The Best Part (album)

The Best Part
Studio album by
J-Live
ReleasedMay 1, 2001 (2001-05-01)
Recorded1996–1999
GenreHip hop
Length74:23
LabelTriple Threat Productions
ProducerJ-Live, Emmai Alaquiva, 88-Keys, Grap Luva, Pete Rock, Prince Paul, Chris Catalyst, Probe.dms, DJ Spinna, David Kennedy, DJ Premier
J-Live chronology
The Best Part
(2001) 		All of the Above
(2002)

The Best Part is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist J-Live. It was released on Triple Threat Productions in 2001.

Background

The Best Part was recorded from 1996 to 1999 and featured production by Prince Paul, DJ Premier, and Pete Rock. It was set for a 1999 release, but due to problems with his record label, Raw Shack Records, J-Live left the label and the album was shelved. J-Live moved to Payday Records, but when Payday's parent company London Records was bought from Universal Music Group by WEA, the album was again shelved. In 2001, copies surfaced as bootlegs and several were of such high quality it was rumored that J-Live himself was behind them. By the fall of 2001, after five years of label problems, The Best Part was finally officially released on Triple Threat Productions.[1][2][3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The A.V. Clubfavorable[5]
Exclaim!favorable[6]
HipHopDX[7]
RapReviews.com10/10[8]

Stanton Swihart of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars, writing: "It is a truly cataclysmic tour de force, especially when you consider the hoops through which the music was forced to jump before it finally appeared, long overdue, in 2001."[4]

In 2015, Fact placed it at number 49 on the "100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time" list.[9] In that year, HipHopDX included it on the "30 Best Underground Hip Hop Albums Since 2000" list.[10]

In 2020, HipHopGoldenAge ranked it 3 on their "Top 150 Hip Hop Albums of The Decade" list.[11]

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Outside Looking"J-Live1:48
2."Intro"Emmai Alaquiva1:13
3."Got What It Takes"88-Keys5:09
4."Don't Play"88-Keys5:04
5."Vampire Hunter J"Grap Luva2:59
6."Yes!"Emmai Alaquiva3:32
7."Them That's Not"Grap Luva5:12
8."Kick It to the Beat" (featuring Asheru and Probe.dms)Pete Rock4:22
9."Wax Paper"Prince Paul3:27
10."Timeless"Chris Catalyst4:00
11."Get the Third"Chris Catalyst, Probe.dms4:45
12."School's In (Remix)"88-Keys, J-Live5:14
13."R.A.G.E."DJ Spinna3:36
14."True School Anthem"DJ Spinna4:23
15."Inside Looking Outro"David Kennedy, Emmai Alaquiva2:07
16."The Best Part"DJ Premier3:36
17."Play"88-Keys, David Kennedy5:01
18."Braggin' Writes Revisited"David Kennedy3:17
19."Epilogue"J-Live5:30
Total length:74:23

References

  1. ^ McKaharay, Dafydd (April 18, 2002). "J-Live". Miami New Times.
  2. ^ Mayo, James (July 11, 2002). "Living Out Loud". Phoenix New Times.
  3. ^ "The Second Time Around: J-Live Gets a Fresh Start". Washington Post. April 3, 2002.[dead link‍]
  4. ^ a b Swihart, Stanton. "The Best Part - J-Live". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  5. ^ Rabin, Nathan (April 22, 2002). "J-Live: The Best Part / All Of The Above". The A.V. Club.
  6. ^ Cowie, Del F. (March 2002). "J-Live The Best Part". Exclaim!.
  7. ^ J-23 (March 27, 2001). "J Live - The Best Part". HipHopDX.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Noixe (January 20, 2001). "J-Live :: The Best Part :: Triple Threat". RapReviews.com.
  9. ^ "The 100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time (page 53 of 101)". Fact. February 25, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  10. ^ "The 30 Best Underground Hip Hop Albums Since 2000". HipHopDX. August 26, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  11. ^ "Top 150 Hip Hop Albums Of The 2000s". Hip Hop Golden Age. Retrieved 2021-12-06.