Rip the Jacker

Rip the Jacker
Studio album by Canibus
Released July 22, 2003
Recorded 2002–2003
Genre Hip hop
Length 44:56
Label Mic Club, Babygrande
Producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind
Canibus chronology
Mic Club: The Curriculum
(2002)		 Rip the Jacker
(2003)		 Mind Control
(2005)
Singles from Rip the Jacker
  1. "Spartibus"
    Released: June 24, 2003
  2. "Indibisible"
    Released: December 2003

Rip the Jacker is the fifth studio album by American rapper Canibus. Produced by Jedi Mind Tricks' Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, the album was released on July 22, 2003 through Babygrande Records.

Following the critical success of 2002's Mic Club: The Curriculum, Babygrande CEO Chuck Wilson had Stoupe work on production for a follow-up to Mic Club. Canibus had recorded his lyrics to send to Stoupe before joining the United States Army and did not hear the final product until he bought a copy of the album. Taking its title from the character in the Mic Club track "Bis vs. Rip", Rip the Jacker is a concept album that sees the world through the eyes of a modern-day lyricist/poet.

The album garnered critical acclaim from critics who called it Canibus' best album, praising the intricate production and sharp lyricism for being perfectly matched together. Rip the Jacker reached number 194 on the Billboard 200, his first time on that chart since 2000's 2000 B.C.. It also reached numbers 11 and 34 on the Independent Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

Conception

After producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind (of the group Jedi Mind Tricks) produced the track "Liberal Arts" from Canibus' fourth album Mic Club: The Curriculum (2002), Babygrande Records CEO Chuck Wilson raised the possibility of Stoupe producing an album. Before enlisting in the United States Army, Canibus recorded his vocals before any production and then sent the a cappellas to Stoupe.[1][2] Canibus claimed that he wrote the lyrics on a "stained dinner table in Hell's Kitchen".[3] In 2003, he stated that the album consisted of his most complex rhymes to date[4] and it "describes our civilization through the eyes of a modern day lyricist/poet".[5] Due to his military obligations, he did not hear the songs in the final format until a week after the album's release when he purchased a copy at Best Buy.[1] Although he released future albums, Rip the Jacker was intended to be his last.[3] As a concept album, the record represents the third "personality" of the rapper: "Prof. Emeritus Rip The Jacker", the others being "Dr. PhD Canibus" and "Germaine Williams" (his real name).[1][6] Canibus explained the alter-egos:

Germaine created Canibus and Canibus had to deal with things in the industry that he had no idea existed. I didn't know that the competition was unfair, that the competitive nature of the music was cut-throat. Then when I had the chance to experience that, Canibus had to create another level. Rip the Jacker is like a foot side of Jack the Ripper".[7]

Music

Produced by Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, the album frequently samples golden age hip hop tracks.[8] Canibus is characterized for his "deep vocabulary, scientific concepts, battle rhymes and descriptive imagery" throughout the album.[9] Stylus Magazine's Kilian Murphy wrote that:

The entire English language is seemingly contained in [Canibus'] mind: the sheer volume and variety on each track is astounding. He has word after word lined up in his head, bursting to be articulated. So he deletes and re-arranges until they are moulded into a savage, scholarly verbal assault ... He consistently spits rhymes out with manic fury, but rarely alters the texture of his voice, takes care to emphasize individual words or alter pronunciations for effect.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllHipHop[9]
AllMusic[8]
The A.V. ClubFavorable[11]
Entertainment WeeklyAmbivalent[12]
HipHopDX[13]
MV Remix8.5/10[14]
RapReviews10/10[15]
The Situation4/5[16]
Stylus Magazine(B+)[10]
Yahoo! MusicFavorable[17]

The album received favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic's Andy Kellman considered the album to have the "best set of productions Canibus has had to work with".[8] C. Brown of AllHipHop wrote that Canibus provides "incredibly sharp lyricism" and "has adopted a more technical approach to his rhyming since the 1990s."[9] HipHopDX called Rip the Jacker Canibus' best album and praised the "lyrical dexterity" which can be "matched by very few".[13] Entertainment Weekly's Jonah Weiner described the rhymes as "high-flown and delivered with gruff scorn -- but inane".[12] URB magazine writer Steve Juon of RapReviews.com ranked it the best album of 2003[18] and said it may be Canibus' "first album of perfection".[15]

Kilian Murphy of Stylus Magazine praised the record for its "pleasing level of instrumental detail and liquidity".[10] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club wrote that Canibus "sounds like a kid who spends his free time reading the dictionary" and that the album is his "strongest, most consistent work to date. A shameless name-dropper, he references Noam Chomsky, Joseph Heller, Niels Bohr, and David Hume in his dense, challenging rhymes".[11] Samuel Chesneau of The Stranger called it "easily his best album" which "incorporates a much different sound and a real gothic feel".[19]

Track listing

All songs written by Canibus and produced by Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind.

# Title Samples Time
1 "Intro" 0:33
2 "Genabis"
  • "Music Box" by Philip Glass
  • "The Demise of Candyman" by Philip Glass
  • "Reverend's Walk" by Philip Glass
 4:12
3 "Levitibus" 4:00
4 "M-Sea-Cresy" 3:50
5 "No Return"
  • "Adon Olam" by David Gould
 4:53
6 "Spartibus" 4:00
7 "Indibisible" 3:59
8 "Showtime at the Gallow"
  • "Sabroso Como El Guarapo" by Pupi Legarreta
  • "Symphony 2000" by EPMD
 4:41
9 "Psych Evaluation" 3:51
10 "Cemantics"
  • "Fate's Lieutenant" by Christopher Gordon
  • "Daytona 500" by Ghostface Killah
  • "Leather Face" by Big Pun
  • "Cold as Ice" by M.O.P.
  • "Take It Personal" by Gang Starr
  • "Assassination Day" by Ghostface Killah
 3:40
11 "Poet Laureate II" 7:18

Singles

Single information
"Spartibus"[20]
  • Released: June 24, 2003
"Indibisible"[21]
  • Released: December 2003
  • B-side: "No Return"

Charts

Charts (2003) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[22] 194
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[23] 11
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[24] 34

Personnel

Information taken from AllMusic.[25]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Joel & Andy. "Art of Rhyme - Canibus Interview". Art of Rhyme. Retrieved February 6, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Canibus' Rip the Jacker in Stores Now!". Babygrande Records. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  3. 1 2 Jean, Angelo (April 8, 2005). "Canibus: The Invisible Man". AllHipHop. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
  4. ↑ Paine (July 15, 2003). "Canibus: A Soldier's Story". AllHipHop. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
  5. ↑ Wagenius, Emil (September 23, 2003). "Canibus Interview" at the Wayback Machine (archived December 5, 2003). TrueBallers.net. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  6. ↑ Brown, Chris (November 19, 2002). "Canibus: Fire Starter". AllHipHop. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  7. ↑ Rivera, Zayda (December 2, 2005). "SOHH Where Have You Been?: Canibus". SOHH. Retrieved April 3, 2008.
  8. 1 2 3 Kellman, Andy. "Rip the Jacker - Canibus". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  9. 1 2 3 Brown, C. (August 14, 2003). "Reviews : Rip The Jacker". AllHipHop. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  10. 1 2 3 Murphy, Kilian (April 5, 2004). "Canibus - Rip the Jacker - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  11. 1 2 Rabin, Nathan (September 16, 2003). "Rip The Jacker · Canibus". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  12. 1 2 Weiner, Jonah (August 8, 2003). "Rip the Jacker". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  13. 1 2 J-23 (August 23, 2003). "Canibus - Rip The Jacker". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  14. ↑ AJ. "Canibus - Rip the Jacker". MV Remix. Retrieved May 15, 2009.
  15. 1 2 Juon, Steve 'Flash' (September 2, 2003). "Canibus - Rip the Jacker". RapReviews. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  16. ↑ Spyce (February 24, 2008). "Canibus Review". The Situation. Archived from the original on October 11, 2003.
  17. ↑ Leroy, Dan (July 15, 2003). "Rip The Jacker" at the Wayback Machine (archived September 22, 2007). Yahoo! Music. Accessed May 31, 2010.
  18. ↑ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (December 31, 2003). "RapReviews.com Year 2003 in Review". RapReviews. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  19. ↑ Chesneau, Samuel L. (August 14–August 20, 2003). "The Hiphop Tip". The Stranger. Retrieved April 14, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Stream Spartibus Now!!". Babygrande Records. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  21. ↑ "Canibus Second 12" Single Indibisible in Stores December 2003". Babygrande Records. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
  22. ↑ "Canibus – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Canibus. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Canibus – Chart history" Billboard Independent Albums for Canibus. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Canibus – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Canibus. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Rip the Jacker - Canibus | Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
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