|
“…a mature Qwel has emerged from his perspective shell, accompanyed
by deep, complex thoughts that shed rays of light on various topics…”
- StrictlyUG.net
“…With If It Ain't Been In A Pawn Shop..., Qwel has not only established himself
as one of the best emcees in Chicago, but also as one of the world's premier lyricists. …”
- HipHopInfinity
“…Qwel delivers an incredibly well rounded album, proving that he is not just
an amazing punchline artist. Every song is poetic in its own way, and his delivery improved several notches
above the Typical Cats version of himself. Beats, handled totally by Meaty Ogre and DJ
Whitelightning, besides the live-instrument backdrop provided in "Good Friday (Government Music)" provided
by Whitelightning's disco band ROYCE, are all dope in an understated way, and blend well with Qwel's voice.
…”
- Omnimix.com
“If we take a close look, this album is equivalent to a huge field that will provide an even
bigger harvest. That however also means that it will be hard work to bring it in.… ”
- UrbanSmarts.com
“…a very varied and impressive album. Qwel combines its emphasized arrogance with very innovative and philosophical raps. … ”
- Punchline Magazine (English)
- Punchline Magazine (German)
“…Qwel is both genuine and unconventional--an MC with talent and imagination. … ”
- Erasing Clouds
“…pure street poetry in the best form I’ve ever heard it, if you’re looking for something to pick you up from a bad day though, this ain’t it. This is art … ”
- NewsAndEntertainment.com
“There isn't a week spot here, it's straight quality from beginning to end...Qwel has a knack for infusing raw emotion into his lyrics like few can (he's up there with Tupac, Slug, Biggie and Sage).”
- Futilityrecords.com
“Sticking to the formula made famous my the RZA and The Boot Camp's Beatminerz, Qwel rolls with nothing but gritty, sample laden, bass heavy beats. In this world of thin bass lines and recycled riffs, the production on tracks like "Quest for Fire" and "Under Achiever" will immediately take you back to hip-hop's harsher times. But the strength of If it Ain't Been in A Pawn Shop, is Qwel's lyricism...he also not afraid to tackle the harsh realites of being white boy in the black man's world of hip-hop.”
- ContraBandit.com
|
need the player?
player.
1 Quest For Fire
2 Underachiever
3 Stress.com
4 Proof 101
5 Hall Of Mirrors
6 The Highest Commitment
7 If It
Ain't Been In A Pawn Shop, Then It Can't Play The Blues
8 Good Friday (Government Music)
9 Harriet Tubman
10 Art Of War
f. Robust
11 Meaty's Lament
12 Brick Walls
13 Plexiglass
14 $19.99 A.D.
f. Robust
15 My Ex-Girlfriend Plays Keyboard For Tom
Petty's Band
16 Chicago Barbeque
Tracks 1,3,4,5,6,11&12 produced by Meaty Ogre
Tracks 2,7,8,9,10,13,14,15&16 produced by White Lightning
Scratches by Meaty Ogre
Bass on "Quest For Fire"
by White Light
Music on "Good Friday" by ROYCE for Subtleties of the Game Music
Recorded & Engineered by Justus Roe & Jeff Kuglich at the Galapagos4 Island
Resort Retreat Recording Recreation Center, Clean North Chicago, IL
Tracks 5 & 11 recorded by Meaty Ogre at Meaty's Crib, Chicago, IL
Mixed by Justus Roe & Jeff Kuglich at Rax Trax Studios, Chicago, IL
Mastered by Collin Olan at Splintergroup, Chicago, IL
Executive Producer: Jeff Kuglich for Galapagos4
Graphics & Design by Josh Grotto for TMP / 77 Bros
Photography by Josh Katz, Michael C Shea, & Josh Grotto
Warning: this album may contain backwards messages
|
Qwel ~ If
It Ain't Been In a Pawnshop, Then It Can't Play The Blues