Montezuma's Revenge (album)

Last updated
Montezuma's Revenge
Monetzuma's revenge album cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 1, 2009
Recorded2008–2009
Genre Alternative hip hop
Length54:11
Label Clear Label Records
Producer
Souls of Mischief chronology
Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution
(2000)
Montezuma's Revenge
(2009)
There Is Only Now
(2014)
Singles from Montezuma's Revenge
  1. "Tour Stories"
    Released: January 6, 2009
  2. "Proper Aim"
    Released: November 26, 2009

Montezuma's Revenge is the fifth studio album by the Oakland hip hop group Souls of Mischief. It was released on December 1, 2009, by Clear Label Records. After a nine-year period dedicated to touring and working on other projects, both solo and as part of Hieroglyphics, Montezuma's Revenge marked Souls of Mischief's return as a group. Souls of Mischief worked for six weeks with the producer Prince Paul at a remote house, where they could focus on recording the album.

Contents

Montezuma's Revenge peaked at number 93 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album received positive reviews from music critics upon its release. Most of them commended Prince Paul's production, but some had mixed feelings about the group's unchanged style, believing that the group should have experimented more with it.

Background

Since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album 93 'til Infinity (1993), Souls of Mischief's albums struggled to achieve mainstream success. After the release of Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution (2000) the group focused on touring and working on Hieroglyphics' albums, along with their own solo albums. Montezuma's Revenge was the group's first album in nearly a decade. [1]

Recording

Souls of Mischief invited producer Prince Paul, known for his work with Stetsasonic, De La Soul, and Gravediggaz, to work on Montezuma's Revenge. [1] According to the producer, he knew the group since Jive signed them in the early 1990s, and decided to work on Montezuma's Revenge to create an album that should have followed their debut album. [2]

To work on the album the group and Prince Paul moved to a house "in the middle of the wilderness", with no connection to the outside world and with only studio equipment. They spent six weeks there, working on the album. The album was named after Montezuma Road where the house was located. Before starting his work on the album Prince Paul gave the group a deadline: if he was not satisfied with the result after two weeks he would drop the project. The deadline motivated the group. [1] In a 2011 interview with Complex magazine Prince Paul admitted he is still not fully satisfied with the end result, but thinks the album is pretty good. [2]

Release

Montezuma's Revenge was released on December 1, 2009, by Clear Label Records, [3] an imprint operated by the group's member Tajai. [4] The album was supported by two singles: "Tour Stories", released as Tour Stories EP on January 6, 2009, [5] and "Proper Aim", released on November 26, 2009. [6] A music video for "Proper Aim" was released, which showed the artist Steven Lopez creating the album's cover art. [7] Montezuma's Revenge peaked at number 93 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [8]

In 2010, the group released a box set version of Montezuma's Revenge, in collaboration with the clothing company Carhartt. The box set was limited to 250 copies, and included the album and a Souls of Mischief T-shirt. The group promoted the box set with a series of live shows. [9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]
HipHopDX Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]
PopMatters 7/10 [3]
RapReviews9/10 [12]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [13]
Spin 7/10 [14]

Montezuma's Revenge was met with generally positive reviews, with most music critics praising Prince Paul's production but highlighting the group's lack of originality. Clayton Purdom of AllMusic called it "the opposite of a comeback – a stay-put, maybe, right back in the halcyon '90s", noting that neither Souls of Mischief nor Prince Paul changed since then, which makes Montezuma's Revenge look like a cash grab. [10] Adam Kennedy of BBC Music commended the album, but also criticized the lack of originality. The reviewer believed that while rappers display their skills on the album, Prince Paul's production often outshines them. [15] HipHopDX 's Luke Gibson wrote that Montezuma's Revenge "rightfully stands beside [the group's] first two releases", as Souls of Mischief stay true to their audience and themselves. [11] Andrew Martin, writing for PopMatters , called the album "a slightly bloated, though almost-great record", listing occasional weak rhymes and hooks as its downsides. [3] Steve Juon of RapReviews praised the album, writing that Montezuma's Revenge "has the makings of a brand new classic". [12]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro" (feat. Del the Funky Homosapien (uncredited)) Prince Paul 2:07
2."Won1"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Huston
  • Massey
Prince Paul3:54
3."Postal"
  • Carter
  • Lindsey
  • Massey
Opio 4:57
4."Tour Stories"
Domino 4:23
5."Skit" Prince Paul0:28
6."Proper Aim"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Huston
  • Massey
Prince Paul3:44
7."You Got It"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Massey
A-Plus 3:45
8."Hiero HQ" (feat. Del the Funky Homosapien (uncredited))
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Siguenza
  • Lindsey
  • Massey
  • Jones
Domino3:30
9."Poets Skit" Prince Paul0:25
10."Poets"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Huston
  • Massey
Prince Paul3:47
11."Mr. Freeman Skit"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Huston
  • Massey
  • Opio
  • Prince Paul
1:32
12."Fourmation"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Huston
  • Massey
Prince Paul2:37
13."Dead Man Walkin'"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Siguenza
  • Lindsey
  • Massey
Domino2:55
14."For Real Y'All"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Massey
Opio3:00
15."Lickity Split"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Huston
  • Massey
Prince Paul3:26
16."Home Game"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Huston
  • Massey
Prince Paul4:33
17."Outro" (feat. Del the Funky Homosapien (uncredited))
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Huston
  • Massey
  • Jones
Prince Paul2:11
18."Lalala"
  • Carter
  • Thompson
  • Lindsey
  • Huston
  • Massey
Prince Paul2:57
Total length:54:11

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [16]

Charts

Chart (2009)Peak
position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [8] 93

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Paul (producer)</span> American record producer and DJ

Paul Edward Huston, better known by his stage name Prince Paul, is an American record producer, disc jockey and recording artist from Amityville, New York. Paul began his career as a DJ for Stetsasonic. He has worked on albums by Boogie Down Productions, Gravediggaz, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane and 3rd Bass, among others. Major recognition for Prince Paul came when he produced De La Soul's debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), in which he pioneered new approaches to hip hop production, mixing and sampling, notably by including comedy sketches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Souls of Mischief</span> American hip hop group

Souls of Mischief is a hip hop group from Oakland, California, that is also part of the hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. The Souls of Mischief formed in 1991 and is composed of rappers A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Muggs</span> American hip hop producer (born 1968)

Lawrence Muggerud professionally known by his stage name DJ Muggs, is an American DJ, audio engineer and record producer. He has been a member of Cypress Hill, a member of the trip hop band Cross My Heart Hope To Die and the leader of hip hop and art collective Soul Assassins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hieroglyphics (group)</span> American hip hop collective

Hieroglyphics, also known as the Hieroglyphics Crew and Hiero, is an American underground hip hop collective based in Oakland, California. It was founded in the early 1990s by rapper Del the Funky Homosapien. The collective is currently composed of rappers Del the Funky Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, producer/manager Domino, DJ Toure, and the four individual members of the rap group Souls of Mischief: Phesto, A-Plus, Opio, and Tajai.

<i>93 til Infinity</i> 1993 studio album by Souls of Mischief

93 'til Infinity is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group Souls of Mischief. It was released on September 28, 1993, on the Jive label.

<i>No Mans Land</i> (Souls of Mischief album) 1995 studio album by Souls of Mischief

No Man's Land is the second album by the Hieroglyphics sub-group Souls of Mischief, released in 1995. It was their final release under Jive Records. The first single was "Rock It Like That".

La Coka Nostra is an American hip hop supergroup currently composed that of Danny Boy, Slaine, DJ Lethal, and Ill Bill. In 2004, its creation started when Danny Boy brought two young artists, Slaine and Big Left, to meet Dj Lethal his DJ from his former group House of Pain. They decided to make a group, whose name came about when O'Connor teased other members with that nickname after they had a night out. They started releasing music on MySpace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phesto</span> American rapper

Damani Thompson, known by the stage names, Phesto and Phesto Dee, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief, and, with the Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-Plus (rapper)</span> American rapper and producer (born 1975)

Adam Carter, known by the stage name, A-Plus, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective, the Hieroglyphics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tajai</span> American rapper

Tajai Massey, known by the stage name Tajai, is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the four founding members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Mischief, a part of the eight-person, alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. He is also one half of the hip hop duo Rap Noir.

<i>UGK 4 Life</i> 2009 studio album by UGK

UGK 4 Life is the sixth and final studio album by American hip hop duo UGK. It was released on March 31, 2009, by Jive Records. Recording sessions took place at Mad Studios in Houston, Swagger Studios in Los Angeles, Trill Cave Studios in Port Arthur, Maximedia Studios in Dallas, Chung King Studios and Legacy Recording Studios in New York, and Silent Sound Recording Studios in Atlanta. Production was handled by Cory Mo, Pimp C, Steve Below, Averexx, DJ B-Do, Mannie Fresh and Akon, with Mike Dean and Giorgio Tuinfort serving as co-producers. It features guest appearances from 8Ball & MJG, Akon, Big Gipp, B-Legit, E-40, Lil' Boosie, Raheem DeVaughn, Ronald Isley, Sleepy Brown, Snoop Dogg, Too $hort and Webbie.

<i>Wu-Tang Chamber Music</i> 2009 compilation album by Wu-Tang Clan

Wu-Tang Chamber Music is a compilation album endorsed by Wu-Tang Clan, which was released through E1 Music/Universal Records on June 30, 2009. The album features performances by several Wu-Tang members and affiliates. The album was released to positive reviews from music critics. This album was followed up with the 2011 compilation album Legendary Weapons.

<i>Airtights Revenge</i> 2010 album by Bilal

Airtight's Revenge is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bilal. It was released on September 6, 2010, by the independent record label Plug Research, his first album for the label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casual (rapper)</span> American rapper

Jonathan Owens, known by his stage name Casual, is an American rapper, producer, and one of the founding members of the alternative hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. He also reads and has been studying Egyptian Hieroglyphics for many years, makes videos on the subject on his YouTube channel Smash Rockwell as well writing about it on his blog rap god. As a rapper Casual initially became known for his freestyle battle rhymes in the Bay Area hip hop scene and later developing into a solo artist. He is known for diverse lyrics, a complex multisyllabic East Coast influenced flow but with a distinctive Oakland accent. Casual's debut album Fear Itself released on Jive records in 1994 when he was 17 years old garnered both critical and commercial success. Along with Del tha Funkee Homosapien Casual went on to become one of the most prominent and recognizable faces of the Hieroglyphics crew, releasing three albums all on the Hieroglyphics crew's own label, Hiero Imperium. He has released thirteen solo albums as of 2023.

This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ab-Soul</span> American rapper

Herbert Anthony Stevens IV, better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, is an American rapper. Raised in Carson, California, he signed to indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2007, where he eventually formed West Coast hip hop group Black Hippy, alongside fellow California-based rappers Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. He is perhaps most known for his introspective lyrics and his five independent albums under TDE, Longterm Mentality, Control System, These Days..., Do What Thou Wilt., and Herbert, which were all released to positive reviews and commercial success.

<i>The Kitchen</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Hieroglyphics

The Kitchen is the third studio album by American hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. It was released by Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings on July 16, 2013. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, as well as number 45 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

<i>Animal Serum</i> 2014 studio album by Prince Po and Oh No

Animal Serum is the first collaborative album by hip hop artists Prince Po and Oh No. It was released on February 4, 2014, by Wandering Worx and Green Streets Entertainment. The work on Animal Serum started in 2007, with a few songs recorded as an experiment, before it turned into a full-length album. The album took several years to finish due to Oh No's involvement in other projects. Animal Serum received mostly positive reviews from music critics, but some of them found Oh No's production to be monotonous.

<i>Time? Astonishing!</i> 2015 studio album by LOrange and Kool Keith

Time? Astonishing! is a collaborative studio album by American record producer L'Orange and American rapper Kool Keith. It was released via Mello Music Group on July 24, 2015. It features guest appearances from J-Live, Mr. Lif, Open Mike Eagle, Blu, Montage One, DJ Trackstar, MC Paul Barman, and MindsOne.

<i>Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation</i> 2018 studio album by Dr. Octagon

Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation is the fifteenth solo studio album by American recording artist Kool Keith, who released the album under the alias Dr. Octagon. It was released on April 6, 2018 via Bulk Recordings. The set was produced by Dan "The Automator" Nakamura and featured the work of turntablist DJ Qbert.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dwyer, Alex (17 December 2009). "Souls Of Mischief: Escapism". HipHopDX . Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 Cho, Jaeki. "Prince Paul Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records (Part 2)". Complex . Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Martin, Andrew (24 January 2010). "Souls of Mischief: Montezuma's Revenge". PopMatters . Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  4. Mccormick, Moira (8 August 2008). "Getting a read on Hieroglyphics' creativity, caravan". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  5. "Tour Stories - EP by Souls of Mischief". Apple Music . 6 January 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  6. "MP3: Souls Of Mischief - "Proper Aim" (Produced by Prince Paul) NON-PROMO Version". Audible Treats. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  7. "Video: Souls Of Mischief - "Proper Aim" / Album Release Today". Audible Treats. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Souls of Mischief – Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  9. "Win a copy of Souls of Mischief's Montezuma's Revenge box set". Fact . 11 March 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  10. 1 2 Purdom, Clayton. Montezuma's Revenge at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  11. 1 2 Gibson, Luke (1 December 2009). "Souls Of Mischief - Montezuma's Revenge". HipHopDX . Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  12. 1 2 Juon, Steve. "Feature for November 10, 2009 - Souls of Mischief's "Montezuma's Revenge"". RapReviews. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  13. Christgau, Robert. "Souls of Mischief reviews" . Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  14. Reeves, Mosi. "Review: Souls of Mischief, 'Montezuma's Revenge'". Spin . Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  15. Kennedy, Adam. "Review of Souls of Mischief - Montezuma's Revenge". BBC Music . Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  16. Souls of Mischief (2009). Montezuma's Revenge (liner notes). Clear Label Records. CL1033.