No Country For Old Men?

On October 5th Xzibit released Napalm, his first album since 2006. The LP is a solid collection, featuring a laid back sound awash with West Coast swagger. The veteran rhymer returned to the formula that made him an important cog in the Loud Records wheel in the early 2000's, making Napalm a welcome addition to X's extensive catalog. It was, however, was a commercial failure, selling just over 3,000 copies in the first week of general release.

Xzibit is not alone in falling victim to the curse of a disappointing comeback. 2012 has been a year of veteran rappers returning to the mic:

Ja Rule Pain Is Love 2 3,000 sold (first week)
Prodigy H.N.I.C 3 4,000 
DMX Undisputed 17,000
Xzibit Napalm 3,000
Total: 27,000

Collectively, the four artists mentioned have sold over 50 million records over the course of their careers. If we estimate the final sales totals to be around 50,000 units, the first week sales of the new albums represent around 0.1% of the total albums the rappers have pushed in their entire careers. Part of the reason for this could be poor critical reception, as was the case with H.N.I.C 3 and Undisputed as it was generally accepted that the two rappers in question had lost a lot of ground in their separate prison bids The respective efforts of Ja Rule and Xzibit, however, were mainly seen in a positive light, resulting in mystifyingly low sales. It appears that in the extended hiatus, listeners simply forgot their former idols. There were 8 years between Ja's R.U.L.E and PIL2, while there were 6 between X's Full Circle (itself a commercial failure) and Napalm.

On the other side of the coin is Nas. The thinking man's favourite released Life is Good in July after 4 absent years, achieving 150,000 first week sales and being hailed as one of the best albums of the year by critics. This proves that there is still an appetite for old school hip hop from the late 90's golden era  (if you allow the discussed artists under those particular terms), but the numbers still reveal a worrying trend. Adding the 300,000 total sales to our 50,000 gives us a healthier looking 350,000, but putting Nas' total of 13 million units onto our 50 million hardly improves the percentages. Even the spectre of illegal downloads struggles to explain such a drastic fall. The hip hop world is in danger of losing the elder statesman that helped establish the mainstream art form.

Taking all this into account, is it any wonder that Dr Dre continually pushes back the now almost mythic Detox?

Putting those concerns aside, this week some rare good news came from the Soundscan totals. Kendrick Lamar has achieved the highest hip hop first week sales of the year with good kid, m.A.A.d city, beating off his competition with an astonishing 242,000. It is also the highest selling debut by a male artist this year. All this was attained without a smash single, instead being a response from a loyal fan base steadily attained through stellar output over the last few years and bolstered by relentless critical praise.

Dr Dre is one of the contributors on good kid. It now seems to be the veteran producer riding on the coat tails of the young gunner. Are we now seeing a power shift?

DMX - Undisputed

Few musicians have had a career trajectory quite as extreme as DMX. A string of number one albums in the late 90's (including 2 in the same year) put X at the forefront of mainstream rap, a success story that stretched into the new millennium as the gruff New Yorker amassed over 20 million in sales. In addition to musical success, the rapper also branched out into acting, taking on a variety of well received roles.
Post 2003, however, everything went wrong. Frequent, well publicised legal woes were briefly staved off with 2006's disappointing Year of the Dog... Again, but the familiar personal problems seemingly overwhelmed him as the decade came to a close. Now, fresh from his latest stint in prison, DMX is at risk of being forgotten by the rap world. 6 years after his last album, Undisputed marks a return for one of hip hop's most perplexing, yet enduring figures.

Opener 'What They Don't Know' is an attempt to pick up where Year of the Dog... left off. Enlisting frequent collaborator Swizz Beatz finds the rapper in familiar guttural territory, flanked by the bombastic production Swizz is famed for. Fully embracing the 'if it 'aint broke' mantra, the track comes off sounding like a discarded effort from a previous LP. In trying to recapture the spirit of previous club bangers, however, 'I Don't Dance' is a slightly more successful effort. Obviously gunning for radio play, a surprisingly euro-pop looping beat is used to catch the ear of listeners. While some might find the syrupy backing a little offensive for an MC noted for his violent subject matter, X still manages to infuse the track with his signature menace with some darkly humorous wordplay:
"Y'all niggas whisper X is a crackhead../ Aight then, fuck it, Imma just crack heads!"
MGK is a smart guest addition, matching the veteran in the cartoonish intensity of the club friendly song.

Indeed, Undisputed is most successful when DMX brings his brash, rough edged schizophrenic flow to the fore. 'I'm Back' has infectious horns bouncing across a soulful backing, allowing X to utilise his harsh, barking delivery to its full potential. It is somewhat baffling that the track isn't used to introduce the album, both suiting the overarching theme of the LP and at the same time arguably the strongest offering to be found in the collection. In a similar vein, 'Get Your Money Up' and 'Already' effectively showcase the talents of a man who has been away from the spotlight for too long.

Trash talking and violence are not the only topics on X's mind, however. A large part of the album is devoted to introspection and recrimination over his criminal past. 'I Get Scared' finds the MC exploring a softer side to his public persona, even singing over the chorus while being assisted capably by Adreena Mills. 'Slippin Again' borrows a title from one of his classic tracks, and again features more singing. While this marks a surprising departure from what fans may be used to, the transition is a triumph, especially when combined with thoughtful, attention grabbing lines:
"You think having money is the answer?/ Money aint nothing but another form of cancer."

There are, however, a number of weak moments spread out through the album. The deeply misogynistic 'Sucka For Love' is unpleasant hip hop buffoonery of the highest order, the title misleading in the extreme as X describes his disgust for women who sleep around (presumably it is still perfectly alright for him to do the same). Some tracks, while much less offensive, struggle with either weak production or poor lyrics. While a loose, halting style has always been a hallmark of his flow, at times on the album the rapper seems to have lost confidence in his own ability. Certain songs simply become tiresome, 'Cold World', 'Have You Eva' and 'I Got Your Back' being particularly guilty of this trait.
As described earlier, some simple editing may have made Undisputed a more cohesive listen. Soulful, heartfelt tracks are followed by rambunctious, braggadocios efforts, the album then immediately switching back to another softer side of the rapper. Grouping the different tones together could have made an already confusing character that little bit easier to understand.

Track by Track:

1. Look Without Seein’ (Intro)
2. What They Don't Know (6/10)
3. Cold World (6/10)
4. I Don't Dance (7/10)
5. Sucka For Love (3/10)
6. I Get Scared (7/10)
7. Slippin' Again (8/10)
8. Prayer (Skit) 
9. I'm Back (8/10)
10. Have You Eva (6/10)
11. Get Your Money Up (7/10)
12. Head Up (6/10)
13. Frankenstein (6/10)
14. Ya'll Don't Really Know (7/10)
15. I Got Your Back (5/10)
16. No Love (6/10)
17. Already (7/10)

The Verdict:

The majority of Undisputed showcases an artist that is past his captivating best. While it is to be applauded that a seemingly more mature and focused rapper has returned to the mic, the album struggles at times to remind listeners why the world once fell in love with the Yonkers born MC. A welcome return, then, but one that needs to be built upon if DMX is to retain his spot at the hip hop table.

6/10