Albums That Deserve Another Chance: DJ Khaled “Listenn….The Album”

When you think of "super-annoying guy who never does anything other than yell on tracks but somehow finds his way into getting the hottest names in rap on his album," we all know who the first guy that pops up in your heads is. (You in the back row...nope, it's not Lil' Jon. He actually produces). That man is none other than Mr. We the Best himself, DJ Khaled. However, it is very important to understand that before he started doing all these annoying shouts, he was actually a respectable DJ//producer who could keep his mouth shut and just let the main folk take over.

Known as the "Beat Novocaine," Khaled had already built a good reputation as a producer for Fat Joe and the rest of the Terror Squad - certainly enough buzz to launch his own compilation album. That album came around on my 19th birthday, June 6, 2006 - and was titled "Listennn...The Album". Basically, it was how a DJ album should be done.

Of course, this didn't get the mainstream attention it should have, explaining the low sales. However, at the Hype, we strive to be as neutral as possible, leading us to ask the question: Did it really deserve to be slept-on this much? (And why did he lose his drive later on?) Let's give it another chance!

#1 "Intro"
Khaled basically gives Motivational Speech #1 over his self-production, letting the crowd know that this album was a product of years of hard work. Then he goes on to basically give the names of everybody on the album (along with a 3-second snippet of their work), as well as the producers, before inviting the crowd to just "Listennn..." (Side note: Why is Nas mentioned in the intro, but didn't make the album? We were all excited). Oh well, I guess all we can do is sit back and enjoy his piecework.

#2 "Born N Raised (ft. Trick Daddy, Pitbull, & Rick Ross)"
The Runners set the tone with their sample of Trick's last verse on second-biggest hit "Take It To Da House" over their then-trademark synth-heavy beat. Trick tells of his hoodstar status in the area as only he can, and Ross co-signs at the back end. The verse which grabs the most attention, however, is Pitbull's middle one, a staunch departure from his club-oriented vibe which points out the MIA music hierarchy: "Trick, he's the mayor/Luke, he's the king/I'm Mr. 305, put that on a triple-beam." (In case you're wondering, his middle Spanish bars translate roughly to "But be careful with the jack (Tumbe) cuz they will take everything!/Call the Santeria Priest (Babalao) and ask for a cleansing!/But in the end you just can't against the wolf pack!") A fitting hometown street anthem to kick things off.

#3 "Gangsta Shit (ft. Young Jeezy, Bun B, & USDA)"
And here comes Young Jeezy and his USDA crew for this next street-banger. Jeezy's just being Jeezy on his first verse:

"Gangsta shit, duffel bag full of bricks
Add it all up save for the chips,
HOLY GUACAMOLE! that's a whole lot dip,
12 months run that's a whole lot of flips"

Slick Pulla and Blood Raw hold it down on their second verse, spitting their knowledge about the streets & their homies facing life sentences, while Bun B brings up his street cred going "from Sarasota all the way to Seattle". Top it off with DJ Nasty and LVM's sample of Jeezy's first mainstream single "Over Here" and you have yourself yet another banger for the streets. However, right about now I think it's time for a change of pace.

#4 "Grammy Family (ft. Kanye West, Consequence, & John Legend)"
GOOD Music! Finally we get a much-needed change of pace right on time, as Ye, Cons, and Legend team up to showcase their brand's elite status among the critics...While Ye displays how he lives it up, falling "in love with the same stripper that sprung T-Pain," Cons goes a full 3/4 verse rhyming the same end syllable, leading up to John Legend's smooth outro. Nonetheless, Ye shows why he's won the Best of the Mothership producer award, as with Jon Brion he assembles two strong samples of Lou Rawls' "You've Made Me So Very Happy" and Philippe Wynne's "Think Of Your Thoughts As Children" (also sampled in "All Girls Cheat" from last week's review). Without a doubt it's a strong contender for the album's best track, proving just the breath of fresh air we need.

#5 "Problem (ft. Beanie Sigel & Jadakiss)"
Once again we go to the streets...only this time it's the Northeast's turn. This time on the original street single, Beans reflects on all the problems he's dealt with, as so artfully expressed on the hook:

"Now first Pac got got
Then Big clock stop
Now something going on with the Roc
I'm hearing shit about a breakup
The shit people make up
I'm like damn, when will it stop
Jay and Dame ain't speaking
Game and 50 Cent beefing
And Cease got Lil' Kim knocked
I'm hearing all this from the jail
While I'm sitting in my cell
And I'm waiting on some mail from the prof"

Meanwhile, J-to-the-Muah spits yet another lyrically-top notch verse (listen to embrace it) right before Beans sends his shoutouts to his Philly homie Cassidy, who at the time was facing a 1st-degree murder charge (which was later reduced and the sentence basically time served). Another reason this stands out is because this is one of only three tracks where Khaled actually produces (and one of the last beats he would ever make, to be exact). Now is a good time to go to the first official single.

#6 "Holla at Me (ft. Lil Wayne, Paul Wall, Fat Joe, Rick Ross, & Pitbull)"
And here we go! The first radio single, it started the DJ's trend of cramming as many artists as possible (though Khaled just says three words here). We start off with Weezy in his "Carter 2.25" mode, on the brink of crossing over into lyrical greatness, and shouting out his infant Young Money brand for the first time on radio. Paul Wall takes over the hook and the second verse (true story: you still clearly hear "I'm the shit" on the edited version), including a shoutout to one of our "Mystery Bootys of the Week". Joey Crack appears on this first of his two tracks here (pretty sporadic for this being a Terror Squad album), where again I laughed when the radio censors missed another cuss word ("Shit I ain't even know she could twerk it like dat"). Ross' verse is strictly for placement (anybody know what "smoking on the Mentleys" means?), but Pitbull caps it off with a wilder-than-usual verse (once again, the last line translated is "Okay crazy bitch, move your hips and open your mouth-here comes the wood!" Undoubtedly, Cool & Dre's sample (one of five beats) of Afrika Bambaataa's "Looking for the Perfect Beat" remains the highlight...sorry I went so long, this just brings back so many cool memories of my early adulthood!

#7 "Addicted (ft. Juelz Santana)"
StreetRunner backs up Juelz's street single about his complete addiction to the street life. Apparently Santana started out in the drug game right around the same time he learned his multiplication tables, promising himself he would never be broke again. Basically, everything you'd expect on a solo street track from a Dipset alum.

#8 "Watch Out (ft. Akon, Styles P, Fat Joe, & Rick Ross)"
Question: What do you get when you cross Akon's hook with Cool & Dre's crime drama-themed beat? Answer: a true Miami night-cruiser anthem. Styles, Joey, & Ross each do their thing over the police sirens in the background, ready to keep their moves secret as possible. It's about time that all this crime-themed music has background which makes us retro fans truly get the feeling!

#9 "Destroy You (ft. Twista & Krayzie Bone)"
MIDWEST baby! Squashing their beef that took up most of the '90s, Chicago and Cleveland's hardcore heroes team up. Twista spits that rapid-fire flow about his veteran status, emphasizing: "The most underrated artist in this whole industry/If rappin was the NBA I'd be Michael Finley" With verses like this below, the point is made:

"Annilisms are my verbal metabolisms
Shadow's prisms and my thug mannerism's of cataclysm manor
Causin some disestablishmentarianism
I vary in wisdom, wins only cause I'm carryin ism and um
A street lyrical phantom, full of verses when I chant 'em
When this shit here hit the street it's gon' be the ghetto's anthem"

Krayzie observes that he doesn't need any guns to annihilate his foes, because his rapid-fire flow can do just as much as damage. Top that off with Cool & Dre's percussion-heavy beat and you truly have a Midwest street banger.

#10 "Never Be Nothing Like Me (ft. Lil Scrappy & Homebwoi)"
And here comes our Dirty South club banger. Scrappy spits his pimp game with his trademark Dirty South drawl. Homebwoi's last verse is the true highlight, with a unique delivery while warning his foes not to mess with him: "C'mon, once I step outside of my zone, Bullets fly jus like that 'Star Wars: Attack of the Clones'" (name-dropping one of the prequels might not make your best case, but that's beside my point). Mr. ColliPark brings the minimal instrumental to cap off this guilty pleasure (yes Virginia, there was a ColliPark before Soulja Boy).

#11 "Candy Paint (ft. Slim Thug, Trina, & Chamillionaire)"
Besides their rapid explosion onto the hip-hop scene in the mid-2000s, one other thing Houston and Miami have in common is their passion for tricking out their old-school cars. Slim Thug shares in that passion, driving "from (the) freeway to the Presidential Suite" on his 24-inch rims. Trina handles the middle verse (BTW, of the 30 million collaborators, she's the only woman! Can you believe that?) talking about her past street cred in the city, giving props to her parents for setting her up to take over the game. Chamillionaire brings the most creativity though, talking about how his tires "don't fit like OJ Simpson's glove" and even giving a memorable bar for the Latino community ("I made straight A's in Spanish, Khaled, they must have forgot though (How many cars, Koopa?) Uno, dos, tres, cuatro"). Over Cool & Dre's banging beat, this is truly a dunk-banger if I ever heard one.

#12 "MIA (ft. Lil Wayne)"
Weezy gives us the summary of his days in Miami ever since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, and trust him when he says it's every bit the paradise we think (though in a different way). Over Develop's beat, this is where we find Weezy once again in his Carter 2.25 mode...about ready to take his throne as the hottest rapper out there.

#13 "Where You At (ft. Freeway & Clipse)"
We find Freeway between his "Philadelphia Freeway" youth and his "Free at Last" maturity, shouting out all sides of America's hustle. Meanwhile, Pusha & Malice reassure their fans (who at the time were still backing them in their mission to get off Jive) that they're still hungry as ever despite their platinum status (wish we could say the same for Khaled). Apparently, this is the last beat Khaled ever did, as he decided yelling cliched stuff on his next few sets was more lucrative.

#14 "Still Fly (ft. Birdman & Magnolia Chop)"
No, this isn't a rehash of the Big Tymers' mainstream '02 hit of the same name (if you want that, listen to "We Getting It On" from Birdman's '05 album "Fast Money"). Birdman goes over his entire history and his evolution from #1 Stunna to 5-star general...even recognizing how Lil' Derrick (RIP) and B.G. were huge parts of Cash Money's legacy (this says a lot because B.G. was beefing with CMR at the time). The Nate Dogg of New Orleans, Magnolia Chop once again delivers strongly with the hook, while T-Mix brings the slow-riding beat. Sad to say we won't be hearing any more like this anytime soon, as both have stopped working with him. Why? The same reason everybody else left Cash Money...

#15 "Dip Slide Ride Out (ft. T.I., Big Kuntry King, & Young Dro)"
It's Grand Hustle's turn to shine. Tip talks about his woman riding shotgun in his car with the ammunition in the trunk (which he's abandoned for obvious reasons). Kuntry and Dro each bring that typical Grand Hustle slick-talk, with Keith Mack and Nick Fury bringing smooth street beat which is ideal for cruising out. So with that, we got basically every major label at the time (except G-Unit, obviously) collaborating on this album.

#16 "Movement (ft. Dre)"
The stand-out half of Cool & Dre shines here, warning the rap game that his Epidemic would be hitting hard very soon. A true trunk-banger as he and Cool are used to doing...sadly it turns out that that Epidemic would never truly come, as both his album and his label are now dead in the water.

#17 "The Future of Dade (ft. Brisco, Dirty Red, Dela, Lunch Money, Co, Hennessy, & P.M.)"
Over J. Venom's beat, this was supposed to be what launched all of them into the mainstream. While it certainly bangs in its own right, remember this was released almost five years ago. Besides Brisco (and maybe Lunch Money), have you still heard a thing from them? Didn't think so...a more accurate one would have featured the likes of Ace Hood, Billy Blue, and Flo Rida (yes, he was a street name back then).

FINAL SCORE: Everything a DJ album is supposed to be, with the DJ doing minimal vocals and his vast clientele speaking for itself. Unfortunately, it seems the future moves Khaled's made have all but abandoned this set, leaving it to rust. Therefore, I can only give it a 4 out of 5 - Solid.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: A better question would be "where isn't he now?" in this case. Khaled lost his hunger apparently, leading him to crank out increased annoying vocals, cliche topics, and much less variety for "We the Best," "We Global," and "Victory". Here's praying he returns to his variety roots and picks up better clientele for "We the Best Forever" (though I'm not optimistic judging from the first single)