@TravMoody
There’s a few things you must understand before jumping into the goods of this review: 1.) Both the artist, Mr. Lif, and yours truly are Massholes (i.e. residents of the state of Massachusetts), 2.) The former Def Jukie is one of the most relevant hip-hop lyricists to #GeekSwag, known for spitting sociopolitical raps with a sci-fi twist, 3.) Thus, I will do my very best to not show any bias throughout my disection of Lif’s Mello Music Group debut. Uh-oh–it didn’t take long: Don’t Look Down is dope! Seriously, Lif’s first album in seven years sounds like something that someone would thought-provokingly bust out after seven years of being mind-locked away.
Part concept, part personal, this felicitously swift 10-track joint was purely meant for the playback button, as Lif takes listeners through an intense, personal (“Everyday We Pray”) and turbulent journey (“The Abyss”) that comes up freshly elated (“Mission Accomplished” with fellow Beantown Perceptionists, emcee Akrobatik and producer/deejay Fakts-One) — and even relaxed (“Let Go”, featuring the soothing, hotel deck croons of Selina Carrera)…
Perhaps the most important note of this new chapter in Lif’s life is that he’s no longer just a hungry emcee; as evidenced by “A Better Day”, an optimistic, spiritual vibe you’d never hear during his grand tenure with Def Jux. Yeah–although the album starts off with the city-grind murder tale, “Pounds of Pressure” — where our pistol-packing hero has no choice but to Avenge as a multi-layered, PTSD-broken Frank Castle drowning in Hell’s Kitchen (“The power of Thor/ It hopes to execute without a flaw”) — the majority of Don’t Look Down doesn’t.
Production is also a highpoint of Don’t Look Down. You can tell each track was meticulously crafted to fit Mr. Lif’s varying level of energy. When he toes back, synths purr along to elegant strings and enchanting organs; when he doubles up the flow, drums clash and shift up to the rhythm. There’s a great assortment of sci-fi beams, funky horns, moody bass and ragga percussion too, as no two tracks sound alike or all that disparate, either. Edan‘s “Whizdom” might sound like something out of the left field; but the dusty drums, hallucinating echoes, and pulsating organs form like Vultron. Of course the review won’t go without mentioning its empirical, “World Reknown” #GeekSwag moment: A Lif “designed with an iron mind” showcases that he and the legendary Del the Funky Homosapien will force those to “see the raw then leave in awe/ Part men-part meteor”. Point blank, Mr. Lif delivers a long-awaited comeback record that not only rivals his 2002 magnum-opus, I Phantom, but also one worthy of every jaded, true hip-hop head’s attention. Hope, my friends, is here. 4/5 Bibles.
@TheBelser
What up, peoples? Its your boi The Belser, here to help the masses fulfill sonic enlightenment. Today’s choice: The Diary, the latest posthumous album based on the music of James Yancey–better known to the world as J Dilla. My first exposure to Dilla was through my best friend who hooked me up with a shitload of music. One in particular was the 2007 album Jay Loves Japan, which instantly hooked me to Jay Dee and I’ve been on the look-out for his stuff ever since.
Due to an unfortunate chronic blood disease, Dilla left us one year earlier but–of course–his music lives on. Case in point, this “lost” album consists of tracks Dilla rhymed over as far back as 2002. With that, he only produced 3 cuts on The Diary (“The Anthem” with longtime collaborators Frank n Dank and “Give Them What They Want”), leading to a far different overall musical tone; one more even and mellow than we’re accustomed to from Dilla and, quite obviously, one not as bass-heavy as today’s music…
In addition to the big name guest producers like Hi-Tek, Bink and Pete Rock, this also the first Dilla posthumous album to have accompanying vocals (Nottz, Bogie, Kenny Wray and Bilal). My personal favorite track, however, is “Trucks”–also produced by Dilla–using a hypnotic sample of the Gary Numan 80’s hit “Cars”. Other favorites include “The Shining (Part 1 and 2)”, produced by Nottz and Madlib, respectively, and Dilla’s perhaps first foray into West Coast Gangsta Rap with “Gangsta Boogie”, featuring Kokane and Snoop Dogg. No doubt, The Diary is an album for fans of true hip-hop, not the pop garbage out today. 4/5 Detroit Diaries.
@ShawnPuffy
With 12 albums (solo and collab) since 2002, Royce 5’9” is never in short supply. Since his last solo project in 2011, he’s been in the supporting role teaming up with the likes of Eminem for the Bad Meets Evil album in 2011 as well as Shady XV in 2014, Joe Budden, Joel Ortiz and Crooked I for Slaughterhouse’s second album, Welcome to: Our House and, most recently, his long time compadre, DJ Premier to form and record PRhyme’s self-titled album in 2014. Since then, Royce has been working on his sixth solo project. Yet–as much as he’s known for his versatility and ability to adapt and fit into any group–Nickel-Nine hasn’t landed that great solo album to date.
Royce put it all on the table this time around. From big name features to entertaining skits, he followed the classic formula and Layers has all of the pieces of a hit rap album. However, he comes up short once again. Don’t get me wrong: Layers has its share of standouts, since the emcee’s versatility can often blow your mind; other times, you’re left feeling his song is just missing.. something. Royce does nail the first single off the LP (and the only song also featured on the pre-album mixtape–which I didn’t care much for–Trust the Shooter), “Tabernacle”. This deeply personal, nearly spiritual joint tells the story of his son being born on the 5th and his grandmother dying on the 9th floor of the same hospital on the same day. (5th and 9th? Maybe there’s more to 5, 9 than his height.) Another highlight is “Misses”, featuring K Young, where Royce talks about how hard it is to maintain a healthy marriage due to his life as a rapper.
But then here comes that infamous battle with mainstream listens (or is it IG “likes” now?). From one meaningful song to the next, listeners get slammed with “Dope!”, a track about…what else? Sellin’ dope and kickin it with a side-piece. Another issue is that Layers is too long; it’s never as good as the initial, albeit blindly-excited listen. Most tracks come off overly-wordy and are just missing something. Some emcees know how to spit; some know hoe to make good songs. “Shine” is a perfect example of a joint almost too painful to listen to. Overall, I give Royce an A for effort, but a C for execution, so let’s hope his 7th solo dish coming (hopefully) later this year, The Book of Ryan, can peel back those Layers and smother them. 3/5 Bibles.
@scarletdadspidr
**Guest Contributor**
Which side are you on? Old school, where the current state of rap needs to return to its roots? Or with the more abstract rap structure of the millennials? Well, kids, leave it to the great J-Zone to settle the the never-ending generational debate. “There is only two types of music. Good & Bad. So make good music. Or. Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” Always the comedian, the Queens MC/producer career launched to many an eager underground ear in ’99, with his wonderful ability to spin sassy, almost Disney-tuned loops upside down, while flowing facetious goodies on such classics like Music For Tu Madre and Pimps Don’t Pay Taxes.
But let’s eat up some Fish-N-Grits. After retiring from rap (and appearing slightly jaded and disgruntled about his on-and-off romance with rap on the doc-you-need-to-see, Adult Rappers), J-Zone’s 10th album proves he can still do this, putting out the same grit as a starving artist. And to no surprise, the first song, “Time For A Crimewave”, has the New York native coming out swinging at the music industry, touching on Iggy Azalea as a product of the industry, and even Dre’s heavy reliance on George Clinton for his hits.
Along with sketches (an element Zone always excelled at), there are instrumental tracks with original samples, and even a turn at breakbeat drumming. It’s quite obvious, the live drums on this record help make this one stand out from any of his previous efforts, hitting just as hard as anything with a vocal on it. “Dreamcrusher”, my favorite track on FNG, is an unrelenting anti-music industry blast; while J-Zone gets honest on a jarring level for naive rappers in “Go Back To Sellin’ Weed”. The 15 track LP also features longtime Old Maid Billionaire Al-Shid and Has-La. In all, Fish-N-Grits will bring funk, heart and heat. It will open some eyes (through ears), and awaken a feeling we all universally share for rap and The Rap Squeegeemen. “Burning bridges is the cost of doing business”. 4.25/5 Fish-N-Bibles.