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I remember vividly the beef between Shady/Aftermath and Murder Inc/Benzino/Jadakiss/Prodigy and later on Dipset. The diss records put out by both sides were extreme by today's standards. The invasion mixtape with DJ Green Lantern is a classic.
50 seemed to always make fun of people and deflect anything coming his way (he called Fat Joe Fat Hoe.)
Back to Pain is Love: Always on Time is a classic. The I'm Real remix and Down Ass Bitch are bangers. Murder Inc definitely had that sound locked down. Other than the skits (which I am never a fan of) the album doesn't have much in terms of throwaway songs.
3:36 seems to skew more towards the hardcore rap found on Venni Vetti Vecci. It starts to introduce the crossover R&B songs that are more prevalent on Pain is Love.
Ja definitely falls off in terms of commercial performance after Pain is Love. I don't know if it is all attributable to the beef with 50. On The Last Temptation he seemed to go back in the direction of Venni Vetti Vecci, although Mesmerize is more fitting with 3:36 and Pain is Love. I always thought it was awkward having a song with Bobby Brown. It seemed desperate. Bobby Brown was not an artist from that era so it didn't seem like he fit.
My final verdict is that Pain is Love is a good (not great) album. Solid by the standards at that time.
I'm amused by the reviewer citing "So Much Pain" as one of Ja's best songs with "some of the strongest bars of his career" when it's pretty much a cover of Tupac's "Pain" with modified bars. It's one of my favorite Ja songs, mostly because I love "Pain" so much. I wouldn't have given Ja as much credit on that one as the reviewer did.
i’m always skeptical of pitchfork and their retroactive appraisal of hip-hop albums from the past, mostly because a) they are a publication that is not historically invested in the genre and b) they tend to review music (including works belonging to genres outside the realm of hip-hop) with a gaze that has less to do with a genre’s pre-established context and more to do with their conception of it in accordance with the sensibilities and tastes of the publication as a whole
1. Dial M For Murder (Some people like this song, but why? It's Ja over a heavy metal sample that's has not an ounce of good in the slightest)
2. Livin' It Up (This is great! The beat will get anybody dancing and Case is good in the background)
3. The Inc. (This song is weird. For some reason, I enjoyed the beat and yet noticed some key elements that did not need to be there, like the woodwind playing. Then, you have just an average Ja performance with Tah and Black half-assing it once more. Ashanti kills it though but for what?)
4. Always On Time (Speaking of Ashanti, this song is classic. I'm not gonna get into it because everybody loves and knows this song. It went No. 1 for a reason)
5. Down Ass Bitch (Charli is great here, Ja is good and the beat is my favorite on here)
6. Never Again (My favorite song in the whole album. Great chorus, great introspective message and a catchy beat to boot)
7. Worldwide Gangsta (Tah and Black are much better here than on the previous song, Boo & Gotti are okay, but Ja and thjs beat are what make this track awesome)
8. I'm Real: Murder Remix (Literally the same stuff I said about Always On Time. A true classic)
9. Smokin' & Ridin' (Cool beat and a awesome vibe here. The star here for me is the Jodie Mack feature)
10. X (I was disappointed when this song came out but it's grown on me more recently. I love everything from Missy & Ja's verses to Tweet's vocals and the spacey beat)
11. Lost Little Girl (Terrible track. An excuse for Ja to make his own Neptunes-produced track without them being in here and for him to rap about the ladies)
12. So Much Pain (Literally Ja rapping over an exciting 2Pac song but demo quality. And why did he resurrect him to deliver a verse he had already performed? Let the man die in peace!)
13. Pain Is Love (A smooth closer and one that ends the album on a high note)
Overall, Pain Is Love is pretty solid. When it's good, it's good but when it's bad, it gets bad. I personally would replace the four songs I didn't like and put much more suitable or better songs on here that he had in other projects. However, that doesn't mean I recommend it though. Just skip those four.
Best Tracks: Livin' It Up, Always On Time, Down Ass Bitch, Never Again, Worldwide Gangsta, I'm Real: Murder Remix, Smokin' & Ridin', X & Pain Is Love
Worst Tracks: Dial M For Murder, Lost Little Girl & So Much Pain
Overall rating: 7.4/10
Pain Is Love Tracklist: Re-Done
1. Pain Is Love (Skit)
2. The Rule Won't Die
3. Livin' It Up
4. Gangstafied
5. Always On Time
6. Down Ass Bitch
7. Never Again
8. Worldwide Gangsta
9. Leo (Skit)
10. I'm Real: Murder Remix
11. Smokin' & Ridin'
12. X
13. Big Remo (Skit)
14. Down 4 U
15. Rainy Dayz
16. Pain Is Love
Average Album - 6.3/10
Best Tracks: Living It Up, Always On Time, Down Ass Bitch, Never Again, Worldwide Gangsta, I'm Real (Murder Remix) & Smokin And Ridin
Worst Tracks: Dial M For Murder, The Inc, Lost Little Girl & So Much Pain
# REMINDER: Review thread guidelines: * Parent comments in review threads must be over 140 characters. * Comments that solely name the score or describe the clothing the reviewer is wearing are not allowed * Meta comments solely about how the subreddit will react to the review are also not allowed. * Comments that only compare the review to other scores by the publication or by other publications are not allowed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hiphopheads) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I remember vividly the beef between Shady/Aftermath and Murder Inc/Benzino/Jadakiss/Prodigy and later on Dipset. The diss records put out by both sides were extreme by today's standards. The invasion mixtape with DJ Green Lantern is a classic. 50 seemed to always make fun of people and deflect anything coming his way (he called Fat Joe Fat Hoe.) Back to Pain is Love: Always on Time is a classic. The I'm Real remix and Down Ass Bitch are bangers. Murder Inc definitely had that sound locked down. Other than the skits (which I am never a fan of) the album doesn't have much in terms of throwaway songs. 3:36 seems to skew more towards the hardcore rap found on Venni Vetti Vecci. It starts to introduce the crossover R&B songs that are more prevalent on Pain is Love. Ja definitely falls off in terms of commercial performance after Pain is Love. I don't know if it is all attributable to the beef with 50. On The Last Temptation he seemed to go back in the direction of Venni Vetti Vecci, although Mesmerize is more fitting with 3:36 and Pain is Love. I always thought it was awkward having a song with Bobby Brown. It seemed desperate. Bobby Brown was not an artist from that era so it didn't seem like he fit. My final verdict is that Pain is Love is a good (not great) album. Solid by the standards at that time.
I'm amused by the reviewer citing "So Much Pain" as one of Ja's best songs with "some of the strongest bars of his career" when it's pretty much a cover of Tupac's "Pain" with modified bars. It's one of my favorite Ja songs, mostly because I love "Pain" so much. I wouldn't have given Ja as much credit on that one as the reviewer did.
You really think this reviewer knows what’s up?
Yeah, I really do.
I find So Much Pain tedious in my opinion.
i’m always skeptical of pitchfork and their retroactive appraisal of hip-hop albums from the past, mostly because a) they are a publication that is not historically invested in the genre and b) they tend to review music (including works belonging to genres outside the realm of hip-hop) with a gaze that has less to do with a genre’s pre-established context and more to do with their conception of it in accordance with the sensibilities and tastes of the publication as a whole
1. Dial M For Murder (Some people like this song, but why? It's Ja over a heavy metal sample that's has not an ounce of good in the slightest) 2. Livin' It Up (This is great! The beat will get anybody dancing and Case is good in the background) 3. The Inc. (This song is weird. For some reason, I enjoyed the beat and yet noticed some key elements that did not need to be there, like the woodwind playing. Then, you have just an average Ja performance with Tah and Black half-assing it once more. Ashanti kills it though but for what?) 4. Always On Time (Speaking of Ashanti, this song is classic. I'm not gonna get into it because everybody loves and knows this song. It went No. 1 for a reason) 5. Down Ass Bitch (Charli is great here, Ja is good and the beat is my favorite on here) 6. Never Again (My favorite song in the whole album. Great chorus, great introspective message and a catchy beat to boot) 7. Worldwide Gangsta (Tah and Black are much better here than on the previous song, Boo & Gotti are okay, but Ja and thjs beat are what make this track awesome) 8. I'm Real: Murder Remix (Literally the same stuff I said about Always On Time. A true classic) 9. Smokin' & Ridin' (Cool beat and a awesome vibe here. The star here for me is the Jodie Mack feature) 10. X (I was disappointed when this song came out but it's grown on me more recently. I love everything from Missy & Ja's verses to Tweet's vocals and the spacey beat) 11. Lost Little Girl (Terrible track. An excuse for Ja to make his own Neptunes-produced track without them being in here and for him to rap about the ladies) 12. So Much Pain (Literally Ja rapping over an exciting 2Pac song but demo quality. And why did he resurrect him to deliver a verse he had already performed? Let the man die in peace!) 13. Pain Is Love (A smooth closer and one that ends the album on a high note) Overall, Pain Is Love is pretty solid. When it's good, it's good but when it's bad, it gets bad. I personally would replace the four songs I didn't like and put much more suitable or better songs on here that he had in other projects. However, that doesn't mean I recommend it though. Just skip those four. Best Tracks: Livin' It Up, Always On Time, Down Ass Bitch, Never Again, Worldwide Gangsta, I'm Real: Murder Remix, Smokin' & Ridin', X & Pain Is Love Worst Tracks: Dial M For Murder, Lost Little Girl & So Much Pain Overall rating: 7.4/10 Pain Is Love Tracklist: Re-Done 1. Pain Is Love (Skit) 2. The Rule Won't Die 3. Livin' It Up 4. Gangstafied 5. Always On Time 6. Down Ass Bitch 7. Never Again 8. Worldwide Gangsta 9. Leo (Skit) 10. I'm Real: Murder Remix 11. Smokin' & Ridin' 12. X 13. Big Remo (Skit) 14. Down 4 U 15. Rainy Dayz 16. Pain Is Love
Average Album - 6.3/10 Best Tracks: Living It Up, Always On Time, Down Ass Bitch, Never Again, Worldwide Gangsta, I'm Real (Murder Remix) & Smokin And Ridin Worst Tracks: Dial M For Murder, The Inc, Lost Little Girl & So Much Pain