Album Review: Slaughterhouse, Welcome To: Our House (Deluxe Edition)

Slaughterhouse

Welcome to: Our House (Deluxe Edition) (to be released August 28, 2012)

On paper, Slaughterhouse should be my favorite rap group.

Take four of the most underrated yet lyrically ferocious rappers in the game today – Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, Crooked I and Royce da 5’9 – and strip away all the frills. No gimmicks, no stupid Twitter beefs or award-show antics, no skinny jeans, just four men committed to lyrical excellence. For a crotchety hip-hop fan like me, that’s like stumbling upon a gold mine.

Sadly, Slaughterhouse’s 2009 debut didn’t set a gold standard. It wasn’t bad, it just seemed a bit unfocused. But now that group has linked up with rap titan Eminem, the underdogs have become the fortunate sons. Remember their BET Hip-Hop Awards cypher? They turned the booth into Chernobyl.

That hunger is evident on Welcome to: Our House, the group’s Shady Records/Interscope Records debut. On the album’s first proper track “Our House,” their mantra rings loud and clear: “I just wanna be the illest MC/same time be as real as can be.” Royce later gives “thanks for the lunchroom tables” for honing his craft. That authenticity is as rare in hip hop as a Dr. Dre verse that hasn’t been ghostwritten.

Hip hop has gone far too long without the gritty lyricism that laid the groundwork for rap’s explosion in the ’90s. Thankfully, the Hip Hop Avengers bring it back in force. “Hammer Dance” is so grimy that you need to find the nearest abandoned warehouse, throw on a hoodie and sit in broken glass while you listen to it. “Flip A Bird” is delightfully furious as well – the crew holds nothing back as they bare all their sins on wax.

Probably the most impressive factor of the Slaughterhouse machine is that four contrasting rhyming styles are able to blend so effortlessly. Still, the album MVP award has to go to Joe Budden, who goes on an absolute tear through most tracks. He’s a human punchline dispenser on “Die” as he hilariously threatens his foes (“even his text messages will read like he’s whispering”) and Joey just steals the show on “Get Up.”

Eminem’s fingerprints are all over this album, for better or worse. While Slaughterhouse does get a chance to showcase their prowess on a larger stage, that comes with a price – in this case, the enviable songs that beg for radio spins. The good news is that the crew doesn’t dumb down their lyrics in their attempt to go mainstream. The problem arises when they try to shoehorn their grittiness into sparkly, radio-friendly packages. It just doesn’t work. The goofy “Throw That” sounds more like one of Em’s D12 songs than a Slaughterhouse track. “My Life,” with a sample of “The Rhythm of the Night” and over-the-top crooning from Cee-Lo, comes off extremely corny. And “Throw It Away” wouldn’t be half bad if we didn’t have to endure Swizz Beatz’s horrible hype man act. Swizz, PLEASE STOP RUINING SONGS. He’s got the reverse Midas touch – everything he touches turns to crap.

Thankfully we have tracks like “Goodbye” to ease that pain. Joell is especially gripping here as details the hurt, frustrations and hope of losing a loved one right as his career is taking off. See what I mean about authenticity? That’s more of what the game needs.

Be sure to cop the Deluxe Edition, which features four tracks that, honestly, should have made the album in place of the radio-pandering efforts. “Place to Be” is worth it just for this line: “Higher than a baby on a see-saw with Precious.”

If the crew wasn’t so handcuffed by commercial aspirations, Welcome to: Our House definitely would be something special. Still, Slaughterhouse’s desire is undeniable. I wish all rappers were this hungry.

Best tracks: “Hammer Dance,” “Flip A Bird,” “Our House”

4 stars out of 5