Welcome to the Afterfuture

1. 5000 Miles West of the Future

2. Airwave Hysteria

3. Planet 10

4. Takes More Than 41

5. Bladerunners

6. No. 1 St.

7. To the Moon's Contractor

8. I Feel Like $100

9. Animist

10. Red Eye to Jupiter (Starship Nigga)

11. Welcome to the Afterfuture

12. Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon

13. Feb. 4 '99 (For All Those Killed by Cops) [For All Killed by Cops]

Tracks:

5000 Miles West of the Future
Airwave Hysteria
Planet 10
Takes More Than 41
Bladerunners
No. 1 St.
To the Moon's Contractor
I Feel Like $100
Animist
Red Eye to Jupiter (Starship Nigga)
Welcome to the Afterfuture
Wipe Out on the Wave of Armageddon
Feb. 4 '99 (For All Those Killed by Cops) [For All Killed by Cops]

Customer Reviews:

It's All Confused and Beautiful.......2002-06-13

Mike Ladd is one of the best musical artists and poets ever, and this is his best album ever. The lyrics are amazing, and the underground beats and fresh samples perfectly compliment them.
This is quality entertainment and pure genius. This album is a must buy for, well, anyone. Buy it now, then tell your friends to buy it, then tell people who aren't your friends to buy it...

A good album with a different approach to Hip Hop.......2002-02-05

This album features an array of influences spanning all forms. The dominating vibe here is experimentation and the result is surprisingly good. Mike Ladd is not a traditionalist and he manages to develop an original approach to the Hip Hop art form. Most of the beats are slow and Ladd displays a penchant for spoken poetry and singing. Mike Ladd proves himself to be an intelligent wordsmith and he touches interesting and polemical subjects. However, being a great lyricist doesn't mean he is the best rapper out there, and you might find at times his flow a little monotonous.
Nevertheless, the creativity displayed on this LP is worth on its own the purchase. It is rare enough to find an album that has personality and which attempts to innovate without leaving its soul behind.
This also means that this record is probably not for the average Hip Hop fan out there, but more likely for Company Flow or Anti Pop Consortium fans.

13 Steps to Bliss..........2002-01-30

Whoa! Mike Ladd has created one of the greatest albums of the last few years. Hip-hop or otherwise. "Welcome to the Afterfuture" is a superb collection of tunes that are as diverse and inventive as anything I have ever heard, in hip-hop or any other genre.

The whole tone of the album (for me) is one of contradiction. The rhymes are easy-going yet incredibly complex. Swinging between laidback bliss to down-right angry and sometimes shifting between these two extremes within a single song... without you even noticing until it has already changed. Musically, the first few tunes sound highly reminisant of Co. Flow or Cannibal Ox with their chopped beats and scattered samples, but further in a whole range of influences become apparent. Funk, symphonic soundtracks, drum 'n' bass, trip-hop & punk (just to name a few) all make an appearance, and yet the album is well & truly Mike Ladd's own.

While "The Animist" & "Red Eye to Jupiter" certainly standout, it would be wrong to nominate some tunes over others. Mr Ladd has created a very rare thing these days. A brilliant album, that stands as an album, not just a haphazard collection of singles. Buy this album immediately, such innovation and invention deserves to be rewarded. Very highly recommended.

The real ISH!.......2001-12-17

Mike Ladd is a visionary. What other word could you use to describe someone who so effectively weds different elements to form a more perfect union(that's a gestault for you (...)). I am not saying Ladd is doing something that hasn't been done before, his cryptic, highly thematic approach to Hip Hop is what Kool Keith does and what a lot of masked artist who will remain nameless are trying to do. But Mike Ladd brings it to you with no commercial interruptions(wink, wink). Ladd is like some kind of millenialist Martin Luther nailing a declaration of righteousness on the hallowed doors of Hip Hop's cathedral(aren't some saints buried in churches?) He is preaching the science of fire and brimstone and political autonomy. His songs rarely "say" anything, but what they suggest will often leave you feeling as heady as a dirty blunt cipher session--this is music for growth... or maybe just a compeling digression.

As far as the music is concerned: No one will be getting jiggy with Ladd, which suits me and him, I'm sure, just fine. His music is like jazz fusion through a scary effects processor; he does to Hip Hop music what Hendrix did to the blues, reinterprets the context. When Mike Ladd asks, "where's my floating car, my utopia," I am reminded of Broadcast News' phrase: I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore.
No, seriously, Mike Ladd makes cowboy music for cowboys who think being a cowboy sucks. If you're tired of killing Indians, you should give Mike Ladd a try. And If you like this album, check out the INFESTICONS.

Underground Hip-Hop for the Star Trek Generation.......2001-08-10

First, I'm gonna say that I don't listen to much Hip-Hop, with the Roots, Lauryn, and a few others being the exceptions, but something just drew me to this album. Maybe it was the mood of the album. But this is something that must be listened to and experienced for anybody who truly loves music and doesn't feel like cow-towing to the mainstream. The pure musicianship that Ladd has is something that is lacked by most mainstream Hip-Hoppers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Mike shouldn't become mainstream, that's the opposite of what I am saying.

As far as the Music itself goes, this isn't for someone looking for something to bounce to in your car, at least not yet. Everything on this album is years ahead of it's time. The beats, rythem, sounds, and most importantly, the Rhymes are out of this world. The themes of future shock, paranoia, fear of change, and powerful- almost violent- idealism, will really resonate in the years to come. At least, in my opinion.

Mike Ladd may not be, may never be, the biggest star in Hip-Hop, but he's certainly going to be an influential one.

Album Review: