The Manual
label: daybyday

producers: ayentee

guests: wonway, cills, kirby dominant, genelec, gavin.
year of release: 2003
This place has been used to argue in favor of sampling many times before. It will be again used to advocate for the use of excerpts from other people's songs. Because Ayentee once more proves how fresh rap sounds when the fake keyboards are exchanged with the right samples. And almost mockingly, he lists many known breaks in the artwork, giving even Lionel Hutz a chance to win this court case. Then again, listen up: where is "Atomic Dog" in "Stuck"? So the disclosure of the origin of sounds might be even more mocking than first thought.
However, this is in many ways a manual. Also at times a manual to be unhappy. Or an indirect way of a 'not to' exhibition: "fifty pounds over the maximum weight requirement for TV / funny / cause all I do is sit on my ass and watch it". That's the humor in "Average Alienation". The wisdom is on "Record Label": "I see you got a records label, congratulations player / I hope your team's behind you, cause it's rough when you can't call in favors / must I remind you that it's business nothing personal / that's what they tell you when they fail to reimburse you all / naw, I ain't talking bout them major labels / it's even worse with the distributors, they're not your saviors".

tracklisting
1. Everybodys Business
2. The Story
3. Freest Form of Media
4. New Vision
5. Average Alienation
6. Whats Your Mission
7. The Pledge feat. Wonway
8. 10,000 Years
9. Urgent
10. Emotional Vampire
11. Stuck
12. Fan of the Average Fan feat. Cills/Logic
13. Record Label
14. Reason
15. What Now feat. Genelec, T-root/Gavin, Kirby Dominant
Logic then joins the discussion on "Fan Of The Average Fan", taking down the ivory tower of the elitist distance. What however an argument in favor of 'too many emcees, not enough mics'. But it's honest. As is the well meant advice of Ayentee and Wonway on "The Pledge", where they let you know to "be a man if you're a man, be a woman if you're a woman / keep trying at your relationships, don't trip if you never understood them". Or a little more focused on rap: "so find a crew if you can, cause hip hop is a team sport / make sure y'all see eye to eye and offer each other support / … / speak on topics that you know, use music to teach, improve your speech / if they can understand you, then you can reach or at least / have the potential".
And all of that over the samples of artists like Parliament, Ohio Players. Bob James, Funkadelic, Isley Brothers, Kool & The Gang, Zapp and James Brown, to just mention a few. According to the cover. And we hear cool breaks. We have heard some before too. But we don't hear "Jungle Boogie". However, the best beats are on "What Now?" (a track that features T-Root and Kirby Dominant), "The Story", "New Vision" and "A Fan Of The Average Fan", with none of the others being bad. Even as the backdrops are more to the simple than complex side, what if the song is dope, is no worry though. And the songs are good, along with all the messages in the lyrics. Therefore Ayentee has just done a thoroughly educational record, students. That's still tons of fun.
review: tadah
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