He Got Game

相信不少朋友对1998的《单挑》这部电影还印象深刻。这次导演斯派克李专门请来纽约说唱界传奇组合Public Enemy操刀为电影全程配乐，而这也算是他们在Def Jam旗下发行的最后一张录音室专辑。曲风是他们一贯的Political和Hardcore，同时专辑中的前三首歌分别邀请到了Masta Killa、Stephen Stills和KRS-One担任Featurer，一张东海岸说唱迷们不能错过的经典。 关于电影： 这是一部典型的篮球+梦想的电影，饰演Jesus的是现实中球品球技均有口皆碑的NBA名将，密尔沃基雄鹿队的雷阿伦。此前也有奥尼尔，罗德曼等NBA明星出演过电影，但大都毫无深度可言，徒增笑尔，但这次雷阿伦的发挥空间更大，也他的表现也更令人惊喜。Danzel Washington饰演片中的父亲，本片也是他和纽约尼克斯队的铁杆球迷，导演Spike Lee的第三次合作。 by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Nominally a soundtrack to Spike Lee's basketball drama, but in reality more of an individual album, He Got Game appeared in 1998, just the second Public Enemy album since 1991's Apocalypse 91. Even though Chuck D was pushing 40, the late '90s were friendlier to PE's noisy, claustrophobic hip-hop than the mid-'90s, largely because hip-hop terrorists like the Wu-Tang Clan, Jeru the Damaja, and DJ Shadow were bringing the music back to its roots. PE followed in their path, stripping away the sonic blitzkrieg that was the Bomb Squad's trademark and leaving behind skeletal rhythm tracks, simple loops, and basslines. Taking on the Wu at their own game -- and, if you think about it, Puff Daddy as well, since the simple, repetitive loop of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" on the title track was nothing more than a brazenly successful one-upmanship of Puff's shameless thievery -- didn't hurt the group's credibility, since they did it well. Listen to the circular, menacing synth lines of the opening "Resurrection" or the scratching strings on "Unstoppable" and it's clear that Public Enemy could compete with the most innovative artists in the younger generation, while "Is Your God a Dog" and "Politics of the Sneaker Pimps" proved that they could draw their own rules. That said, He Got Game simply lacked the excitement and thrill of prime period PE -- Chuck D, Terminator X, and the Bomb Squad were seasoned, experienced craftsmen, and it showed, for better and worse. They could craft a solid comeback like He Got Game, but no matter how enjoyable and even thought-provoking the album was, that doesn't mean it's where you'll turn when you want to hear Public Enemy.