2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus) | ||||
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Studio album by Canibus | ||||
Released | July 18, 2000 | |||
Recorded | 1999–2000 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 55:51 | |||
Label | Universal | |||
Producer |
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Canibus chronology | ||||
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Singles from 2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus) | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 60/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
The A.V. Club | Favorable |
Entertainment Weekly | D |
NME | 6/10 |
RapReviews | 8/10 |
Rolling Stone | |
SonicNet | 2/5 |
Vibe | Unfavorable |
Wall of Sound | 71/100 |
2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus) is the second studio album by rapper Canibus, released on July 18, 2000 through Universal Records.
Considered to have been a significant improvement over his debut album, Can-I-Bus, 2000 B.C. featured multiple record producers and greater differentiation. On the title track, Canibus blames the commercial failure of his first album on the bland beats by Wyclef Jean whom he severed ties with to team up with various producers, ranging from Ty Fyffe to Irv Gotti. Allegedly, rapper Eminem was to be featured on the track "Phuk U", but turned down the offer.
Universal Records was reportedly underwhelmed by sales of the second release (the album was bootlegged heavily before the release), and the label's contract with Canibus was terminated following the release of 2000 B.C. The album's only charting single was "Mic-Nificent", which peaked at number 23 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.
2000 B.C. received mixed reviews from music critics, calling it an improvement over his debut album but still found problems with Canibus' lack of engaging topics, monotonous flow and subpar production. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 60, based on 9 reviews.
Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews praised the album's production for its bass-heavy underground approach and Canibus' lyrics for containing more vile and vitriol than his debut's pop rap content, saying that, "As a whole this sophomore album is easily as good or better than the first, but whether this will satisfy the people who've already written off Canibus is still anyone's guess." Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club, despite finding the production uneven, the featured guests lacking lyrically and the use of a song structure missing, praised Canibus for lacing the songs by amplifying his battle-rapping style with imaginative content, saying that he "invests his rhymes with such dark humor, vivid imagery, and controlled passion that his lack of thematic ambition is forgivable." Wall of Sound's Jackie McCarthy praised the production for being subtle and using samples sparingly and Canibus' lyrical content, concluding that, "If 2000 B.C. is Canibus' attempt to rewrite his own musical history, erasing his missteps with LL Cool J and Wyclef, it'll be interesting to see who his next target will be."