June 19th, 2012 will mark the TRES Records release date for Let It Go – the debut LP from Detroit native House Shoes.
It feels wrong, though, to call this a 'debut' record because it doesn't sound like a first-try. Official debut, or not, House Shoes is not new. He released the now treasure-hunted Jay Dee Unreleased EP (1996), and Phat Kat's classic Dedication to the Suckers (1999) on his own imprint. He's produced for the late Big Proof (D12), J Dilla, Elzhi, and Danny Brown. He's DJ'ed for Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Mayer Hawthorne, Slum Village, and too many more to list.
Technically, however, this is his debut LP. One that hip-hop 'know-somethings' have been asking for (for years). One he's probably been holding on to for a while. One he's finally letting go.
Let It Go, features two discs. The first is a full-length album boasting features by the 'heavyweights' and the 'hungry' alike; balanced between artists accustomed to hip-hop limelight, and those still chasing it.
The project bats with a heavy-handed Motown roster. Detroit-bred collaborators include Big Tone, Moe Dirdee, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, and Danny Brown, among others. Los Angeles (Oh No, MED, The Alchemist, Co$$), Norfolk (Nottz), St. Louis (Black Spade), New York (Roc Marciano), and Chicago (Chali 2na, of Jurassic 5) pinch-hit throughout the project.
The second disc houses the instrumental versions from the record. It showcases the claps, snares, kicks, and soul-filled samples that House Shoes plates for Let It Go (and that might be overlooked next to the features, otherwise).
Songs like 'Dirt feat. Greneberg' (Oh No, Alchemist, Roc Marciano) and 'Everything (Modern Family) feat. Fatt Father' are tough to picture on the same project if listened to separately. In the context of Let It Go, however, they feel blood related and well placed.
Shoes delivers an album that sound like an album (and not a mixtape) – no small feat in the topography of today's music. He blends the songs, instrumentals, and interludes into a sequence that sounds like they all belong to something bigger than their time stamp and signature. Individually, the songs are strong; soaked in that neck-snapping, gritty-drummed, trouble-water-soulsampled thing that makes hip hop magnetic. To dissect the album into its parts would miss the point, though.
The triumph of Let It Go is the full hour of music, not any fraction of the 60-some-minute run time.
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Average Visitor Rating:
(3.5 Stars)
Total Comments: 13
Name: sound advice (Posted: 7/19/2012 10:41:00 PM; Partial IP: 49.186.192) Location: edm, canada Comment: house shoes, detroit hip hop, nothing more nothing less! big up shoes
Name: Illosoph (Posted: 6/22/2012 3:02:00 PM; Partial IP: 19.150.123) Location: Zurich, Switzerland Comment: album is amazing and production is helluva tight, big up!
Cool 2 have the instrumentals also.
Name: T (Posted: 6/20/2012 10:35:00 AM; Partial IP: 234.81.220) Location: Northeast Comment: This is okay
Name: Intendo (Posted: 6/19/2012 1:28:00 PM; Partial IP: 18.195.192) Location: Los Angeles Comment: Nice collection of MCs. Shout to Shoes for puttin it together.
Name: unevrkno (Posted: 6/19/2012 10:53:00 AM; Partial IP: 12.233.250) Location: St.Petes, Fl Comment: Its not bad, but arrrgh....its not good either. Most of the beats sound like he don't know what he's doing, or their really basic. Boom, Bap and sample. Done!
Name: Old F (Posted: 6/14/2012 8:54:00 AM; Partial IP: 0.250.68.2) Location: Joko Comment: damm I miss these classic beats of 90s with great flow mc´s.......... what hapen with this hip hop boring
Name: SiN (Posted: 6/12/2012 7:59:00 PM; Partial IP: .8.206.246) Location: heLL Comment: That Ol Detroit shit.
Name: thembani (Posted: 6/12/2012 7:46:00 PM; Partial IP: 151.79.229) Location: PE (South Africa) Comment: where is the Syllable scientist Elzhi that is?
Name: Gritah (Posted: 6/6/2012 3:20:00 PM; Partial IP: 20.177.151) Location: DC Comment: No Elzhi, Finale, or Invicible?? hmmm House Shoes is still a beast so its a must check, but he should have the best of the best from the D on there.
Name: jay booma (Posted: 6/3/2012 11:21:00 AM; Partial IP: .69.119.40) Location: marseille france Comment: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
time time is a pure dope damn it detroit
Name: uneekenterprise (Posted: 6/1/2012 9:09:00 PM; Partial IP: 227.227.38) Location: phx az Comment: sounds alright I expected more for the so called Legendary dj houseshoes
Name: thinkforward™ (Posted: 5/19/2012 11:30:00 AM; Partial IP: .76.97.221) Location: New England, USA Comment: Instrumental madness! gonna pick this up on instrumentals alone.
Name: Gary (Posted: 5/6/2012 10:45:00 AM; Partial IP: .99.89.182) Location: Newcastle UK Comment: Looking forward to this one. Been trying trying to peep some House Shoes shit for a minute.
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