Esperanza (2004)

Jae-P was 19 when Univision Records released his second album, Esperanza, in late September 2004, which means that the Mexican-American MC was only a child when the best sociopolitical rappers -- Public Enemy, KRS-One, and Ice-T, among others -- were at the height of their popularity. But lyrically, Esperanza is, in many respects, a throwback to a more intellectual era in hip-hop. Recalling some of the intelligent rap albums that came out in the late '80s and early '90s -- albums like PE's Fear of a Black Planet and Boogie ... Read More

Jae-P was 19 when Univision Records released his second album, Esperanza, in late September 2004, which means that the Mexican-American MC was only a child when the best sociopolitical rappers -- Public Enemy, KRS-One, and Ice-T, among others -- were at the height of their popularity. But lyrically, Esperanza is, in many respects, a throwback to a more intellectual era in hip-hop. Recalling some of the intelligent rap albums that came out in the late '80s and early '90s -- albums like PE's Fear of a Black Planet and Boogie Down Productions' By All Means Necessary -- Esperanza has the sort of thoughtfulness that is missing from many of 2004's rap discs. Jae-P doesn't spend all his time rapping about how many gold chains he owns, how many hotties he has seduced or how many thugs he rolls with; instead, the Los Angeles resident encourages cultural pride and wonders what can be done to combat the problems of the inner city -- in other words, Jae-P deals with much of the same subject matter that PE, BDP, Ice-T and Grandmaster Flash dealt with back in the day. But there is a major difference; while those MCs were reflecting on the socioeconomic struggles of African-Americans, Jae-P is a bilingual rapper with a very Mexican-American perspective. The beats on Esperanza (which means "Hope" in Spanish) owe a lot to funk and soul, but Jae-P also draws on Latin forms like norteño, cumbia and flamenco. Because Esperanza is such a sociopolitical album, Jae-P occasionally lightens the lyrical load by throwing in the occasional party jam. But even so, there is no getting around the fact that Esperanza is -- for the most part -- very serious-minded. It's also a respectable effort demonstrating that even though conscious rap wasn't as plentiful in 2004 as it was in the late '80s/early '90s, it hasn't become extinct just yet. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi Read Less

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• CD, Very Good 2004, Univision Records UPC: 808831027827 See Item Details ▾

  Salzer's Records BEST ventura, CA, USA

  $10.00 $13.98 Add to Cart Add this copy of Esperanza to cart. $10.00, very good condition, Sold by Salzer's Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from ventura, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Univision Music Grp.

  	Edition: 2004, Univision Records CD, Very Good	Details: UPC: 808831027827 Discs: 1 Label: Univision Records Released: 09/28/2004 Alibris ID: 17100195120	Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $4.99 Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
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2004, Univision Records UPC: 808831027827 CD See All from $10.00