''Half a Klip'' is an
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
by American rapper
Kool G Rap
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and a ...
, released on February 5, 2008 by
Chinga Chang, Latchey and
Koch Records
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...
. It was the first new solo release from Kool G Rap in six years, and its producers included
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop du ...
,
Marley Marl
Marlon Williams (born September 30, 1962), better known by his stage name Marley Marl, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and record label founder, primarily operating in hip hop music. Marlon grew up in Queensbridge housing projects ...
,
Domingo
Domingo may refer to:
People
* Domingo (name), a Spanish name and list of people with that name
* Domingo (producer) (born 1970), American hip-hop producer
* Saint Dominic (1170–1221), Castilian Catholic priest, founder of the Friars popularly ...
, and Marks. KL of
Screwball
A screwball is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action. The pitch is sometimes known ...
, D-Roc and
Haylie Duff
Haylie Katherine Duff (born February 19, 1985) is an American actress, singer and songwriter, and the older sister of American singer and actress Hilary Duff. She is best known for her roles as Sandy Jameson in the television series '' 7th Heave ...
appeared as a guest vocalists.
Background
''Half a Klip'' was Kool G Rap's first solo release since 2002's ''
The Giancana Story'' and features nine original songs and two bonus tracks, showcasing the veteran rapper maintaining his gritty storytelling style while experimenting with a more contemporary sound. The album was initially set to be released in March 2007 and then was pushed back to September 25, 2007 before finally coming out on February 5, 2008.
The song "What's More Realer Than That" came out as a street single in February 2007.
Kool G Rap: Klip Half Full, Not Half Empty
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Reception
''Half a Klip'' received mostly mixed reviews from music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. Greg Watkins from AllHipHop
AllHipHop is a hip hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998.
History
The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artists on ...
gave the album 3½ out of five, saying "The nine tracks probably are not enough to support ool G Rap'sclaim of being underrated; especially since some of them only run for about two minutes. However, they do keep you thirsting for more which is probably what G Rap was hoping to do with this one". HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
's J-23 gave the album three out of five and said "The appropriately-titled ''Half a Klip'' may only be 9 tracks deep, but it brings the Kool Genius of Rap back where he needs to be. With production from former Juice Crew
The Juice Crew was an American hip hop collective made up largely of Queensbridge, New York-based artists in the mid-to-late 1980s. Founded by radio DJ Mr. Magic, and housed by Tyrone Williams' record label Cold Chillin' Records, the Juice Cre ...
captain Marley Marl
Marlon Williams (born September 30, 1962), better known by his stage name Marley Marl, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and record label founder, primarily operating in hip hop music. Marlon grew up in Queensbridge housing projects ...
, DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop du ...
, Domingo
Domingo may refer to:
People
* Domingo (name), a Spanish name and list of people with that name
* Domingo (producer) (born 1970), American hip-hop producer
* Saint Dominic (1170–1221), Castilian Catholic priest, founder of the Friars popularly ...
and Moss, the Queens legend is backed by the right kind of producers. The only glaring weak spot on the album is "Turn It Out," a track that is just as cheesy as its horribly cliché hook; "riding to the club, candy coated on the dubs." That doesn't mean ''Half A Klip'' is flawless otherwise, other than on the original version of "100 Rounds" (from Domingo's ''The Most Underrated''), and "With a Bullet" do you really get the G Rap of old; spitting breathless flames at a rapid pace".
Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters gave ''Half a Klip'' a score of five out of ten and noted " ool G Rap'srhymes are still gritty, grimy, and gory, and his flow is still intricately smooth, but the project as a whole travels lighter than you’ll want from an artist of his caliber". The Smoking Section scored the album 2½ out of five, commenting "While Kool G Rap has the resiliency of a war-tested veteran, ''Half a Klip'' is not his best work".
Track listing
References
External links
*
Half A Klip
' at Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...
{{Authority control
2008 albums
Kool G Rap albums
East Coast hip hop albums
Hardcore hip hop albums
Albums produced by MoSS
Albums produced by DJ Premier
Albums produced by Marley Marl
Albums produced by Domingo (producer)
Albums produced by Frank Dukes