The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 

Trife Diesel | Better Late Than Never

Trife da Label (2009)
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  July 22, 2009
3.0 3.0 Stars

090724_trife-main
For anyone who best understands things in white suburban terms, hip-hop is similar to lacrosse. Much like the way that any able-bodied preppy chump can grab a long stick and play defense, any third-rate street thug with convincing anger can rock microphones. That said, just as it takes tremendous jockitude to make a star midfielder, such extraordinary curb poets as Wu-Tang affiliate Trife Diesel (formerly Trife Da God) pack more than just standard ghetto diction.

Although Better Late is being touted as the diamond-throated Staten Island rapper's long-overdue debut, Trife has scored plenty of highlight goals with guest verses alongside extended teammates, and with Put It on the Line, his 2005 duo effort with Ghostface. Better Late is agile — with didacticism ("Stronger Man"), autobiographical potpourri ("Better Late Than Never"), and even some good old Duke lax misogyny ("What Did I Do Wrong?").

Still, there's a clear difference between legendary buzzer beaters, like the Ghostface-assisted "Live Nigga Night Out," and shots that miss the net, like "Listen Carefully." Trife has an Ironman looming in his future, and given how long he's ridden the bench (besides which, he's far too strong an MC to suffer a sophomore slump), his hat trick might very well come next time he steps into the crease.
Related: Sleep | Hesitation Wounds, Marco Polo and Torae | Double Barrel, Busta Rhymes | Back on My B.S., More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Hip-Hop and Rap, Music,  More more >
  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • RSS feed
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article
Comments

Today's Event Picks
[MUSIC] MANIA!
ARTICLES BY CHRIS FARAONE
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   IBEW PRESSURES STOP & SHOP  |  November 24, 2009
    Folks driving past suburban Stop & Shop locations this week might wonder why laborers are suddenly concerned about food safety.
  •   TALE OF THE TAPES  |  November 25, 2009
    Soon after music-minded UMass-Boston management professor Pacey Foster signed on to write a Boston chapter for the most comprehensive hip-hop tome ever compiled, his mission brought him to rural Maine, where it has long been speculated that the Hub rhyme scene's Holy Grail is safely stored.
  •   WALE | ATTENTION DEFICIT  |  November 24, 2009
    It turns out there is merit behind the billion-dollar hype machine that’s been propelling Wale since he surfaced on the face of URB two years ago.
  •   REVIEW: THE BLIND SIDE  |  November 17, 2009
    It’s tough for any self-respecting critic to refrain from joyously tackling a Sandra Bullock movie — so it’s a good thing The Blind Side isn’t one.
  •   SWOLLEN MEMBERS | ARMED TO THE TEETH  |  November 18, 2009
    I’m not completely sure why the mere mention of Swollen Members rubs so many underground rap snobs the wrong way.

 See all articles by: CHRIS FARAONE

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2009 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group