J-Live "Then What Happened" (2008) Review

Music Review: J-Live “Then What Happened?”

By Winston • June 3, 2008

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One to 31
Be No Slave
The Upgrade (featuring Oddisee and Posdanous)
It Don’t Stop
The Understanding
The Last Third
Ole (featuring Oddy Gato)
What You Holdin’?
Oowee
The Zone (featuring Chali 2na)
We Are!
Simmer Down
You Out There

Official Bar Score:

Let’s get one thing clear right off the bat: if you haven’t been listening to J-Live over the past decade or so, you need to remedy that problem now. J-Live is hip hop’s best kept secret, period. Case closed. The emcees that you can name that sound more natural on a mic is a very short list, and an argument can be made that he is just as good as them, despite the obvious obvious differential in record sales. Yes, that includes Rakim, KRS-One, Nas, whoever. There. I said it. Somebody had to.

“Then What Happened?” is his first full-length release since 2005’s “The Hear After” and is, simply put, the best hip hop album released in 2008 thus far. It’s definitely his best work since 2002’s “All of the Above”, if not his best LP period. The thing about J-Live is that he is one of only a few artists that absolutely refuses to sacrifice the pure essence of hip hop in order to increase his record sales. None of his albums have what could be classified as pop hits or crossover tracks, yet the majority of his tracks could be singles. He is the rare artist that strives for perfection on every track.

“Then What Happened?” does nothing to break this mold, and consequently is one of the most refreshing listening experiences I have had in a while. There isn’t a single track on this album that I am finding myself skipping, although some are much better than others. “One to 31″ starts the album off as an intro/song hybrid where J breaks down his life and career, combining his effortless flow with narration and conversation, touching on everything from his total album sales and the relation of that number to the state of hip hop all the way to his thoughts on his absentee father. Starting with “Be No Slave”, J takes you on trip through his current state of mind via thought provoking and well spoken lyrics (and no annoying skits or overabundance of guest appearances). The album really picks up steam on track 4, “It Don’t Stop”, that features the best use of a xylophone to date, followed by “The Understanding”, “The Last Third” (the latest installment in his “Third” series directed at one or possibly more of his ex-flames), and “Ole” to create the strongest group of songs on the album. “What You Holdin’” is okay with it’s staccato rhyme pattern and beat, but it sounds a bit out of place and is probably the weakest track on the album. But then “Oowee” reestablishes things, with “The Zone” (featuring Charlie 2na of Jurassic 5 fame), “We Are”, and “Simmer Down” all making legit arguments for the title of “best song on the album”. The album is closed out by “You Out There”, a track crafted in the same vein as the intro, with J combining his word wizardry with spoken shout outs over a low key beat.

As you can probably tell, I am really feeling this album and I am pretty positive that most hip hop heads will do the same. One thing I did notice was that J-Live seemed a bit angrier this time around, much in the same way Black Thought came off on The Roots’ “Rising Down”. However, an angry J-Live is more comical and light hearted than most, because he seems to be at peace with himself, so it doesn’t make the album any less fun loving and thought provoking than his previous projects. I highly recommend that you give this a chance, you will not be sorry.