Rap-Up.com || Review Roundup: G.O.O.D. Music

Nearly one year after first being announced, the G.O.O.D. Music compilation Cruel Summer finally arrives in stores and online this week. With Kanye West at the helm, the 12 tracks feature members of the hip-hop crew, with guest appearances from Jay-Z, R. Kelly, Ma$e, The-Dream, and more. Kanye’s albums have fared well with critics in the past, but did G.O.O.D. make the grade? Find out below.

The New York Times: On Cruel Summer, the spotty new compilation from his G.O.O.D. Music label from which all of the lyrics above are drawn, Mr. West is characteristically loose. … Some of the best moments on this album belong to the snarling drug-dealer-obsessed Pusha T.

TIME: But more often, the songs become too jammed-up with so many moving parts that it sounds like they’re actually immobile. … If we ever get a Cruel Summer sequel, let’s hope it’ll be tighter in focus and a lot more exclusive about what and whom it allows in.

The Associated Press: Cruel Summer fails in the same way most do: It’s a disjointed assemblage of rhyme styles and perspectives with no overarching musical direction. In short, a mixtape.

Chicago Sun-Times: Like Kanye’s full-length collaboration last year with Jay-Z, Watch the Throne, the looming hype casts too great a shadow for the project to shine on its own merits. 2.5/4

Newsday: There’s no doubt that the G.O.O.D. Music crew is good, but Cruel Summer too often falls short of great. B+

BBC Music: The oversized egos aren’t surprising here, but there’s no denying the disorganization, as at least five of these songs should’ve remained on the cutting room floor. Kanye is an incredibly smart musician, so these results are truly baffling. Maybe he works better alone.

Rap-Up’s Favorite Tracks: “To the World,” “Mercy,” “Clique,” “New God Flow”

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26 Comments

MARU
September 19th, 2012 at 10:19 am
Talking BS this the album of the year barring Nas Life is Good

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BrunoBruno Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 11:29 am
@MARU, you a motherfuckin liar

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Grant
September 19th, 2012 at 10:21 am
I often take issues with critics’ reviews, but they’ve pretty much summed up my thoughts this time.

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QUEEN ONIKA
September 19th, 2012 at 10:23 am
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded got better reviews! Looks like Nicki Minaj is truly the QUEEN of Hip-Hop. Bow down peasants! Oh and buy “The Boys” feat. Cassie on iTunes. We the barbz are united, succesful and CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED! JOIN US >:]

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RealHipHop Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 10:25 am
@QUEEN ONIKA, the boys floping that song sucks

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Bougie Kid Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 1:52 pm
@RealHipHop, Sir/Ma’am, sorry to inform you that “The Boys” isn’t “flopping”. Good day!

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Blah Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 10:30 am
@QUEEN ONIKA, kill yourself and then her

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BrunoBruno Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 11:30 am
@QUEEN ONIKA, shut up you broke bitch nicki minaj raps diss bitches like you

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Queens Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
@QUEEN ONIKA, I’m a nicki fan but this comment was not needed to be honest but it is true

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Bougie Kid Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
@QUEEN ONIKA, Your comment wasn’t needed.

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White & pinkie/diamondz h 9-30-2013 Reply:
September 20th, 2012 at 12:22 am
@QUEEN ONIKA, this post isn’t about Nicki Minaj So there is no needed to bring Nicki Minaj up in here that why ppl telling U to shut your dumb bum Bitch ass up

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MsMickiii Reply:
September 20th, 2012 at 2:31 pm
@White & pinkie/diamondz h 9-30-2013, LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

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Blah
September 19th, 2012 at 10:31 am
hahahaha…try that at home people…Cruel Comments

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Lmaopressed
September 19th, 2012 at 10:50 am
Sounds like a flop

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BrunoBruno
September 19th, 2012 at 11:28 am
the bbc music review is spot on

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MH
September 19th, 2012 at 11:51 am
I like Cruel Summer. I think people went into it with really big expectations. I wasn’t expecting it to be My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or even Watch The Throne; it’s a good album though.

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VMili
September 19th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
I was so hype for this album, and after listening to it i was like… oh? is that it? :/
i was so disappointed, i tried listening to it a few times to get into it, but i could never get with it …..

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Ryan
September 19th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
Kanye(my favorite male rapper) is the reason people checking for this but it wasnt bad by any means. I like Pusha & Sean that’s about it.

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KB
September 19th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Wasn’t great. It was GOOD. Literally. This album probably falls into last in terms of the greatest albums by Kanye. A bunch of epic songs on the album though, such as To The World, The One, Higher, Sin City… Overall, it was definetly better than ymcmb and mmg’s collaborative albums.

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Ice
September 19th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Eh, I agree with the reviews, I expected more honestly.

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Raj
September 19th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Time, AP & BBC took the words right out of my mouth.

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Lawd A Mercy
September 19th, 2012 at 3:50 pm
It definitely has some good songs! It just IMO got too hyped up, I was expecting greatness, but it was just not, I was kind of disappointed.

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kels
September 19th, 2012 at 4:58 pm
i agree completely with the reviews,they had too many people on one song and it mostly sounded like cyphers rather than songs. i don’t hink kanye west really put much effort into this.

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White & pinkie/diamondz h 9-30-2013
September 20th, 2012 at 12:20 am
guess the Fans gonna buy this Album with 12 tracklist song and too many features on there too

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tbib Reply:
September 20th, 2012 at 6:02 am
@White & pinkie/diamondz h 9-30-2013, I’m a fan, but i’m not buying this. I’m so disapointed. We knew 5-6 out of 12 tracks before the album been dropped, and they weren’t leaks.

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A$VP Richie
September 26th, 2012 at 9:11 am
By kanye’s standard (which is way too high for most to reach) the album is at best, ok. If any other crew made an album like this tho, people would say its innovative and what not. It’s true pusha had the best moments on the album and big Sean but that’s because Kanye wanted his crew to shine. He wanted to let people know how good G.O.O.D. Really is. If he wanted to outshine everyone on the album he probably could with little effort. U gotta listen to the album a couple more times, some of the concepts are good, it was meant to be a MBDTF pt.2. And lyrically no other crew (except maybe TDE) are touching G.O.O.D.

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