhymes”
“Poet Laureate”
