Monolith (Omid album)

Monolith is a studio album by American hip hop producer Omid. It was released by Mush Records on September 16, 2003.[1]

Monolith
Studio album by Omid
Released	September 16, 2003 (2003-09-16)
Genre	Hip hop
Length	60:05
Label	Mush Records
Producer	Omid
Omid chronology
Distant Drummer (2002) Monolith (2003) Afterwords 3 (2007)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Exclaim!	mixed[2]
HipHopDX	8/10[3]
Pitchfork	6.2/10[4]
PopMatters	mixed[5]
The Portland Mercury	[6]
SF Weekly	favorable[7]

Thomas Quinlan of Exclaim! wrote: "Although none of the songs on this album are bad, the rigid pattern of instrumental track then vocal track and back again becomes monotonous and breaks up the flow of the two separate entities, especially since the length of the instrumentals prevent them from being simply interludes."[2] Meanwhile, Anna Klafter of SF Weekly wrote: "This combination of instrumentals and guest rappers creates the perfect sonic balance."[7] Rollie Pemberton of Pitchfork gave the album a 6.2 out of 10, saying: "If Omid can manage to master a single style, instead of haphazardly attempting several approaches, he might yet carve his niche in the turbulent underground."[4]

The album was ranked at number 35 on CMJ's "Hip-Hop 2003" chart.[8]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Arrival/Departure"	3:57
2.	"Robert L. Ripley" (featuring Hymnal)	5:06
3.	"Up"	2:55
4.	"Live from Tokyo" (featuring Luckyiam.PSC, Slug, Aceyalone, Murs, and DJ Drez)	6:42
5.	"Sound of the Sitar"	3:27
6.	"Double Header" (featuring Buck 65)	4:45
7.	"Research"	3:09
8.	"Myth Behind the Man" (featuring Abstract Rude and 2Mex)	4:12
9.	"Speakers Hot"	3:09
10.	"I'm Just a Bill" (featuring Spoon (of Iodine))	3:26
11.	"Ripple Study"	3:44
12.	"Shock and Awe" (featuring Busdriver)	3:30
13.	"Always Being Born"	5:37
14.	"Club Apotheosis" (featuring Hymnal)	6:26

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

• Omid Walizadeh – percussion (13), production, mixing
• Hymnal – vocals (2, 14)
• Nobody – co-production (2)
• Luckyiam.PSC – vocals (4)
• Slug – vocals (4)
• Aceyalone – vocals (4)
• Murs – vocals (4)
• DJ Drez – turntables (4)
• Higo – mixing (4)
• Buck 65 – vocals (6)
• DJ Tetris – turntables (6, 8)
• Abstract Rude – vocals (8)
• 2Mex – vocals (8)
• Charmion Callon – flute (8)
• Chris Schlarb – guitar (9)
• Spoon (of Iodine) – vocals (10), co-production (10), human beatbox (10)
• Ceez – mixing (10)
• Busdriver – vocals (12)
• K. Umbra Minor – percussion (13)
• Leila – cello (14)
• David Cooley – mastering

References

1. "MH-221: Omid - Monolith". Mush Records. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
2. Quinlan, Thomas (September 30, 2003). "Omid - Monolith". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
3. J-23 (January 9, 2004). "Omid - Monolith". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
4. Pemberton, Rollie (November 18, 2003). "Omid: Monolith". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
5. Morris, David (October 22, 2003). "Omid: Monolith". PopMatters. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
6. Segal, Dave (October 2, 2003). "CD Review". The Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
7. Klafter, Anna (October 29, 2003). "Omid - Monolith". SF Weekly. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
8. "Hip-Hop Charts 2003 - The Year in Review: Hip-Hop 2003 (Covering 1/7/2003 to 12/9/2003)". CMJ New Music Report (846): 20. December 29, 2003.

External links

• Monolith at Discogs (list of releases)