Blade of the Ronin
Blade of the Ronin | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 3, 2015 | |||
Genre | Hip-hop | |||
Length | 1:02:11 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Cannibal Ox chronology | ||||
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Blade of the Ronin is the second studio album by American hip-hop duo Cannibal Ox. It was released on March 3, 2015 through IGC Records and iHipHop Distribution on March 3, 2015. Production was handled by Bill Cosmiq, except for one track produced by Black Milk. It features guest appearances from The Quantum, Artifacts, Double A.B., Elohem S.T.A.R., Elzhi, Irealz, Kenyattah Black, MF Doom, Space, Swave Sevah and U-God. The album debuted at number 45 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and the Independent Albums charts in the United States.
Critical reception
[edit]Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.1/10[1] |
Metacritic | 71/100[2] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Consequence of Sound | B-[4] |
Exclaim! | 8/10[5] |
HipHopDX | 3.5/5[6] |
Pitchfork | 6.7/10[7] |
PopMatters | 6/10[8] |
Record Collector | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 8/10[10] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Tiny Mix Tapes | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Blade of the Ronin was met with universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 71 based on sixteen reviews.[2] The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? has the critical consensus of the album at a 7.1 out of 10, based on ten reviews.[1]
Kyle Mullin of Exclaim! called the album "an early contender for 2015's top rap album".[5] Dan Weiss of Spin found the album "isn't quite that esoteric or ambitious, just an adept, hour-long reminder of how 14 years ago these guys turned your average boom bap into elaborate fantasies of iron galaxies and screamed phoenixes".[10] Tiny Mix Tapes writer stated: "there's a purity to Blade of the Ronin, which provides a welcome alternative to the macho self-aggrandizement that constitutes most contemporary rap music".[12]
AllMusic's David Jeffries saw the album "comes shockingly close to the sound and the excitement of their 2001 effort The Cold Vein, and offers the same kind of combination of street knowledge and sweet punch lines, all delivered over rickety yet compelling beats".[3] Homer Johnsen of HipHopDX called it "a dense collection of music", resuming: "fans of lyricism will appreciate the wordplay, as well as the contributions from artists like Elzhi and DOOM, among many others".[6]
Kristofer Lenz of Consequence concluded: "while Blade of the Ronin doesn't double down on the trail-blazing vision of its predecessor, it is a more than capable sequel to a genre classic".[4] Winston Cook-Wilson of Pitchfork wrote: "even those who decided years ago that this album was going to be great will be hard-pressed to find a great rap record here, only a sporadically enjoyable one".[7]
In mixed reviews, Colin Fitzgerald of PopMatters called the album "a modest, dignified return for one of underground hip-hop fans' long lost favorites. It won't be a memorable record, but for fans who have waited this long for something new, it provides".[8] Paul Bowler of Record Collector claimed: "while Vast Aire and Vordul Mega rarely hit the heights of their former lyrical ingenuity, their stream-of-consciousness rapping style remains one of the most potent forces in hip-hop".[9] Paul MacInnes of The Guardian wrote: "while the sound has lost its edge, the MCs--Vast Aire in particular--still possess great verbal imagination".[11]
Spin ranked the album at number 31 on their 'The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015' list.[13]
Track listing
[edit]No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Cipher Unknown" (Intro) | Bill Cosmiq | 1:59 | |
2. | "Opposite of Desolate" (featuring Double A.B) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 3:33 |
3. | "Psalm 82" |
| Bill Cosmiq | 3:24 |
4. | "The Power Cosmiq" (featuring Kenyattah Black) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 4:54 |
5. | "Blade: The Art of OX" (featuring Artifacts and U-God) |
| Black Milk | 4:35 |
6. | "Pressure of Survival" (Skit) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 0:23 |
7. | "Carnivorous" (featuring Elzhi and Bill Cosmiq) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 4:32 |
8. | "Thunder in July" (featuring Space, Swave Sevah and Elohem Star) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 4:34 |
9. | "Water" |
| Bill Cosmiq | 4:00 |
10. | "The Horizon" (Interlude) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 1:43 |
11. | "Harlem Knights" |
| Bill Cosmiq | 3:37 |
12. | "Sabertooth" (featuring Irealz and Bill Cosmiq) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 4:50 |
13. | "Iron Rose" (featuring MF Doom) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 4:03 |
14. | "Solar System (Cosmos)" (Skit) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 0:47 |
15. | "The Fire Rises" |
| Bill Cosmiq | 3:17 |
16. | "Gotham (Ox City)" |
| Bill Cosmiq | 4:35 |
17. | "Unison" (Skit) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 0:24 |
18. | "Vision" (featuring The Quantum) |
| Bill Cosmiq | 3:43 |
19. | "Salvation" |
| Bill Cosmiq | 3:18 |
Total length: | 1:02:11 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
20. | "Silver Hawks" (featuring Kenyattah Black) | 5:01 |
21. | "Moksha" | 2:16 |
22. | "The Eternal Path" | 3:10 |
23. | "Iron Rose (Skylab 3 Remix)" (featuring MF Doom) | 4:16 |
Personnel
[edit]- Theodore "Vast Aire" Arrington II – vocals, arranger, executive producer, art direction, A&R
- Shamar "Vordul Mega" Gardner – vocals, art direction
- Dylan "Double A.B" Tucker – vocals (track 2)
- Benny "Kenyattah Black" Wise – vocals (track 4)
- Rahem Ross "Tame One" Brown – vocals (track 5)
- William E. "El Da Sensei" Williams – vocals (track 5)
- Lamont "U-God" Hawkins – vocals (track 5)
- Jason "Elzhi" Powers – vocals (track 7)
- Berles "Bill Cosmiq" Désiré – vocals (tracks: 7, 12, 18), producer (tracks: 1-4, 6-19), arranger, executive producer
- D. "Space" Helms – vocals (track 8)
- Tion "Swave Sevah" Sutton – vocals (track 8)
- Kyle "Elohem S.T.A.R." Walker – vocals (track 8)
- El "Irealz" Ireality – vocals (track 12)
- Daniel "MF Doom" Dumile – vocals (track 13)
- Gregory "Salvador" Maher – vocals (track 18), additional art layout
- DJ Cip One – scratches
- Curtis "Black Milk" Cross – producer (track 5)
- Brad "Syntax" Theophila – mixing
- Matty Trump – mastering
- Chuck Wilson – executive producer
- Djob Nkondo Jonathan – artwork
- Eric Bayruns – A&R
- Jeremy Gerson – A&R
Charts
[edit]Chart (2015) | Peak position |
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US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14] | 45 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[15] | 45 |
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[16] | 12 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Blade of the Ronin by Cannibal Ox reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Blade of the Ronin - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Blade of the Ronin - Cannibal Ox | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Lenz, Kristofer (March 2, 2015). "Album Review: Cannibal Ox - Blade of the Ronin". Consequence Of Sound. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Mullin, Kyle (March 2, 2015). "Cannibal Ox │ Blade of the Ronin". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Johnsen, Homer (March 7, 2015). "Cannibal Ox - Blade Of The Ronin". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Cook-Wilson, Winston (March 10, 2015). "Cannibal Ox: Blade of the Ronin". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Fitzgerald, Colin (May 8, 2015). "Cannibal Ox: Blade of the Ronin | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Bowler, Paul (April 22, 2015). "Blade Of The Ronin - Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector. No. 440. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b Weiss, Dan (March 2, 2015). "Review: Cannibal Ox, 'Blade of the Ronin'". SPIN. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b MacInnes, Paul (March 19, 2015). "Cannibal Ox: Blade of the Ronin review – slighter return". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ a b "Music Review: Cannibal Ox - Blade of the Ronin". Tiny Mix Tapes. March 19, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ Unterberger, Andrew (December 16, 2015). "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015". SPIN. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ "Cannibal Ox Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ "Cannibal Ox Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
- ^ "Cannibal Ox Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
External links
[edit]- Blade of the Ronin at Discogs (list of releases)