10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 16, 2003 ARTS Production values, rhythms only positives of new Diplomats album By Joseph Litman Daily Arts Writer MUSIC REVIEW **I "Cam's bettin' the house on me" declares Juelz Santana on Diplomat- ic Immunity's "Ground Zero." So given that disclo- sure, don't be sur- prised to see The Cam'ron out on Diplomats the streets soon. Diplomatic Juelz, much like Immunity the other Diplo- mats - Cam, Roc-a-fella Records Jimmy Jones and Freeky Zeeky - doesn't flow well, and Immunity is a showcase of impressive production, horrible rhyming and amazing stupidity that would be funnier were it not obvious that the Diplomats thoroughly buy into all the drivel that so readily flows out of their mouths. The album's glorification of the asinine commences from its outset, "Un Casa," a song on which a character of the same name shouts out "Taliban, bitch." Absolutely stunning. From there, the record's verses never improve as the nuggets of ignorance pile up, and many listeners may grow frustrated knowing that a major label actually allowed this album's creation and dissemination. Through the persistent shouts to the Dip Set Taliban, incessant boasts about preeminent drug slangin', and moronic invocations of the 9/11 tragedy, the Diplomats redefine "vacuous" and "worthless." Their preoccupation with Sept. 11 is almost offensive given the meaning- less context they construct around the subject. Such lyrical ineptitude is also unworthy of the fine beats that the Diplomats "rhyme" over. A sample- driven double album, Immunity gets excellent productions from a smatter- ing of producers including Roc-a- fella standbys Kanye West and Just Blaze and newer beatsmiths like Heatmakerz. The wide sampling of beat makers lends the record a varied tone, something necessary given this release's bloated track listing. Unmis- takably, the LP should have been a single disc, yet the extended length allows listeners to hear all manners of sample styles, from the rock of "Built This City" to the soul of "Who I Am." The production display can be engaging, and among the better beats are Spike n' Jamahl's "Ground Zero," Hiroshima's "The First" and the Heatmakerz's "Dip Set Anthem." The puerile Diplomats habitually ruin such fine beats, though. "I Love You" epitomizes this problem, and those who pay attention to Juelz on the track will invariably shake their heads having heard one of the worst recorded verses in some time: He doesn't actually rhyme and common- ly addresses that problem by using the same word repeatedly. At the beginning of this record, Cam and Casa waste studio time incessantly asking each other "What's really good?" By the album's conclusion, it's clear that the answer is the record's beats, but not the Diplomats. t How can you forget what game you're playing when the title is on the screen so much? WHAT'S YOUR FREQUENCY? 'AMPLITUDE' LATEST GREAT PS2 CREATION By Adam Rottenberg Daily Arts Writer VIDEOGAME REVIEW ****I Sony has unleashed the next great PS2 game, "Ampli- tude," the sequel to the hit "Frequency." Sony Computer Entertainment reworked the gameplay and tweaked it into a game that not only defines what its genre should try to do but A transcends it. Music/rhythm games Amplitude have tended to be niche titles at PS2 best, with "PaRappa the Rapper" Sony Computer and "Dance Dance Revolution" as Entertainment noticeable exceptions. However, the ingenuity and entertainment found in "Amplitude" sets the game apart from its competitors. "Amplitude" enables players to build their own music tracks from over 20 licensed songs. Following small cir- cles on the screen, the player shoots the circles using the PS2's shoulder buttons, and jumps from track to track in, an attempt to build the entire song. If the bass and drum lines are built, they will continue to play, enabling the player to move onto another part of the song like the vocals or guitar. Power-ups help to make the process easier, but as the difficulty increases, the patterns become harder to fol- low and the choice in attacking the song affects the score. Because of the different difficulty settings and the various ways in which to build each song, the one-player game offers a lot of replay value. Graphically, "Amplitude" is one of the most unique looking titles on PS2. The images are surreal and the colors are vivid, but these visuals can cause a distraction from the main gameplay. The audio is outstanding, fea- turing the music of such diverse artists as Weezer, Blink 182, Run DMC, }avid Bowie and Papa Roach among numerous others. Also, the building of the tracks causes only certain parts of the song to be audible creating interesting musical variations. While "Amplitude" is a great one-player game, the true strength lies in its multi-player modes. It offers vari- ous options of versus and cooperative play and, like its predecessor, features online play. As one of the few PS2 titles to incorporate online capabilities, it is truly worth getting. The game may be confused for a glorified ver- sion of the old "Simon," but it really is something far more complex and entertaining. "Amplitude" is more than just a genre title, and stands as one of the best games released forPlaystation 2. I I . I As an engineer in the U.S. Air Force, there's no telling what you'll work on. (Seriously, we can't tell you.) Starting Monthly Rate Weekly rates from: $200 Daily rates from: $40 (minimum 3 day stay required) Polytechnic University's 400-bed Othmer Residence Hall has seventeen floors of modern dormitory living arrangements. There are data, voice and cable television ports throughout the building. The residence hall also includes a study room, a health office, student lounges, laundry facilities, and storage space. If you are going to be in New York City this summer, please consider staying with us for a week, a month or the entire summer. Groups are welcome. II\ _ . mm . - -A _ l nie 1 O. 1M -A m - -. 1 A .2 United States Air Force applied technology is years ahead of what you'll touch in the private sector, and as a new engineer you'll likely be involved at the ground level of new and sometimes classified developments. You'll begin leading and managing within this highly respected group from day one. Find out what's waiting behind the scenes for you in the Air Force today. To request more information, call 1-800-423-USAF or log on to airforce.com.