Dopestylevsky

Last updated

Dopestylevsky
Eprhyme dope.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 26, 2011 (2011-04-26)
Recorded Brooklyn, New York
Olympia, Washington
Phoenix, Arizona
Genre Alternative hip hop
Length41:36
Label K
Producer Smoke M2D6
Eprhyme albums chronology
Waywordwonderwill
(2009)
Dopestylevsky
(2011)
Lost Tapes and Found Sounds: 2006-2012
(2013)
Singles from Dopestylevsky
  1. "Life Sentence"
    Released: November 7, 2011

Dopestylevsky is the second studio album by Jewish rapper Eprhyme, released on April 26, 2011 by K Records. It is the label's first hip-hop album in a decade, as K Records is typically known for punk and indie rock. A video for the album's lead single, "Life Sentence", was funded by Kickstarter and released on November 7, 2011. [1]

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Tiny Mix Tapes TMT full.svgTMT full.svgTMT full.svgTMT empty.svgTMT empty.svg [3]
Skyscraper positive [4]
The Forward positive [5]

Dopestylevsky received largely positive reviews. Jessica Monk of Tiny Mix Tapes called it "a solid album of consciousness-raising Jewish hip-hop, [although] not an exercise in genre-bending...we can believe the hype, and take it that this well-heeled genre has finally arrived chez K." [3] John Book of Skyscraper magazine said, "Eprhyme is a nice breath of clarity that isn’t the exception to any specific rule, just hip-hop music at its best." [4] Jay Michaelson of The Forward described it as "a more polished and more professional record" than his debut album, containing "less novelty, less preaching, but perhaps more potential to reach a wider audience with a Jewish flavor of hip-hop and rap." [5]

In a negative review, Mike Schiller of PopMatters wrote, "Eprhyme demonstrates an impressive grasp of rhythm and rhyme, but his words are mere sounds that give us something to hold onto; they’re not meaningful, they’re not really about anything, they’re just there...Dopestylevsky is a perfectly pleasant hip-hop album that won’t get on anyone’s nerves [but not] the transcendental experience its author promises, nor does it even begin to live up to the literary figure referenced by its title." [2]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Grind Thoroughly"3:25
2."Life Sentence"4:03
3."Poppasong" (featuring Brad B and Foundation)4:00
4."Blow Up the Block" (featuring DeScribe and Y-Love; prod. Electro Morocco)4:04
5."Elements of Style" (featuring Labtekwon)2:56
6."Smoke Break"2:31
7."Let's Build" (featuring Compost)3:32
8."Notes from the Underground"4:22
9."Lose Your Cool" (featuring AKA)4:21
10."Divine by Design" (featuring Saints of Everyday Failures)3:33
11."Better in the Dark" (featuring Darshan)4:24
Total length:41:36

Personnel

References

  1. Chernikoff, Helen (August 23, 2011). "Kickstarting Jewish Culture?". The Jewish Week . Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Schiller, Mike (August 10, 2011). "Eprhyme: Dopestylevsky". PopMatters . Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Monk, Jessica. "Eprhyme - Dopestylevsky". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Book, John (June 27, 2011). "Eprhyme - Dopestylevsky". Skyscraper . Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Michaelson, Jay (May 2, 2011). "Monday Music: Prime Time for Eprhyme". The Forward . Retrieved September 1, 2015.