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Blakroc
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 17 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: BlakRoc
Release Date: 27 November 2009
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Rap
Summary
The Damon Dash-produced project features the Black Keys and several hip hop artists including Ol' Dirty Bastard, Mos Def, Ludacris, RZA, Raekwon, Jim Jones, Nicole Wray, Q-Tip, Pharoahe Monch, NOE, and members of M.O.P.
Also On Metacritic
MUSIC: Dan Auerbach: Keep It Hid The Black Keys: Attack & Release The Black Keys: Magic Potion The Black Keys: Rubber Factory The Black Keys: thickfreakness
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Dash and the Keys score an undeniable win by keeping the samples homemade and the production pared down, and by hand-picking collaborators who know how to sink into a groove.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
Together, they have crafted a succession of enormous, swaggering grooves and mostly compelling raps about rock and rap staples such as sex and drugs and cash.
Read Full Review >Observer Music Monthly
The loose, spontaneous nature of the exercise means there's the odd dud, but there are far more hits than misses. The result? A dead concept is temporarily revived.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
Without a doubt, Blakroc can be considered a gamble that has most certainly paid off; this is the most credible fusion of the two genres in a long, long while.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
A hip hop album of raw and unusual playfulness. [Jan 2010, p. 118]
Rolling Stone
Unlike many similar projects, this one doesn't seem overly impressed with its own novelty. A good thing.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express (NME)
The album feels genuinely organic, a common ground of moods rather than a forced fusion.
Read Full Review >Drowned In Sound
Hearing rappers coming from this musical sphere is a refreshing novelty however, and the record is definitely one of the most interesting, if not exceptional things to emerge this year.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
Its sound is hard but loose, rooted in sinewy beats by Patrick Carney, the Black Keys’ drummer, and spooky riffs by Dan Auerbach, its guitarist and singer.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Even if the lame parts of BlakRoc are more noticeable than the enjoyable, what really sticks out is how easy this all feels--- not once does anything feel like awkward ambassadorship.
Read Full Review >Billboard.com
Mixing nasty guitar leads with cavernous beats, the Black Keys have crafted a dark, sprawling opus that's convincing in its commitment to a unique sound.
Read Full Review >Mojo
There are no masterpieces here. But it's a brave venture nonetheless, and one that does succeed in becoming something more than the sum of its parts. [Jan 2010, p. 95]
Uncut
The Black Keys must take credit for negotiating the minefield of the rap/rock crossover without any serious casualties, but maybe an R&B/rock crossover would have reaped even greater rewards. [Jan 2010, p. 113]
No Ripcord
For a first try, the Black Keys do a decent enough job providing the backbone upon which this collection of rappers can spit and strut, but the actual musical output is overshadowed by the concept of this collaboration, and that is Blakroc’s biggest problem.
Read Full Review >Spin
As a memorable exploration of the intersection between hip-hop and the blues, it ain't much.
Read Full Review >RapReviews.com
Instead of acknowledging that they perhaps have something unique to offer and trying to put their own twist on rap, the Keys attempt to strip down their sound to fit within hip-hop genre norms--the result being the taming of many gifted rappers whose time would have been otherwise better spent.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
D. P. gave it an8:
Good Album, although some of the songs are lacking. Its a good combination of blues-y rock and rap. Coochie wasn't great though.
