Mind Blowin': Difference between revisions
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Sittin' on the rooftop [three shots are fired] <br /> |
Sittin' on the rooftop [three shots are fired] <br /> |
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and the fools drop <br /> |
and the fools drop <br /> |
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Pop goes the weasel was a |
Pop goes the weasel was a fa-flop-flop <br /> |
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The brothers didn't like your record <br /> |
The brothers didn't like your record <br /> |
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'Cuz it wasn't hip-hop, hop <br /> |
'Cuz it wasn't hip-hop, hop <br /> |
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But this ain't a dis, 'cuz you sold gold <br /> |
But this ain't a dis, 'cuz you sold gold <br /> |
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Still |
Still made a killin' <br /> |
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'Cuz it ain't even a tenth of eleven million<br /> |
'Cuz it ain't even a tenth of eleven million<br /> |
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</blockquote> |
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Revision as of 01:09, 28 February 2011
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Mind Blowin is the second studio album by American rapper Robert "Vanilla Ice" Van Winkle. Released on March 22, 1994, it is the rapper's final release on SBK Records. The album did not chart, and received unfavorable reviews. It has since received cult status in the underground hip hop community. Songs from the album made up one third of Vanilla Ice's tours during 1996-2010.
Ice Capades
In late 1991, Ice started talking about his second album, which then had the working title 'Ice Capades'. He debuted three songs on his 'Extremely Live' album that were set to be on Ice Capades, including 'Road to my Riches', 'I Like It' and 'Move'. None of these songs are however featured on Mind Blowin. When the media started viewing Ice as a novelty act, he decided to make his next album harder then his last one in order to move away from the image SBK Records were trying to make for him. While writing and recording new songs, Ice premiered three of them in 1992 during his tours, including The Wrath, Now & Forever and Iceman Path. The original version of The Wrath was heavily changed for it's album release after the departure of Ice's regular disc jockey Earthquake. The album was recorded throughout 1992 to 1994 and was eventually named 'Mind Blowin' which was a nod to Ice's rhyming skills.
Response to Feuds
Vanilla Ice's first album To the Extreme and his overall mainstream fame during the early 1990's bothered some in the hip hop community, including other Caucasian rappers. The same year, 3rd Bass released their single Pop Goes the Weasel which was a full-on verbal assault on Ice. Ice answered back with a song called 'The Wrath' which he played at live shows through out 1992. When it was time to release his second album, Ice featured 'The Wrath' with a different beat and tune, but the lyrics stayed the same. Memorable quotes from the song include;
Got the number three in my crosses
Sittin' on the rooftop [three shots are fired]
and the fools drop
Pop goes the weasel was a big fa-flop-flop
The brothers didn't like your record
'Cuz it wasn't hip-hop, hop
But this ain't a dis, 'cuz you sold gold
Still I made a killin'
'Cuz it ain't even a tenth of eleven million
Mark Wahlberg, then in the rap group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch had also made remarks on Ice in one of his songs. Ice answered back in the song 'Hit 'em Hard' which was almost in it's entirety a dis song aimed at Mark, but Ice also included 3rd Bass again.
My man Zero is back with a killer slice
I'm blowin' up the mic, ya damn right, Vanilla Ice
With twice the punch I put the crunch on Marky
And take the funky out of his bunch.
I hit the home run
You got to third base, son I'm in first place
Take a seat clown for the beatdown.
Neither 3rd Bass nor Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch responded. [1]
Reception
Reviews were unfavorable. Entertainment Weekly reviewer James Bernard called the album "more clunky than funky".[2] Rolling Stone reviewer Danyel Smith called the song "Get Loose" "snappy", writing that although the lyrics are "inane", "the song is a thumping party, one of the few places where Ice loosens up. He sounds solid at the beginning of 'The Wrath' as well [...] He sounds easy and unaffected – close to sexy. But he doesn't keep it up: In 'Now and Forever,' a wet dream kind of song, Ice goes back to goofy lyrics [...] and his dry Max Headroom style."[3] Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "There isn't a single moment that establishes a distinct musical identity, and the whole thing is rather embarrassing."[4]
Vanilla Ice's cannabis-oriented lyrics were questioned by some, including Primus bassist Les Claypool, who stated in an interview for High Times, "He's got dreadlocks and he's got this song about smoking pot and basically he uses every little catch phrase he can think of that has to do with pot in his rap. That's all fine and dandy and cute, but it could be misconstrued and manipulated by the wrong people."[5] The album was named the "Least Essential Album Showcasing An Image Makeover" in The A.V. Club's list of the "Least Essential Albums of the '90s," cited as "an album that inspired almost no one to roll up the hootie mack, as instructed in its first single."[6]
When asked about the drug oriented sound years later, Vanilla Ice said "A lot of the record is drug oriented because I was doing a lot of drugs at the time."
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Live Intro" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero, Tha Hit Men and Vanilla Ice | 0:51 |
| 2. | "Fame" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero, Tha Hit Men and Vanilla Ice | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Get 'Em Now" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 0:08 |
| 4. | "The Wrath" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 4:20 |
| 5. | "Roll 'Em Up" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 4:30 |
| 6. | "Hit 'Em Hard" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 3:10 |
| 7. | "Smooth Interlude" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 0:31 |
| 8. | "Now & Forever" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 3:40 |
| 9. | "Iceman Party" | Vanilla Ice | Tha Hit Men and Vanilla Ice | 3:34 |
| 10. | "Oh My Gosh" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 3:25 |
| 11. | "Minutes of Power" | Vanilla Ice | Tha Hit Men and Vanilla Ice | 3:50 |
| 12. | "I Go Down" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 3:27 |
| 13. | "Bullet on the Chart" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 0:28 |
| 14. | "Phunky Rhymes" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 3:47 |
| 15. | "Blowin My Mind" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 3:18 |
| 16. | "Son of a Gun" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 0:07 |
| 17. | "Get Loose" | Vanilla Ice and Zero | DJ Zero and Vanilla Ice | 3:41 |
| Total length: | 47:14 | |||
Personnel
The following people contributed to Mind Blowin:[7]
Musicians
- Vanilla Ice — vocals, producer, engineer, executive producer, mixing
- Darryl "Delite" Allamby — keyboards
- Davis Bickston — drums
- Mike Daane — bass
- Dee Dee Harris — vocals
- Paul Loomis — keyboards
- Jeffrey Smith — electronic sounds, talk box
- Andy Timmons — guitar
- Robert Wechsler — guitar, programming, engineer, synclavier
- Steve Williams — drums
Additional personnel
- Scott Burnworth — art direction, design, photography
- Tom Coyne — mastering
- Dave Gossett — A&R
- Glen Hardy — photography
- Sean Hargraves — type
- Phil Johnson — art direction, design
- Scott Johnson — art direction, design
- James Conrad Koch — logo
- Tha Hit Men — producer
- Zero — producer, mixing
References
- ^ The Wrath Lyrics. "The Wrath Lyrics". LyricsMode. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ Bernard, James (March 25, 1994). "Review of Mind Blowin'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Smith, Danyel (May 5, 1994). "Review of Mind Blowin". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review of Mind Blowin". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Kenneally, Tim (1994). "The Secret Life of Primus". High Times (227): 49. ISSN 0362-630X.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Phipps, Keith (December 22, 1999). "Least Essential Albums of the '90s". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2008-03-28.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Credits for Mind Blowin". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-03-07.