White People

by Handsome Boy Modeling School

Overview

Five years after their rightfully revered debut, So...How's Your Girl?, brainiac producers Prince Paul and Dan the Automator return with Handsome Boy Modeling School's a-little-too-smug sophomore release, White People. Like the title, a good third of the album feels too forced. Another third is fair, but the remainder is stunning -- mostly song-based and mostly nonirreverent. Tim Meadows' "The Ladies Man" character and a bunch of narration from Modeling School Central keeps the Handsome Boy concept going, but it's a concept that could carry one album, not two (also of note: "The Ladies Man"'s appearances are often tacked right onto the end of tracks, making the album more difficult to whittle down to a concise mixtape). Minus Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Casual, the rappers on White People sound too aware of their surroundings, too mannered. The mega-talented Pharrell Williams' contribution to "Class System" could have been carried off by anyone, so that leaves it up to people from the pop and rock realm to really bring it to the table. They do, with solid songs that could exist outside of Handsome Boy's heavy-with-concept world. Expect Jamie Cullum and John Oates' pop-solid "Biggest Mistake" to show up on a Christina Aguilera album sometime soon, while Cat Power's track is so well formed you have to wonder what the reaction will be when a Handsome Boy fan encounters one of her indie, skeletal, and spent early albums. Sounding like Paul Simon for the hoody generation, Jack Johnson's "Breakdown" is a surprising success, but just as surprising is that the genre-hopping, always risk-taking Mike Patton can't find the spark. Bringing reminders of a better track on a better album, "Rock & Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This), Pt. 2" is the album's problem in one song. Jumping from one style to another, the song never digs in like How's Your Girl's "Part 1," since ambition overtakes reason and cleverness overtakes everything. There's a killer EP worth of tracks strewn among the album and more than a few signs that Dan and Paul still got it. Stuck trying to re-create the daring excitement, Handsome Boy Modeling School turn in an album that's half as interesting as their debut, and half as interesting as their guest list. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	07/09/2021
Label:	Tommy Boy
UPC:	0016998517413
Rank:	17340

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Handsome Boy Modeling School   Primary Artist
Tim Meadows   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Jazzy Jay   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Grand Wizard Theodore   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
DJ Q-Bert   Primary Artist,Scratching,Featured Artist
Rahzel   Primary Artist,Beat Box,Featured Artist
Alex Kapranos   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
A.G.   Primary Artist
Chester Bennington   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Neelam   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
The Mars Volta   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Starchild Excalibur   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Hines Buchanan   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Jamie Cullum   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Julee Cruise   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Mike Shinoda   Primary Artist,Bass,Piano,Guitar,Featured Artist
Del the Funky Homosapien   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Cat Power   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background)
John Oates   Primary Artist,Guitar,Featured Artist
Father Guido Sarducci   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Mike Patton   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Pharrell Williams   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
De La Soul   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Dres   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Casual   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Barrington Levy   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Jack Johnson   Primary Artist,Kazoo,Guitar,Ukulele,Featured Artist
RZA   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Lord Finesse   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Knock   Primary Artist
Mike Shonoda   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Starchild   Primary Artist
Jazzy   Primary Artist
El-P   Guest Artist,Vocals
Franz Ferdinand   Guest Artist
Paula Frazer   Vocal Harmony
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez   Guitar
Merlo Podlewski   Bass
Kid Koala   Scratching
Chino Moreno   Guitar,Vocals
Adam Topol   Percussion
Rob Swift   Scratching
Dan the Automator   Violin
Astacio The Nudist   Guitar
Sean Martin   Guitar
F. Sean Martin   Guitar
AG   Featured Artist
Omar Rodriguez   Guitar
Good Hygiene   Featured Artist
Jim Greer   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Dan the Automator   Audio Production,Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Prince Paul   Audio Production,Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Teren Jones   Composer
Andre Barnes   Composer
Chester Bennington   Composer
Alex Kapranos   Composer
Jack Johnson   Composer
Barrington Levy   Composer
Starchild Excalibur   Performer
Hines Buchanan   Performer
Ed Scratch   Engineer
Jazzy   Performer
Josh Haden   Composer
Robert Hall   Composer
Julee Cruise   Composer
Pharrell Williams   Composer
Ryan Castle   Assistant Engineer
Robert Diggs   Composer
Rahzel   Beats
Cedric Bixler-Zavala   Composer
Mike Shinoda   Composer
Mike Patton   Composer
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez   Composer
Dan Nakamura   Composer
Andre "Dres" Titus   Composer
Kelvin Mercer   Composer
Chino Moreno   Composer
John Oates   Composer
Jon DeBaun   Engineer
Jonathan Owens   Composer
Mario Caldato, Jr.   Engineer
Howie Weinberg   Mastering
Chan Marshall   Composer
Mike Caren   A&R
Terry Richardson   Photography
Dave Jolicoeur   Composer
Colin Miller   Logo Design
Gregory Burke   Design
Paul Huston   Composer
Jaime Meline   Composer
Anita Marisa Boriboon   Art Direction
Roberto Fantauzzi   Photo Production
Jamie Durr   Mixing Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Andre "007" Barnes   Composer
Leslie Lessen   Stylist
Chris Palko   Composer
Omar Rodriguez   Composer
Alex Kirzhner   Design
Andres Titus   Composer
Mario Caldato   Engineer