Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best of 2009
Best of 2008
Best of 2007
Best of 2006
Best of 2005
Best of 2004
Best of 2003
Best of 2002
Best of 2001
Best of 2000
Best of the Decade
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
54
3Oh!3
76
Actress
75
Against Me!
56
Christina Aguilera
70
Allo Darlin'
83
Laurie Anderson
87
The Arcade Fire
85
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
77
Olafur Arnalds
73
Autolux
54
Avenged Sevenfold
80
Dierks Bentley
79
Best Coast
90
Big Boi
73
The Black Crowes
xx
Black Label Society
76
Blitzen Trapper
61
Bombay Bicycle Club
77
Tracy Bonham
81
The Books
66
Born Ruffians
63
Buckcherry
85
The Budos Band
67
Bun B
70
The Chemical Brothers
xx
Cowboy Junkies
66
Sheryl Crow
76
Crowded House
61
Taio Cruz
77
Crystal Castles
48
Miley Cyrus
74
Danger Mouse And Sparklehorse
73
Danzig
71
Deer Tick
71
Delphic
74
Delta Spirit
73
Department Of Eagles
68
Devo
82
Dr. John And The Lower 911
77
Drake
xx
Dru Hill
74
The Drums
67
Eli "Paperboy" Reed
78
El-P
63
Eminem
76
Alejandro Escovedo
70
Fat Joe
79
Foals
77
Fol Chen
72
Frazey Ford
72
Francis & The Lights
77
The Futureheads
79
The Gaslight Anthem
62
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
57
Macy Gray
67
Hanson
76
Ed Harcourt
75
Hawthorne Heights
76
HEALTH
70
Here We Go Magic
81
Micah P. Hinson
79
Jesca Hoop
68
Hot Hot Heat
62
How To Destroy Angels
83
I Am Kloot
66
The Infesticons
62
Jewel
69
Jack Johnson
84
Tom Jones
77
Kelis
85
Konono No. 1
59
Korn
56
Cyndi Lauper
66
Light Pollution
82
The Like
59
Lil Jon
77
Los Lobos
68
M.I.A.
53
The Magic Numbers
71
Maps & Atlases
80
Steve Mason
69
Travie McCoy
63
Sarah McLachlan
64
Katie Melua
76
The Melvins
80
Menomena
73
Tift Merritt
49
Bret Michaels
67
Miniature Tigers
67
Kylie Minogue
87
Jason Moran
52
Morcheeba
67
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
71
Mystery Jets
74
Nada Surf
76
Oasis
71
Kele Okereke
61
Ozzy Osbourne
xx
Panda Bear
71
Peggy Sue
70
Pernice Brothers
72
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
54
Liz Phair
55
Plies
56
Mike Posner
83
Pulled Apart By Horses
79
Punch Brothers
92
R.E.M.
70
Ratatat
71
Rhymefest
76
Max Richter
75
Robert Randolph And The Family Band
76
Robyn
46
Rooney
85
The Roots
79
Rick Ross
37
RPA & the United Nations of Sound
69
School of Seven Bells
71
Scissor Sisters
71
Semi Precious Weapons
74
Blake Shelton
69
Sia
73
Sleepy Sun
84
Sleigh Bells
62
Squeeze
69
Stars
79
Steel Train
66
Steve Miller Band
62
Sting
76
Suckers
76
Sun Kil Moon
81
Teenage Fanclub
80
The-Dream
73
Tokyo Police Club
83
Trash Talk
48
Uffie
76
Various Artists
69
Venice Is Sinking
74
Versus
78
Villagers
75
Wavves
67
We Are Scientists
85
Paul Weller
76
Wolf Parade
61
Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Blakroc
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 17 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 6 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 9.3 (out of 10) based on 6 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.
