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Album Review: Joel Ortiz - House Slippers

I wouldn't say Joel Ortiz is the weakest link of Slaughterhouse, that dishonor goes to Joe Buddens. What Joel Ortiz lacks is personality. House Slippers is an album that was dedicated to giving us a look at Joe Budden. The father, the son, the artist and everything else he is. But did it deliver on those promises?

For the most part, Ortiz doesn't rap about anything ground breaking and his lyrical content isn't necessarily anything to write home about. Ortiz shines in the fact that he can just rap. He's a good rapper, you just want to hear him because it's good. Similar to how nobody understands what Ghostface is talking about, but it's good. He's good at selecting instrumentals and he delivers a consistent flow that fits in every situation on the album.

But what is Ortiz talking about? Ortiz claimed that House Slippers was him coming to terms with who he was as a person. He didn't care what people heard because he could live with. I'm glad he's comfortable with it. House Slippers paints a picture of a man who really doesn't seem to know who is, no matter how much he says it. Ortiz paints himself as; a momma's boy, a kid who really wants his dad, an independent man who doesn't need anyone, the best drug dealer in the world, someone who doesn't want to sell drugs, a man surrounded by a family full of love, an introvert with nobody around him, a ladies man, a pacifist, and a fighter. The point is instead of House Slippers, he should have named it House Shopping.

That's not to say it's a bad album. It's just conflicting. He said in multiple interviews he wanted a picture of where he was now, and he painted a picture of a confused kid and a confused kid. Early on he states fighting is pointless, later he let's us know he could be in the hood robbing people right now. Joell, you're confused. You're confusing me.

My favorite track on the album is "My Brother's Keeper," but that doesn't count because it's basically a Slaughterhouse song. I'd also nominate "Music Saved My Life." It's a good song, not just for a single but a good song. It manages to paint a picture of the album. I'd also like to give him bonus points for making B.O.B. remember that he isn't a trap rapper. Another nomination is the song "Phone," It shows just how good Ortiz is as a story teller. However, it does make me realize something. Joell Ortiz raps in 3rd person a lot. He does it throughout the album. You only realize it when he says something like "That's how I was when I was a kid." So when Ortiz starts to tell a story you have to wait until the song is over to figure out if it was about him or somebody else.

I don't have a least favorite song. Like I said, Joell is consistent. It's either a stand out song or you say "Oh, that's just Ortiz." That's not necessarily a bad thing. There isn't a lot of contrast throughout the album so everything flows nicely from track to track.

So I didn't come in with high hopes for this album. I wasn't blown away. I was somewhat impressed with how consistent Ortiz is as a solo artist. I keep saying consistent but that's what he is. You'll either love it, deal with it or hate it. It's not the type of music that's going to just make someone a fan on the first time hearing. It's something you can listen to but it's not going to be your favorite album. It's not going to make you laugh and cry, but it's there. He's not going to blow you away but he'll always be there.

You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts



Darrell S.

Hey, I write stuff, a lot of different stuff, that's all.

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