Minty Fresh Beats – Jay-Z vs Radiohead – Jaydiohead Review

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[rating:78/100]

What do Radiohead and Jay-Z have in common? Well besides being critically acclaimed artists in their respective genres, not all that much. Well Max Tannone also known as Minty Fresh Beats saw something in both of their catalogues that motivated him to step up and create his own mash-up project. This isn’t the first time that we have seen Jay-Z used for a remix project. I think we can all remember the wonderful “Grey Album” where respected producer Danger Mouse mashed up the Beatles alongside Hova, and the results were astonishing. Is Minty Fresh Beats Jaydiohead project a successful mash-up of Jay-Z and Radiohead, or is another boring mash-up project put forth just to get 15 minutes of fame?

When Luis notified me of the project I was both intrigued and skeptical. I had little faith in the project because mash-up projects, especially involving Jay-Z have become more than tiresome. However, the idea of Radiohead and Jay-Z caught my attention and I went in with an open mind. I let the first track roll and all my doubts were brushed away. Instantly I could tell the project was a going to be a great success. You can tell that Minty Fresh Beats did his homework about mash-ups, and he knew a lot about both of the artist’s music. The songs worked very well, and together they transformed into their own art. These songs showed the emotion and passion of Radiohead’s music along with the slick rhymes of Jay-Z. The two compliment each other so well it’s quite a feat.

Minty Fresh starts the whole thing off with a bang. Up first is ‘Wrong Prayer’ (Pray vs. I Might Be Wrong) The woman talking over the epic Radiohead track really is really fitting playing as an introduction to the whole project letting the listeners know that this is not some gimmick. I was completely captivated and wanted to see what else the album had to offer. 99 Anthems (99 Problems vs. The National Anthem) was up next and the bass heavy Radiohead track gives Jay-Z a whole new dimension to spit on. The album shifts to a slower pace with ‘No Karma’ (No Hook vs. Karma Police) where Minty really effectively utilizes those familiar pianos alongside Jay-Z’s rhymes. As Jay-Z fades out, Yorke kicks in and it all seems to belong.

A shining moment of Jaydiohead is ‘Change Order’. He uses the wonderful Radiohead b-side ‘Gagging Order’ that proved he was more than just a fan. The guitars do wonders; I never imagined enjoying a rap over them. Jay-Z’s rap is done in a timely fashion by Minty, not overdone by pushing Yorke and the drums up in order to keep the equilibrium. That is why this album is so effective. For a moment you are able to forget that you are listening to two combined songs. That is the beauty of a successful mash-up. Two fantastic artists put together by another creating one majestic piece of ear candy,

While listening to this I was wondering why this project turned out so well. There are so many junky mash-ups, why did this one work? Put aside that both artists produce amazing music; the true reason is that Minty Fresh Beats just worked his ass off piecing together these tracks since August creating one of the freshest mash-ups in recent memory. Some tracks work better than others, but even the few stumbles are creative enough to stay enjoyable. Altogether Minty Fresh Beats did a top notch job here. He altered Radiohead’s tracks to accompany Jay-Z’s raps and it sounds natural. That is quite a feat folks. Please don’t write this off as just another mash-up. Give it a chance and you will be dragged into the world of Jaydiohead. You won’t want to leave anytime soon.

Jay-Z vs Radiohead – Change Order

Jay-Z vs Radiohead – 99 Anthems

Jay-Z vs Radiohead – Wrong Prayer

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Will Oliver is a guest-blogger here at Pretty Much Amazing. Catch up with will at We All Want Someone To Shout For.

by Will Oliver on January 12, 2009 ‡ 0 reactions