Rip the Jacker
| Rip the Jacker | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Canibus | ||||||||||
| Released | July 22, 2003 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||||||||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||||||||
| Length | 44:56 | |||||||||
| Label | Mic Club, Babygrande | |||||||||
| Producer | Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind | |||||||||
| Canibus chronology | ||||||||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllHipHop |   |
| AllMusic | |
| The A.V. Club | Favorable |
| Entertainment Weekly | Ambivalent |
| HipHopDX | |
| MV Remix | 8.5/10 |
| RapReviews | 10/10 |
| The Situation | 4/5 |
| Stylus Magazine | (B+) |
| Yahoo! Music | Favorable |
Rip the Jacker is the fifth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Canibus. Produced by Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind of the group Jedi Mind Tricks, the album was released on July 22, 2003, through Babygrande Records.
After the release of Canibus' album Mic Club: The Curriculum (2002), Babygrande CEO Chuck Wilson had Stoupe work on production for a follow-up to Mic Club. Canibus had recorded his lyrics to send to Stoupe before joining the United States Army and did not hear the final product until he bought a copy of the album. Taking its title from the character in the Mic Club track "Bis vs. Rip", Canibus characterizes Rip the Jacker as a concept album that sees the world through the eyes of a modern-day lyricist and poet. The album garnered acclaim from critics who praised the combination of Canibus' sharp lyricism with Stoupe's intricate production. Rip the Jacker reached number 194 on the Billboard 200, his first time on that chart since 2000 B.C. (2000). It also reached numbers 11 and 34 on the Independent Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts respectively.
After producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind of the group Jedi Mind Tricks produced the track "Liberal Arts" from Canibus' fourth album Mic Club: The Curriculum (2002), Babygrande Records CEO Chuck Wilson raised the possibility of Stoupe producing an album. Before enlisting in the United States Army, Canibus recorded his vocals before any production and then sent the a cappellas to Stoupe. Canibus claimed that he wrote the lyrics on a "stained dinner table in Hell's Kitchen". In 2003, he stated that the album consisted of his most complex rhymes to date and it "describes our civilization through the eyes of a modern day lyricist/poet". Due to his military obligations, he did not hear the songs in the final format until a week after the album's release when he purchased a copy at Best Buy. Although he released future albums, Rip the Jacker was intended to be his last. As a concept album, the record represents the third "personality" of the rapper: "Prof. Emeritus Rip The Jacker", the others being "Dr. PhD Canibus" and "Germaine Williams" (his real name). Canibus explained the alter-egos:
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