Selling Live Water

1. Baddest Poet

2. Shoot the Messenger

3. Salt on Everything

4. I Hope You Like My Stupid Painting

5. Respect, Pt. 3

6. Tokyo

7. Plutonium

8. Sebago

9. Slow, Cold Drops

10. Pawn in the Game, Pt. 1

11. Pawn in the Game, Pt. 2

12. Priziest Horse

13. Teepee on a Highway Blues

14. Selling Live Water

15. Ode to the War on Terrorism

Selling Live Water,Sole,Anticon,Alternative Rap,Pop,Rap & Hip-Hop,Underground Rap

Average customer rating:

Enough with False Hip-Hop

One of a kind

Amazing Production, So so Raps

Pretentious B*tches

Are you people kidding us??

Selling Live Water
Sole
Manufacturer: Anticon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Live from Rome

Bottle of Humans

Other Side of the Looking Glass

Hope

No Music

ASIN: B00006L3YZ
Release Date: 2003-01-21

Customer Reviews:

Enough with False Hip-Hop.......2006-07-07

I'm starting to really get fed up with this targeted for whitey pseudo-intellectual music being praised as "true hip-hop." Sorry, this pile of manure, along with Sage Francis, Aesop, Atmosphere,and the bulk of Def Jux and Anticon, are NOT hip-hop. Hip hop has lyrical FLOW and a beat that FLOWS. Most of these new pseudo-rappers whine and moan trying to sound "tortured" or "angry" and forget to construct any kind of rhythym or flow to their verses. I guess rhyming, clever metaphors, or punchlines don't exist in this new world of "true hip-hop." I classify this crud as "Emo Rap." Not hip-hop.

You want to hear something intellectual, innovative, with flow, great beats, and lyrical skill try Edan's Beauty and the Beat. Now THAT is a skilled emcee.

Guys like sole are only getting praise since they happen to be targeting spoiled white suburban kids, which have never been into hip-hop, an untapped market.

I don't care that this stuff is popular, but DO NOT continue to call this "underground hip-hop" as it is nothing in the least bit close to it.

One of a kind.......2006-01-07

Sole's album "Selling Live Water" is perhaps one of the most unconventional, original works of hip-hop that the genre has seen in recent times. It is filled with some of the most thought-provoking lyrics over unique, wholly personalized instrumentals. The beauty of this album arises from the very aspects which most people criticize, Sole's lyrics and delivery. It is admittedly not a style that everyone will like, a far cry from a traditional style of rap. Further, the daunting task of discerning his lyrics is made doubly frustrating by the depth and conciousness with which he speaks. However, any listener with the patience to clearly hear and/or read the lyrics will find the effort more than worthwhile. It is in the verses of "Plutonium" and "The Priziest Horse" that I find even the word 'poetic' fails to do justice to the creativity of his lines. There are very few albums whose presentation constantly leaves me in awe and whose insights/candidness always leaves me deep in thought. During almost every repeated listen, I hear a new line, find a new meaning, or discover a new aspect of beauty in this music.

With that said, this album will not immediately suit everyone's taste; yes, it took a spin or two to grow on me and, yes, some tracks may remain skippable after many tries. I suggest listening to "Respect Pt. 3" and "Pawn in the Game Pt. 2" as two of the more traditional tracks on the album. After that, do give this album an open-minded chance and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Amazing Production, So so Raps.......2005-01-14

I would giv this record a 5 if i loved the rapping, which is ok, but kindof hard to understand and very mumbled at times. The AMAZING thing about this record is the prodution!!! The beats are all thick and super warm. The samples and music on all of these songs are very unique, creative, and have alot of feeling. Alot of hip hop/rap songs dont really go anywhere musically, have a great beat, but just have the same music and beat throughout the entire song, but not on here. Most of the songs start out with a really basic, simple beat that progresses into heavier beats, dark bass lines and Radiohead'esque keyboard and guitar samples.

I love the music on this record, but i feel like it totally outshines the voice and the rapping, making the vocals just seem like something you have to put up with to be able to enjoy the tunes.

Pretentious B*tches.......2005-01-12

Man, all these cats are reprinting their own bad reviews for each sole album and posting them just to bring down the rating. I'm sure if they had a little talent they'd find something better to do with their time. Look, I love traditional hip hop and I love this innovative stuff. This music is what it is, take it or leave it. The words are very good but very unorthodox. Much of Sole's stuff doesn't even rhyme, or rhymes in unusual places. Sole is doing his own thing and I doubt he cares in the slightest what his critics say.

Are you people kidding us??.......2004-10-19

Reading reviews for "Selling Live Water", my cynical opinion for individuals' lack of critical thinking is constantly being fueled. When people complain about music from Sole, it's usually to convey their opinion that it's too simple (stating he doesn't rhyme his lyrics), or that he is some parading pseudo-intellectual. Both assumptions are ****ing ridiculous. What I feel people are omitting to realize here is that music is the canvass, distress is the expression, and art is the result. He's not trying to be overly intelligent, nor feels the brevity to rhyme every sentence. When you buy a Sole album, what you are getting is basically the journal of a man expressed with a hip hop subtext (hip hop beats, flowing lyrics, etc). It's all opinions here. Sole's may be arrogant and mine may be no more significant than the naysayers--whatever. If you consider yourself too intellectually superior (therefore, hypocritical) to respect this music, you should stick to your MP3 bootleg Noam Chomsky speeches. If you consider this inferior due to lack of rhyming sentences, you should stick to public radio. Another note is that reviewers here assume Sole "can't" rhyme sentences because he ignores the implied notion to, which is incorrect. It's not lack of `ability', it's lack of unnecessary purpose. With that said, time to review the album.

"Selling Live Water" in my opinion is an excellent album. In a simplified analogy, it carries the torch that "Bottle Of Humans" lit. When listening to this album you should expect nothing more than the conveyance of one man's journalistic ramblings over hip hop beats. Starting with "Da Baddest Poet", which has the best beat of the album, and lyrics, as a white male, I can partially relate to. It gets my vote for best of show. "Respect, Pt. 3" is another song with the same formula and result: great beat + great lyrics = great song. "The Priziest Horse" has a great beat and lightening fast flow from Sole along with a looped trumpet that at first deterred me, but I eventually came to bear. "Tokyo" emits an atmospheric sound that is just beautiful, and as usual, Sole is on point. Some other minor notes go to "Selling Live Water" with music that sounds optigan laced; "Sebago" is another song with just an amazing beat; and "Shoot The Messenger" has an even balance of great production and lyrics.

Overall, this is a stellar release. And to end this, rather than tell you what you should think of Sole's lyrics, I'll leave you with a verse from "The Priziest Horse" to demonstrate what you should expect and analyze how you please.

"Shaking the hands that never trembles and always land on my feet.
At this present elevation, I can't see past my feet.
Between God's bald spots where the sky stops I'm one of the Earth's latest gallstones despite all the America going on, it's all Rome.
Go get unstuck, don't lose sleep 'til you cant find solace in the fact that you can barely control yourself.
Let alone we're all tied down; since our wings got clipped, and lately can't sing enough in the party that never ends, 'cause no one knows how to clean up the mess.
What's up with all the gags?
Everyone around me has these holes drilled through 'em and someone on the other side is trying to figure it out.
Dying to be someone, killing to be recognized as something that you're not.
Well since we're all so into introductions, don't forget your names
Since you love yourself so much, keep it away from me.
'Cause I've baked under artificial lights with artificial girls and that sinking feeling there's someone sleeping inside my sleepless body.
Quit playing kid games with your old tongue 'til you can find someone to buy future epiphanies from.
Here's one:
I live in the city and leave everything alone, yesterday it was all TV
After all is said and done, we barely have memories so I write what I feel.
Sue me if it's empty
Imagine that, I'm barely human, I'm barely human.."

-Second verse, "The Priziest Horse"

In clear contrast: this isn't your convential hip hop music, if you even considered hip hop.