Lavoe Revolt

THE REAL OF 2011

2012-01-12T04:26:00.000-08:00

It’s all like Gunset Park history made a moment for me to Sunset. Walking down to the Music Center we still calling Major’s Video. At the near corner of 48th and 5th to look for the real for hours. Maybe a Kenny Dope mixtape if the albums out just too west coast. 808s and hand clap snares won’t go if it’s popped up. A digger of young means still hoping all the credits list like The Main Ingredient. Orale! It seems like there’s always been boots in the bakery where niggas stomp dough and leave with the cake. And the pastry puppet pigs pop up to slow down the yeast of the mere Sunseteer working for honest bread. Adelante! This is the cipher I’m from and those beats and rhymes been a sedative of truth and comfort through Every Negative Environment Manipulating Your Mindz. From the most high Ras there are scores for those who go into the worst Wors. How many in Sunset and beyond can build and not get smoked or be supreme master of their cipher?…

Years and years later, the Real cannot be less important. Only more so. So I share the tracks I go in with, not just telling but some understanding to enjoy the discourse of like and dislike and have some history of this music that might help its future.

EPs

Kevlaar 7 – Who Got the Camera?

The most timely relevant work of the year. It came with Black consciousness, revolution and real MCing just before all the sparked uprisings in Egypt and the Western side of the world and all the Occupy movements. Kevlaar uses beds from producers and added verses from guests world wide as a truly dynamically crafted short album, the ideal EP, that preludes his debut, Die Ageless.

Full review here: http://lavoerevolt.blogspot.com/2011/03/kevlaar-7-who-got-camera-ep-review.html

Hasan Salaam – Music Is My Weapon

A great prelude to his 3rd solo LP, Life In Black And White, this EP also supports a righteous cause 100 percent.

Full Review here: http://www.lavoerevolt.blogspot.com/2012/01/hasan-salaam-music-is-my-weapon-ep.html

Planet Asia & Madlib - Cracks In the Vinyl

Except for Madlib’s “Boiler makers,” Planet Asia’s Crack Belt Theatre LP released last January had average beats that provoked average battle rhymes. When the backing is right, Planet Asia builds heavy. This 14 minute EP reminds us that the right beatmaker (i.e. DJ Muggs and the resultant Pain Language classic LP in 2008) is all PA needs. Up next for Asia is his Black Belt Theatre album where he has chosen some quality beatmakers (i.e. Khryis, Oh No). Madlib shared more quality Medicine Show LPs as we await the new Madvillainy album.

Bambu – DJ Muggs x Bambu – Los Angeles, Phillipines &

Diamond Supply Co EP

Walk Into A Bar (w/Prometheus Brown aka Geologic of Blue Scholars)

Bambu, my Brown Filipino brother, was the best live performer I saw this year. Knowledged at the last stop of the Cinematropolis tour, he didn’t have any consciousness with the crossover for the blanquitos in the crowd. The breaks fired and he fuckin went in on every last savage, devil and system oppressor with vigor, clever songwriting delivered clear and furious. His tracks are often filled with timely 808’s and that west coast funk but the verses are the timeless component.

Undeniable – Black Market Artists

Reppin’ Crown City, Queens, Omnipotent (O7) and Sinnagi are rugged slow flowers who continue to improve as they do with this 7 track EP with the highlight of “Gotham.” With a backlog of classics like “Blue Bacon” and personally hearing some of their new material that actually dwarfs this material, this EP is a proper hype of greatness coming.

Mixtape Albums

Skyzoo – The Great Debater

Skyzoo’s original material mixtape features the beat styles of the day for much of it. It doesn’t feature anything close to the rhymes of the day. Skyzoo has the stylings of BK Hood Rich with a fluidity and wordplay dexterity that is astronomical in its ability. His 100 plus bars on “The Definitive Prayer” is one of the classic songs of the year. He is one of the few young MCs reaching a prime where he is already a great talent and has the potential to create a complete classic album.

Elzhi – Elmatic

Elzhi is the other young MC out in Detroit with the same forecast as Skyzoo. Elmatic is overrated in the sense that paraphrasing Illmatic cleverly and having wonderful live renditions of the Ilmmatic beats doesn’t come close to the superior work Elzhi deserved this type of credit for. His solo debut The Preface, largely produced by Black Milk, was near perfect while Elmatic is just free throws if you’re really listening. One track not paraphrased is “Genesis,” as it was never rhymed on by NaS and his complex crafting is evident “My punchlines knock niggas the fuck out/Still earn block figures, cop triggers and duck droughts” of his internal rhyme gifts.” A beast on the mic paying homage to the legends, Detroit stays reppin the right state of mind.

Immortal Technique – The Martyr

My man Tech really is this militant. He didn’t learn how to occupy, do activism or be militant from Zuccotti Park. He believes in everything he spits and spits everything with intense fury. The diversity here is better than most quality albums we’re being charged for. It ranges from the rugged revolutionary declaration on the title track, the comically clever "Rich Man's World (1%)" versed through the eyes of the devils in power, the beauty of the Original woman on “Natural Beauty” and the ill collabos with Chuck D, Dead Prez and Vinnie Paz to name just three. His flow shows elevation on “Eyes in the Sky” rolling over the Southpaw track, who did the majority of the work here. The insights on Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy movements worldwide is timely and useful. As Tech instructs, “your responsibility is to burn this for every muthafucka that you know.” Use that shit. You scared? You playin wit it. Use that.

Nitty Scott, MC – Cassette Chronicles

- Doobies x Popsicle Sticks

Nitty Scott is one of the best new MCs of today. Her beauty, youth and vocal flow has such an 1989 vibe that she literally seems beyond her time. The Boricua Morena has a growing dexterity and as revealed a wonderfully rigid adherence to the principles of keeping it real by keeping it right. With Cassette Chronicles, tracks like her version of “Deep Cover” and Gang Starr’s “Work” really reveal more than flow but a cleverness to willingly represent the female. She also reveals lyrical intimacy in telling her story on “Here I Am.”

The Hardcore

The Hardcore always deserves special mention particularly when the snare coffin is getting so many bodies. The Wu-Tang Clan and Fam still represent in their 3rd decade with a quality compilation, Legendary Weapons. The project really has excellent verses particularly from RZA, Ghostface KIllah and the amazing comeback from Killa Sin. Cappadonna’s Pilgrimage had some bangers but lacked consistency.

Dom Pachino released his pronounced retirement with The Last Armageddon. Just as rugged as he came with 2002’s Tera iz Him, his continued achievement is his newest artist, the very talented flow of Bugsy Da God. Bugsy’s debut, The Terrorist Advocate is exactly the type of hardcore albums of yesteryear with only tough beats, hard rhymes and perfected flows. Releasing a free EP, The Seven Angels of Death, all produced by Falling Down, Bugsy has real potential with perfect backdrops to be an MC of ruggedness and substance that could take Napalm Records to another level.

Lyrically of note is Reks LP, R.E.K.S.(Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme), who continues to make quality albums consistently. Rek’s performance on “25th Hour” was this writer’s choice for best performance over a DJ Premier beat. Brownsville, Brooklyn’s Maffew Ragazino, with better beat selection will have even better albums than his free debut, Rhyme Pays. Still, the hardcore is about pure tough breaks and rhymes and Gage’s The Desolate Lands, Meyhem Lauren’s Self Induced Illness, J-Love’s Egotistical Maniac, M.O.P.’s Sparta, Neek the Exotic and Large Professor’s Still on the Hustle, Outerspace’s My Brother’s Keeper, Apathy’s Honkey Kong, KRS-One & Showbiz' Godsville and Hassaan Mackey & Apollo Brown's Daily Bread all deserve note. There are flaws in these albums from length to content limitation and/or just overshadowed by better performance albums but years from now these will still be appreciated as the rarity they are.
The continued casualty of the hardcore is the legendary MC Black Thought at the hands of The Roots with the 3rd straight album, Undun, where white rock creamy choruses line out more verses without Black Thought. While Undun is excellent in its sonic quality and often in its actual musicality, we need the hardcore.

Honorable Mention

Common – The Dreamer/The Believer

Another quality comeback from Common that misses the top ten because of its brevity and addition of some softies (i.e. “Celebrate”). But a Common softie is just a feel good track and he’d be on the list just for calling out that fake ass Drake (and as a brother noted to me really others higher on the popped throne) for what he really is. “Sweet” is rugged perfection and just an ill look for an MC that went Hollywood and Obama gaga. No ID’s beats are 10's upgraded but still comes tough on “The Cloth,” “The Dreamer” and the classic duet with NaS, “Ghetto Dreams.” Common’s politics is crossover and he’s got the mass appeal but not the underlying Hip Hop intention that's here, all real.

Sa-Roc – Ether Warz

A rare treasure, a strong conscious Black sister who has lyrics for days and days. With her sophmore album, Ether Warz, she delivers fluidly verbose lyricism. This album is to be explored for exceptionally written verses and the charisma expressed through a dynamic cadence and aura of strength and femininity. "711 A.D." tells the story of the Moors in Spain being outed by the re-conquering Europeans through the resurrection of the warrior ("Grey skies prevailed over sunlight then. Purple hearts marked the chest bones of valiant men. For those who fought brilliantly, a legend was formed.."). "Pretty Poison" tells the tale of the good Negro crossing over ("He was not really dark, and not too light, was that--non intimidating shade of brown , you know the one---just right? Groomed to be an all star in the dream team of life, studied hard so he could go to schools his daddy would like.."). The battle tracks are heavy too as "Fire, Wind then Earth," "Samurai Soliloquy," "Sun Tzu" and "Sun Eaterz" easily reveal. Beatwise, the sampling is not deep crated but well executed and nothing is candy coated. Sa-Roc is one of the best MCs today. Actual fact.

http://solmessiah.bandcamp.com/album/sa-roc-ether-warz-2

Kool G Rap – Riches, Royalty & Respect

G Rap is absolutely a major cog in the foundation of every real hardcore MC, that is the MCs that fuckin count. His triple R album is not a title of what he is trying to get in Hip Hop but what he as already earned. To superficially note his contribution to the opening of wildly free and dynamic excursions of the street underworld of violence and crime to Hip Hop is ultimately weak. Hip Hop is a music of the people and street that is sold commercially. It is inevitable that contradiction and hypocrisy have its proper war. In this war, G Rap is the realness, the contradiction of merging extra ordinary skill in dexterity, fluidity and descriptive technique to tell the realest stories and the most blaxploitated visions in the mind. Just as the best movie directors reveal truth and exaggerated storytelling excitement, G Rap blends it all. Seeing it deeper, the real hypocrisy is not to see that in so skillfully breaching boundaries it allowed the greatest MCs of the best decade in Hip Hop’s recorded history to flourish (i.e. Raekwon, BIG PUN, Ghostface, NaS, AZ, Black Thought, Monch, Cormega.. etc.)

RR&R is an album that deserves note because it is a greater album than the sum of its limited parts. Beatwise, nothing is bad but much of it is poorly chosen in retrospect. A variety of beatmakers from the known Alchemist and legend Marley Marl to The Insurgency and Leaf Dog, the album needed better work in making each beat thicker and cohesive. Some mistakes are mere repetitiveness as Supa Dave, who contributed the most (4 ) gives two of the best beats, “Sad” and “Pages of My Life” but employs the same stuttered cymbal crash that works great for G Rap but is noticed on the earned repeat listenings. There isn’t unique sample digging as a veteran’s album shouldn’t be filled with so many “vintage” choices yet tracks like “Pimptro” where Blastah Beats mines Marlena Shaw’s “Woman of the Ghetto,” the added snare work and rolling kick drums work as nice vegetables to G Rap’s “Goldie Flow.”

And just lay on this motherfucker like silk and just nice and soft on them is how KGR takes the entire album. As a legendary veteran, this album is not a complete package of his abilities; rather, it’s a special album focusing on his airy pimp stride cadence and extreme detail on the street life as seen through a pimp. Interacting with his women (“That’s right she call me Daddy, I’m the only Ho’s father/gator shoes getting lined up at the barber/ they see me as that nigga in these streets going harder/no dough for my hoe believe I’m a starve her understand it’s worth it/ the plan work perfect…”), telling tales of lost love (“Maggie” ), the demise of a thieving damsel (“America’s Nightmare”) or that straight Goldie Flow (“Ya Chic Chose Me”). In a discography that is legendary for its skill, its engagingly entertaining brutality and complete consistency in musical purity (no sellout), R,R&R is an album that broadens the analysis of his palette.

Rasheed Chappell – Future Before Nostalgia

With some great new MCs this year releasing debuts of some sort (i.e. Maffew Ragazino’s Rhyme Pays), it is Rasheed Chappell of Project City, New Jersey who really comes with a completely crafted album that reveals a very nuanced and sincere lyricist. The nostalgic force in his abilities are straight out of Queensbridge as his voice is similar to Capone with a mastery of chopped phrasing that lends itself to introspection on the right phrase as he does perfectly on “Stay Sharp” (“Freedom is a state of mind, so is the ghetto..Pure light, the key to my genetic code, is one part mineral, two parts physical, combine both parts equals no identical…”). Chappell is an MC that takes pictures of his environments and his skill broadens when those pictures are socio-economic or street spiritual. The peak may be on “Building 8” where he builds on the true science of self that the poorest and most down trodden have accessed through these hells. Chappell not just is taking a stance as a man sincerely adding on the best part of what he can righteously use but also lends us the moments with places, feelings and peoples he witnesses. On “Building 8” he leads this with “I was building with my barber bout the teachings of the Father/How the woman is the Earth and the Black man is Allah/preachers in the churches what they hooping and they holler and the secrets of the Masons on the back of the dollar/mysteries of life from the Buddha to Kabbalah…walking hypocrites, still trying to make my mind up…tell me where it started/it’s hard to see the view from my projects/Positive Energy Always Creates Expansion and elevation/Peace!”` Still, his battle raps are mythical portrayals of self as a thriving survivor of the ghetto wars. These introductions from “Picasso in Print” to “What I’m Here For” are done with a slow, broken flow that is syncopated perfectly because he measures his syllables exactly and annunciates vividly.

On the boards, Sunset Park’s Kenny Dope makes the hardcore seem easy. There is a great nostalgia in the samples chosen from the Big Daddy ode on "Break Loose" to the PE tribute, “Shut it Down.” However, the skill of Kenny Dope is his ability to amplify the soul of a record. As far as Boom Bap with soul leaking lovely from the RZA school, the soul sample on “Thankful” rides in smooth and grooved and on “People” he elevates the break as he introduces Rasheed one last time. That expertise is rare today to go along with the new MCs today. Ultimately, the familiarity of a sample runs a thin line of success as it may seem repetitive and stale if flipped generically or it can bring great nostalgia if it is cleverly chopped and/or laced with new melodies and great equalizing. The quality of the sound is what makes producers as Large Professor and Pete Rock so respected. Here Kenny Dope works the nostalgic theme beautifully introducing a new MC, Chappell, who is already a veteran of life. A great debut that shows even more promise and hope that this duo keeps adding on together.

Timbo King – From Babylon to Timbuktu

The debut of Wu Fam veteran Timbo King in 2011 is a testament to the bullshit of the industry. A recurring positive in the gloom of such immaculate bullshit is the glaring counter response of so many MCs that are sincere, humane and completely hardcore. Timbo King is a leader of that and despite this being a debut, there is a great familiarity with what he presents as he has shined from his Royal Fam albums, the underground mixtapes, the Maccabeez tracks and the many features from the dozen plus with Hell Razah, others with RZA, Cappadonna and the GZA to name most of them.

With that said, Timbo King is a spiritual focus and a rugged socio-cultural build done with expertise. Also, there is no technique that Timbo decides to display that isn’t done perfectly, so well you won’t notice until repeated listenings. Timbo does rely on phrasing but after decades of MCing there are no chops in his flow and when the tracks rage chaotically, as on “Ruling Class,” one can see the craftsmanship he puts into it.

Lyrically, Timbo’s experience with the countless ideas, ideologies and spiritualities makes him an elder to me. Criticizing his personal choice of preferred ideas in his build is disrespectful. However, there is a great mosh of Israelite, Rastafari, Muslim and Nation of God and Earth ideas that sonically blend but offer a sincere mystery at times with this writer. With Timbo paying homage and recording the video for the excellent LP title track in front of the Nation of God and Earth school in Harlem (Allah School in Mecca), that point deserves note. Still, the goal is the unification of all of our people and that direction he takes it is through his Art. With this Timbo succeeds completely.

The production is also where Timbo must receive great credit. Initially intended to be completely produced by Bronze Nazareth, the switch to blending different productions seemed difficult. However, Timbo’s ear is superior for sound. It isn’t just for breaks as in Bronze’s brutally vicious bass drums on “Thinking Cap.” Instead it’s his feel for the melodies and the myriad instruments that work them. From “The Book of Timothy”’s bass fingerings to the steady traveling horns of “The Autobiography of Timothy Drayton,” a great Lil’ Fame track. Horns are the predominate course yet vary wildly from the irie horns of “The Rebellion” or the siren horn through the verses on the title track. And of course the Soul, Soul and more Soul. With such production, there are many tracks Timbo provides MC clinics. From the most comedic line of the year on “High Ranking” (“You that rapper in that Boolay movie/ playing with his booty cootie/ Ducking from the jury duty/ niggas call you foofie foofie/Breath smell like Twilight Zone, do do DO DO do do DO DO…”) to the spiritual opening, "The Book of Timothy" ("Born in a world ascended child from a heavenly family/In a village where civilization was raised and taught/From the first steps on the Earth as so/Acknowledge the son whose father was a builder for-self/Who birthed the blesses of life/Amongst the merchants and messengers/The genuine rulers Tzu rises with his holy army of righteousness/ Godly by human-nature"). This is a great first solo effort by Timbo and is up there with the best work from the Wu Fam solo albums.

10. J-Live - S.P.T.A. (Said Person of That Ability)

The complete conclusion to last year’s Undivided Attention EP (included in the physical purchase), J-Live reveals himself as the Triple Threat (MC/DJ/Producer) with a subtlety that rewards repeat listening like the best Jazz records. T As one of the great Hip Hop veteran MCs through the 00’s, the many facets of his repertoire have been on display if you studied closely. A true Hip Hop artist, performing tracks like “Braggin Writes” looping Peacock’s “Survival” with deft scratches and cuts perfectly dropping his bars proved it. In the studio, his production technique has been its best when it focuses on the thickness and the filled sound he can create. His 2003 EP, Always Will Be, from the title track, “Add A Cipher,” and “Car Trouble” are perfect examples. As a DJ his skills have been featured more so on his mixtapes than his albums.

As a DJ, the cuts are prominent as their first appearance on “From Scratch” are incredible. Illastrate’s only track and it has boom bap kicks and a sharp stuttered snare doubling up nicely. It’s ideal to lead in J-Live’s scratching and they are sharp, prominent and blended through the vocals lovely. The theme of this album is that each J-Live element is a different person and the more closely you listen you can hear the deliberate conversation he makes between them in union and in competition with each other. The cuts on the “How I Feel Pt. 3” echo lovely over the top of the track and while the other 2 elements get more rep, his ability on the tables is unquestioned.

As a producer, J-Live may be studied immediately through his five productions on the album. “Life Comes In Threes,” the instrumental track is the most notable J-Live production with a beautiful long playing flute solo by Rasheeda Ali aided by a smooth guiding tenor saxophone and trombone over a consistent smooth bass drum kick and cymbal notes. The diversity is apparent as we move from the hand clap snares and airy vocal loop of “Home or Away (Remix)” or the pensively smooth guitar and snare laden “Half A Glass” to the B-Boy horn filled, tough snared “Watch Sun Watch” to the actually fun, cautionary tale of “Great Expectations” with its piano driven basslines reacting to J’s vocals. Still, actual beat making isn’t the only measure of the producer. Constructing a unique track to one’s name is most crucial but hardly the entire reality. For an MC, it is about those choices they make to rhyme over and as an Executive Producer of this entire record, he took the lead and wonderfully arranged the majority of the album. This is why there is a consistency of perfect engineering, vocals all perfectly on break as they were originally MC’d and a diversity of tempos, melodies, sampling and topical themes and concepts from his other element, the MC.

Still the legendary element of J-Live is the MC and with a discography of incredible themes and concept driven songs, on S.P.T.A. the general 3 element theme and the MC legacy are the consistent concepts shining forth. There is the introspective application of the 3 way musical theme to all of life on “Home or Away (Remix)” and on “Pronounced Spitta” and “Watch Sun Watch” he declares who and what his skills represent. The incredible wordplay of J-Live is one of the most subtle techniques one can enjoy uncovering. On “No Time To Waste” it’s more immediately apparent as he verses visions of a better world, “Heroes allotted, jerks are reported/Deeds are applauded, works are rewarded/Food, clothes and shelter, all are afforded/Love, peace and happiness, pride in your nappiness/Plots to destroy your culture, give orders/See the self hate and doubt get deported/Beyond your borders, relay the orders/Delays and setbacks get drawn and quartered/Teach the lambs to repel that slaughter/Teach the horses to drink that water/Teach to build or destroy like mortar/And like muscle tissues get torn/Let's grow from these lessons stronger than before”

J-Live has little to prove in his career and his albums play as if he has a plan to share ideas and talents with us sincerely. This excellent album leads one to note that an album where J-Live makes a complete album with 100% J rhymes, J-Live beats and DJ J-Live cuts, he should have another classic album in his discography.

http://j-live.bandcamp.com/album/s-p-t-a-said-person-of-that-ability

9. Mohammad Dangerfield – Hasan Salaam & Rugged N Raw are…

An album that unites two like minds but two unique talents. Perfectly titled, the comedy of punchlines, flows and techniques coupled with insight, principle and hardcore aesthetic over diverse, yet well-chosen tracks make this album a rarity.

Here is my original review: http://www.lavoerevolt.blogspot.com/2011/03/hasan-salaam-rugged-n-raw-are-mohammad.html

8. 9th Wonder – The Wonder Years

These writings of the Real primarily are inspired by illogical claims. One is that this year was an attempted comeback for 9th Wonder. Can’t call it a comeback when he’s been the most consistent premiering producer in the 00’s. Last year saw the high quality beats on Actual Proof’s EP and Rapsody’s Return of the B-Girl along with the exceptional album with David Banner, Death of a Pop Star. Exceptional because David Banner is a talented MC with much to say and his work usually completely contradicts that. Over 9th backdrops he drew out a Goodie like performance. With the Wonder Years, 9th caps off an incredibly prolific year. There are the great tracks (i.e. “Black Diamonds”) that fueled Rapsody’s ill album of progression, Thank H.E.R. Now and countless contributions. Of immediate note are those on Median’s The Sender album and the saving tracks (i.e. “The Good Fight,” “Not Here Anymore”) on Phonte’s Charity Starts At Home LP as mmtigalo-mmtigalo-mmtigalo decided to crossover trash his own album cuz he won seeeng an alla dem ting.

Unlike classic producer albums like Pete Rock’s Soul Survivor and DJ Muggs Soul Assassins Volume 1, the majority of 9th’s artists are not A-list artists or underground legends. After Raekwon , Masta Killa and Talib Kweli, all are 9th affiliated artists that make this a reinforcement of taking the production challenge to bring out the best of young talents. What he crafts is an affirmation of his consistency of being able to make snare poppin tracks with completely filled spaces through soulful melodies and harmonies. He also introduces us to a myriad of styles making Wonder Years a complete package of countless techniques on the boards. The styles can be named from raw Boom Bap to rugged portrayals of Neo-soul and even isolated jazz scenarios.

The straight up grimy Hip Hop goes in many variations when we begin with Raekwon’s still increasing lyrical dexterity on “No Pretending,” a track with perfect bottom and thudding snares or using Skyzoo as a perfect melodious instrument to flowingly complement the groove highlighted prior to the beat drop on “Hearing the Melody.” As stated the ability of 9th to produce tracks with a body that fills all the spaces is exactly what bullshit tracks produced for jingles, ring tones or soft computer speakers can’t have. Tracks like “Streets of Music” with very Dilla-like organs welcome the smashing spilled splat snares or the digital siren on “Piranhas” over muted sounding drums are all the traits that make 9th addictive to the ear. The neo-Soul of 9th is Boom Bapped soul where his tracks have the right piano melodies and snares to let his singers (i.e. Mela Machinko on “Now I’m Being Cool”) wail through choruses or flips the modern disco with a riding bass thud on “Peanut Butter & Jelly” where Marsha Ambrosius dominates lovely.

Despite the unknowns, there is a sincerity throughout from the MCs like Actual Proof reminiscing on “Streets..” While he gets nice work out of Thee Tom Hardy on the crushy clap snares on “Your Smile,” using Mac Miller as a suave ladies’ man (“That’s Love”) or as anything like an MC is rotten to the corn. Still, Phonte is still a dynamic MC on 9th tracks of any style like the digi R&B of “One Night” or the tough “Band Practice” with Median. Wonder Years is a thickly spaced, thudding beat breaked and crunchy snared variety showcase that proves 9h Wonder as a supreme uniter of bass, drums and melodies in Hip Hop.

7. Random Axe - (Sean Price, Guilty Simpson & Black Milk)

The supergroup union is no random event but really one of Hip Hop’s answers for building a righteous breakbeat globalization network. With the gravely bass of Guilty Simpson fresh off Madlib tracks, Black Milk honoring the passed Dilla baton and Sean P straight bodying every feature prepping his Mic Tyson LP, they unite and show us the direction of Detroit and the reinvigorating of New York.

The music of Hip Hop, an original style of studying the history of music and re-toughening through a restructuring that entails complete creativity. So the Boom Bap of 9th Wonder is a total different portrait that the axes that Black Milk wields. Black Milk is the best beatmaker directly from the J Dilla school with overtly drummed tracks that are designed for beat exposure. He doesn’t fill up his tracks like Pete Rock but keeps his drums coming out of a very disjointed melody that pops them intensely. They appeal beyond Hip Hop ears because they aurally show you their elements. Whether he does this with extremely loud sharp snares on “Black Ops” or keeps them in his version of a muted break on “Chewbacca.” The drums can be digital but they sound like a wild band is angrily playing behind Sean Price and Guilty on “The Hex” in a song that keeps the MCs versing on the run lovely. The quality of Black Milk beats are their highlighting of the MCs as he puts Guilty and P to ride a coughed snare, rolling drum roll and digital blurps on “Understand This.” Every track is wildly different as it can go from tambourine’d snares on “Shirley” or the watery melody on steady march drum on “Karate Kid.”

Also repping Detroit, Guilty Simpson is an ill MC that earns his paper over great tracks as he did last year with Madlib. Here his vocal point is fake bashing (”Somebody needs to take the blame/These dudes throwing rent money up just to make it rain”) but the guidance here is P-Body. Sean P has become one of the great, brutally unique, abstract, street MCs with Pun charisma and a Dare iz a Darkside Redman wildness. P constantly re-masculinizes emo’d Hip Hop (“The God spit aggressive content/Due to my jail time and crack sold on the park bench”) and his abstract leanings even influence Guilty’s cleverness as on “Monster Babies” (“I'm beastly, I better have monster babies/with teeth already, to chomp on prey”).

Random Axe is one of the most entertaining albums this year and the kind of Hip Hop that’ll “never be mainstream/They make you sell crack, bust gats and blaze green/Ravishin' Ruck Rude, a motherfucking savage who bust tools..P!”

6. Raekwon – Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang

RZA gave the entire Wu-Tang family the beds to work a career out of. After his great 5 year plan was proven in 1997 with Wu-Tang Forever, the classic double disc, the Wu has worked to prove themselves sincerely and/or gratuitously since. Raekwon’s classic Only Built For Cuban Linx Part II proved it for the Chef and many others yet he also needed to prove it again..and again. Raekwon’s Shaolin Vs. Wu-tang develops out of the issues that range from business and fam merging too long, 8 Diagrams' symbolic representation of progressing the sound versus keeping the sound vintage and Raekwon’s increasing talent expressing a reality with greater verve, lyrical dexterity and smoothed flow that has been the most bitten core of sellout gangstas.

Like CL Part II was not really a second part but a more viciously detailed and triumphant caper laced reprise of Cuban Linx. It continues with Shaolin as Raekwon makes an incredible album most importantly on the strength of his MCing skill actually increasing. Rae often speaks with less versatility on content yet far more developed and detailed in his approach with a mastery of his rapid fire flows of “Meth vs. Chef” and the slow flow thug he rode greatly on 8 Diagrams (i.e. “Gun Will Go”). Skills everywhere, the verses are sharp from the broken chopped phrasing of the battle lined LP title track (“With flyish 'Berg, buying herb, new kick, designer birds/She on, and we up, let's re-up, and free'd up/Jakes hate it, Rae made it, Clientele, we gon' sell/You gon' starve, he gon' jail, night boots, swim with whales/Better snub, surgical leather gloves, never loved/We gon' kill, take it to the Hill, we forever real”) to the descriptive fluid phrases on “Rich And Black” (I'm rich, black, umbrella calico captain/Wes Craven with a blade and a black/I'm hood ornaments, junkies win awards in my tournaments/My shit is listed like informants pics/You know we order hits, planes flying, niggas is sure to getcha…”). The storytelling goes dynamically from Kung Fu flix on “Chop Chop Ninja” where he creatively notes “he threw a piece of a chain with a long blade on it/And a nigga was buckwild, I'm ducking and dodging/Trying to stick 'em with my little blade, Rae in some trouble/I got to the glove box, I threw two shots, he disappeared..”) to the mafia cinema tale of retribution on “Snake Pond.” Darts are all over these verses if we analyze opinionated but the actual fact is their strength in detail and smooth cadence he's always had.

The Rae beat choices were always the problem since 1999’s Immobilarity and they only peak through on the shitty low budget quality, high yielding dividend waste, “Rock n Roll.” Yet for the most part, the beat choices honor the classic RZA sound to the best of their recreation. There are the classics from Wu-Disciple i, Bronze Nazareth on the rugged “Butter Knives” and the use of Chinese classical themes works with the ill loop of the Tea Song of Xiang River on “Snake Pond” and the rolling bongos on “The Scroll.” The epic nature is worked on as the strings on “Masters of our Fate” where Raekwon knows how to tell about the come up and Black Thought gives his best verse of the year.

It’s true that no one can make a RZA album but RZA. Yet RZA gave them blueprints to make great records. The legend Raekwon is was manifested on RZA tracks and has continued to propel itself since. With his 3rd best solo album, he follows a classic album with MC skills that are unique, filled with innovative slang and rhyme schemes and textures almost no one can match. The beats almost always mimic RZA to proper effect and hopefully leads to a Cuban Linx 3 with the real RZA.

5. Pete Rock/Smif-n-Wessun – Monumental

This is where the sharing is about revisiting a record we know must have more in it. Everyone that knowledged this record respected it but expected more out of Pete Rock’s tracks and/or Tek and Steele’s verses. Of those, the special bullshit critics said Pete is played out and Smif is irrelevant with too many guests. Even Primo left it off his 25 to gift spots to Jigga, Kanye and Drake for the moments where what the fuck must be spelled out completely. All I listened to was this album again and again letting the proofs spill out and disprove the naysayers and neglecters.

Pete Rock’s career is a discourse in obsessive progression. There is so much detail developing that goes unnoticed. Aside from the easy choice of Babe Ruth’s “The Mexican” on “Do It” there is great sample work like Millie Jackson’s "I'll Live My Love For You" for the title track or “Little Boy Blues’ “Echoes of You” on “That’s Hard.” The samples come from everywhere and they reaffirm the classic elements that make Pete Rock. Rock’s greatest gift is his bassline melodies and this is where the tracks are so full, thickly spaced and yet propelling of the MC. The bassline grooves drive everything on “Go Off” and “Night Time.” Still horns are the Pete Rock trademark and they are actually used as the bass line melodies which those not indulging properly won’t notice as on the mean trombone wail on “I’m A Stand Up Guy” or the incredible beat changing on “Prevail.” The bass on the former is a pure deep pluck while the horn rides through the verse every few bars. His drums are rolling on the classic “Roses,” the bass booms through “Fire,” while the tempos studder on the dancehalled “This One.” In addition his tables work is exceptional, a very unrecognized part of his repertoire, as he tears through the finale, “Time To Say.”

Pete Rock gives grimy tracks that let Tek and Steele dive in with strong effect. Tek and Steele are not lyricists of complex textures; instead, they are stylists of exceptional measure. There are great duos that premiered in the last 20 years that rhyme well on the same track but none rhyme as effortlessly together. If the Pete Rock side of this album is lauded for its hard work in constructing a distinct pure sound, then Tek and Steele’s synergy as a duo must also be applauded as their verses are truly well worked routines. The emphasis of brotherhood, loyalty, honor and perseverance are essential in the success of their stylings. It’s why Smif-N-Wessun, at their best, are the core of the Boot Camp Clik unity. To get particular, the mentality of the ghetto mind lost is perfected on “Fire” where they play off each other as voices within struggling for success and maintaining sanity. Fake rappers can’t make records like these. The declarations they make throughout are anthemic. Verses like Tek’s lead on “Go Off” with “This thing build from the ground up /around hounds and pups/ it sounds tough/salute to the founders/Grew up underground with the shooters and scoundrels/ Don't assume or confuse us with the losers around you…” to then evolve into patterned routines is exactly what made their ‘95 debut classic. Their speeds, pacing and tempo control is beyond the best MCs of the last decade and combined with the legendary beat maker make this Smif-N-Wessun’s best LP after Da Shinin.

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4. Thirstin Howl the 3rd – Natural Born Skiller

“Eminem took this rap shit without no warning/wasn’t mad when he didn’t come back for me…” – “Natural Born Skiller”

1982. Brooklyn/Medina Gods. Boricuas. Lo-Lifes. Welfare. Hip Hop prime originators.

2012. Gentrifylyn/Nets. Porto Reekins. Botti-Skinnys. Hood Rich. Pop Hop sellouts.

It ain’t where you’re from, it’s where you’re at. And where we’re at in hell, the best are the resurrected raw straight from where it’s from. This year had a wave of Lo-Life affiliated and Skillionaire artists and records that begin a reviving of a Lo-Lifes Brooklyn root that on many levels has always been overlooked and greatly disrespected. From Meyhem Lauren, Spit Gemz, J-Love to Skillionaire artists German Regime, Thirstin Howl leads it all representing a lost crucial content with a rejuvenated, extra ordinary charisma that brings back the roots lovely.

The death of Hip Hop music in the commercial arena was official by 1999 but there were two classic BK debuts that took it back to the raw: MF Doom’s Doomsday and Thirstin Howl’s Skillionaire. Doomsday became a cult classic and Doom became one of the top 10 MCs of the 00’s. However, Howl released excellent follow-ups like 2000’s Skillosopher and 2001’s Serial Skiller. Yet, just as the emergence of true lyricism from a Boricua BIG PUN in 1998 seemed to allow a portal for the other Original people in the NY hoods, it was closed immediately. Howl is an MC with exceptional content relaying the contradictions of his violent survivalist realities, the real Hip Hop struggle to make and preserve creative outlets and his immense family love in a land designed for our oppression. In ‘99, Howl brought this with a sincere humor, clever wordplay and a broken, chopped flow that could repair itself depending on the tempos chosen.

With fake and diluted versions repping while Howl’s work being delivered only for the underground in mixtape form, he faded out of many peoples’ views. After the well done but lost Skillitary album in ’04 and the niche driven La Cura album of ’06, essentially Spanish Hip Hop not bullshit reggaeton, he comes back with Natural Born Skiller, his most pure album. The purity begins in that many Lo Life albums, particularly Thirstin’s, are mixtape formatted and so there is too much filler with repeated themes, styles and tracks. In addition, the quality of the production is on a deeper level where the beats are sharper with a wonderful sloppiness and the choruses are extremely well written leading to a collection of songs, a great album.

The diversity makes all 21 tracks a virtual necessity as it goes from hood portraits from the concrete on “Brooklyn Killers” to the corresponding Lo-Life fashion consciousness on “Return of the Polo Rican.” Then there is the classic “Surrounded by Criminals” that goes even deeper on the mentality and history of dastardly activities that’s brought through an ill loop of GZA and Biggie. The piano melody that slowly dies bar to bar over a pounding bass drum is addictive when coupled with “Back on the ave of Livonia and Bristol with a pistol…I’m surrounded by criminals” to make that Boricua grimy. Thirstin attacks these street angles comedically as well as on “Brownsville Gold Card Membership 2012” flowing “I’m the pistol packing Papi in the party pissing…”

And the Boricua element, the Original peoples most neglected and repressed in the history of this Hip Hop shit there is a real need for Thirstin’s side. “50 More Cuzins” relates heavy as he embraces clichés that are just fuckn true with love and clever lines. “La Muelte” is a nicely crowded track with a montuno riff and a wailing Fania horn where Thirstin rhymes in Spanglish as the rice and bean monster reveling in the embrace of the death-welcoming street life. The best battle reppin is on “Double Dosage” as the Lo-Life versus Decepticon, Thirstin vs. Sean P, Chapter 1 of a great back and forth that continues with Meyhem Lauren for Part 2. On the first Thirstin rips through double time rhymes while on the second he retorts, “we always ran with Decepticon fam/Stole from the rich/quick lied in the precinct..”

Topically, it continues with his comedic cleverness exposing hypocrisy on “Skiluminati” versing, “Religious decisions, obeying the lies… Priests molest boys/use God as an alibi…” or the racist police on “I 800 Cop Shot,” the homage to the New York root of Hip Hop, “The Mecca” or the love song, “Long Lost Love.” But the battle track, whether with great guests as Canibus, Keith Murray and Chino XL on the title cut’s remix or “High Price” with Edo G and Special Ed, Thirstin’s style remains distinctive. Over the years, he has developed a greater lyrical dexterity within his chaotic flow, quirky word choices and wildly brutal ideas. Natural Born Skiller is filled with beats that work because they are produced right for the artist and exudes the boom bap funk he has always constructed for himself. NBS is Thirstin’s most completely pure Hip Hop album, a collection of all his ideas and creative worth, repping so much history that may be lost otherwise.

2012. Thirstin Howl the 3rd. Marcus Garvey Village. Puro Boricua. Double L’s. Poor but more Righteous. New Hip Hop Greats.

3. Pharoahe Monch – W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)

Monch is not a lyricist. He isn’t a stylist. He isn’t a thematic song crafter. Monch is everything, the complete MC. There isn’t any flow, technique, insight to content, voice pattern, dexterous pattern, use of vocabulary that Monch cannot employ. W.A.R. then can only be perfect if he really does take the time to employ every facet of the complete package. Shit, and the beats gotta be right. Regarding the latter, the beats are right but not perfectly exact. On the former, the LP is too short to reveal a truth that needed at least 65 minutes.

Monch possesses an endless array of dynamic cadences and melodic shifts that the beds to perform best will not be as stripped minimalist as say a Guru or GZA would have them. The production can seek to be chaotic and quirky. Unfortunately the move for a chunk of the LP is toward a hard rock ruggedness that works well but muddles. Still, tracks as the straight wild funk of “Haile Selassie Karate” allow Monch to amazingly steady his flow to a rolling flow or the organ laden “Let My People Go” can get him to reverberate and echo his voice naturally off beat in Juvenile style or the funky guitar riff of “The Hitman” for him to bomb the industry, this being a central theme to this album.

When taken as instrumentals, beats as the steady pedestrian break of “Black Hand Side” seem less than stellar. Still, the beat choices, the major under spoken task of the solo MC, are excellent in their furthering of Monch’s vocal instrument to propel them. Key to Monch’s approach is as he reveals in “Black Hand Side” saying “My hood told me ‘nigga keep it simple and plain.’” Just as this track’s break and hook is simple, Monch tones down the lyrical dexterity and content depth but drastically amplifies the vocal techniques particularly his patterning and voice fluctuations. The epitome of this are in the classic singles, “Clap” and “Shine.” On “Clap,” there is a content simplicity in getting his point across (i.e. the pigs ain’t shit and ain’t never gon do shit good for us Black and Brown peoples) that is then amplified by his clever similes and anthemic statements (“In other words, the police, say it/Say it like 'Pac, ‘the police,’ fuck 'em/ Uh, and that's straight from the underground/where little kids got it bad cause we brown..”). Yet, his song crafting skill takes the ‘clap’ metaphor to its extreme as the last verse goes acapella over a crowd clap that displays consistent alliteration and perfect dexterity to work oblique rhymes dynamically all with perfect syllabic patterning. Over Diamond D’s vibraphone track, “Shine,” the charismatic dexterity is supreme. The vocal fluctuations, pacing of pausing and timed speeds, perfect rhyming, alliteration and oblique rhymes are displayed magnificently again. Sampling any part will highlight a skill from “Two hundred thousand dollar whips and chains/Crooked cops, Crips, crack cocaine/Tupac, Chris, I'm still feelin the pain/Seven year old girl, shot and slain?/What does it all mean? We go insane” or “Where I come from, no one runs when funds run low in lump sums/We chose to dump dumb dumb but live dunn dunn/We livin hum drum in the slums/Where scum conceal stun guns/The words mum for fun son/Conundrums, Ain’t Pretty!”

The best records of the year have mainly been MC efforts and there is none as deliberately designed to showcase the technical skill of the MC that achieves it as well as Monch does. With the theme of the Artist making the Real in a blind world through a fake industry, he gives another great addition to Hip Hop, from a legend’s discography.

2. Cyrus Malachi – Ancient Future

Worldwide, the expression we created here our people have used everywhere. Just as Reggae reached the UK from Jamaica and saw beautiful works from Steel Pulse and so many others. However, while it is has been shown to be a simple task for anyone to rap, Hip Hop is not as easy as it seems to export. Foreign countries have an infinite wealth of Black, Brown and Yellow peoples, immense talent, engaging insights and hells far more enormous than any U.S. ghetto yet have often popped it out or just made wack shit. For instance, we can see the vast differences in cultural syncretizing when we study the countries where Zulu Nation and Rock Steady Crew went and others that only got B.E.T. visuals.

Cyrus Malachi, from the Triple Darkness crew, repping the UK, debuts with a near classic as he has absorbed the most idealistic senses of the culture and relayed it all with a sincerely intense consciousness for our peoples’ elevation and poetry of incredible sociological content. Ancient Future, named after the classic anthropological work on the universal principles of ancient Black Egyptian Tehuti (named Hermes by the Greeks) authored by Wayne B. Chandler, is an opus portrait of ghetto hell and the enlightenment tools of engagement. Cyrus, a Persian word meaning ‘of the Sun’ and Malachi, meaning ‘messenger’ is exactly manifested as he shares nineteen songs of the most complete and thorough content of any album this year. The simple comparisons may put AF as a focused reprise of Killah Priest’s legendary Heavy Mental (i.e. epitomized by his a-alike version of “From Then Til Now” with the melodiously harped “Native Son”). The deeper analysis of AF is that it is a socio-cultural discourse of the righteous MC lighting a path in every dark alley that surrounds us.

Cyrus takes the role of MC seriously and it is a righteousness that is not pompous but a merely blatant, non-apologetic embrace of real Hip Hop (“intelligent street shit/mental medicine for all my brothers riding a street bid enveloped in a level of decadence and Iblis”). Albums like Ancient Future are only done by legends and greats today but never as a debut of a young MC. It becomes an even greater rare treasure when we note that Cyrus enlists 9 beatmakers for 19 songs yet his superior choices reveal a sound direction desired and achieved. The focus is on a 90’s sound with breaks with high treble yet brutally popping snares and bass drums with wonderfully distorted crunch. Technically, Cyrus is a deep voiced, articulate writer of complete phrases where the mid-tempo range is his most preferred yet I expect over time for this to expand.

The strength of Ancient Future is every track powerfully guides one of his direct themes. The themes are not delivered with any clever metaphors or dynamic similes. Instead, the gloom and dark melodies let him directly tell his stories. In these stories aplenty come the intricately woven details of the said ciphers and the insights of enlightenment. Knowledge of self is the core of the album and the piano keys and strings sifting in and out of “Dark Skies” and the aforementioned “Native Son,” and the siren wailing “Streets of Sodom” introduce the hells to be detailed.

The range is extra ordinary and goes from his youth and that transition to adulthood gaining K.O.S. proclaiming, “let’s endeavor to shine although we’re kept in the slum” (“Concrete Flowers”), the details of the police state on a addictively sloppy bass track “Brave New World,” the vivid metaphor of the street crime and violence as pure war on the female vocals wisping and fluted chorus on “Hell’s Garrisons.” With this chorus of “when I open my eyes/I see death, pestilence and lies/a testament to our decadent lives plagued by poverty and crime/honestly I’m dependent on the element of time/to show me I won’t forever be confined/to Hell’s Garrisons where we struggle and fight/in this system of destitution and oppression/our retribution is why I parry” the now trademark Endemic snares drives the track on.

The themed songs are classic as “Black Maria” is one of the best songs I've ever heard about the struggle through the interior cipher, jail, and his striving to self educate self listing everything from Autobiography of Malcolm X to Destruction of Black Civilization by Chancellor Williams to the works of Cheik Anta Diop. This is one of the most beautiful untold stories for so many of my brothers locked down and to have it told here from a real first person perspective is anthemic. As anthemic as the balance he achieves in understanding the Orginal woman as he classically tells the story of a lovely dark sister, without self love but well informed by this racist society that she must be lighter and more loose, eventually falling into every crack that this sad ignorance affords (“Black Madonna”). He counters this with awakening to the necessity of the beauty and depth of the Black woman on “Duality.” All of this leads to “Kemetic Love” where he engages in this war together with his wife and children. “That’s my duty as a provider/It’s life’s obstacles that define us, whether colossal or minor/ I’ve been labeled a phenomenal writer with a sociological cipher cuz I take the time to meditate on life/but on this joint I praise my kids and wife who stood by my side…”

This album still is the waging of war not merely through its lovely detailing but through its engagement through the rhyme, the battle raps. “Crimson” and “Elemental” where Morph laces it with an incredible doo wop laced “whooo” over a thick hand clap snare and deft cuts, portraiting the hood placing himself in it as a savior. The posse cuts leads with two classics off Endemic beats, “Master Builders” and “King Cobras” where Kevlaar 7, Bronze Nazareth and June Megalodon of the Wisemen, the God Darkim Be Allah and Rustee Juxxx kill it. Virtually every last bar is a quotable and again, Endemic’s trademark snares are only matched by his fiery horns and soul howls.

There is a long journey of an MC from the UK earning his place here in America and the rest of the world. “Animal Circus” take us through their experience with Hip Hop music and it is now our blessed moment to listen to this movement Ancient Future comes back to share.

1. Bronze Nazareth – School For the Blindman

Hip Hop is a genre of music that suffers as no other. Commercialization’s corruption strikes Hip Hop at a pace that no other genre, be it Jazz, Funk, Reggae, Salsa, Merengue, etc., has ever experienced. Now, innovation is desired from the same artists (i.e. Jay-Z) that transitioned dilution through its quality era to today’s dead bin period. These same qualifying A-list artists sanction and qualify the newcomers (i.e. Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Drake, etc.) as common practice that now appropriate and imbed tactics that prior would be considered horrid (i.e. pseudo-singing/auto-tuned talking, clear dance/club tracks as beds for rapping) or once known as unacceptable (i.e. the merging of homo-erotic ambiguity with the increase of caricatured misogyny). As commercialization prevails the principles that hold a movement together become irrelevant when mass purchases are a mere click and memory is lost with a mere drag.

Hip Hop music has its set definition--a cultural music created by Black and Brown people, of specific relevance to all Original people, that when performed by anyone, is consistent with Originality in the production of breakbeats and rhyme verses that merge the reality of the said artist’s life and his creative mind. All together it’s the Realness and alotta muthafuckas ain’t Hip Hop by definition. The true innovator then of a defined genre today, where years are behind it and massive legends have produced classics setting it, is one who masters the innovations, the progressions and reveals a new depth to it. Since 2005, Bronze Nazareth has shown the progression of an innovator. With School For the Blindman, his sophomore follow up to the classic debut, The Great Migration, he proves it once again.

To begin, Bronze is part of RZA’s Wu-Elements, the great production core honored to further the sound of one of the greatest true innovators of the genre. While highly esteemed a position, the brutal task of honoring it puts the Bronzeman literally in the Shaolin Temple fighting his way through the 18 Bronzemen for true innovation. If the major Wu principles can be named they are the lyrical expression of the Knowledge of Self, United Brotherhood and the Soul of Sound. Throughout Bronze’s debut LP, two mixtapes and two Wisemen group albums and the Almighty group LP, he has presented us with a mastery of these ideals through his wholly unique interpretation. With School, the refinement is so focused that it powers itself as the best album this year and an arguable classic.

The essential Wu core element, the Knowledge of Self, is at its highest extreme the truth of the Nation of God and Earth that there is no mysterious being, force or energy that controls our reality. That we, the Original people are the true and living sole controllers of our reality and everyone has a right to know themselves as a righteous person. At its most basic is the sharing of insight in the most creative proportions from the arcane thought to the dramatic life lived. There is no limitation in content or style of lyrical expression and the diversity of brothers sought to relay it. This Way is through the United Brotherhood that blends all the talents needed to share this. It is composed through a Soul of Sound that does not merely sample vocals but composes tracks that merge lyrical ideas to its matched passionate aural score.

School for the Blindman has all the course work for these 3 key elements. Immediately known as a beatmaker, it must be said that Bronze is a producer here orchestrating samples, breaks, live devices and lyrics that becomes a deep route of Soul of Sound that is Hip Hop Blues. This Hip Hop Blues that he continues to create (with Kevlaar 7 now, as well) is the perfect bed, the drum that keeps the dumb intrigued, for one of the most artistic lyrical expressions of struggle to enlightenment that I’ve heard today. Clearly, the Soul is sampled as blatantly as before and to great effect. “Jesus Feet” introduces the album with beautiful strings and a wooing vocal sample that couples with a simple bass drum and sharp cut snare. Of the specifically themed tracks, “The Letter” employs a beautifully sung verse sampled to introduce one of the strong thematic songs. “Pictures (Stem Cells)” cascades the lady soul vocals as chimes to go with instrument chimes in the background over a breakbeat that drum rolls vaguely behind it all letting the story propel. “Records We Used To Play” again uses the soul vocals the way Primo makes his cuts to support the story told.

This inspection of the production work goes beyond making hard breaks and ill loops and chops to dress it. Instead it is complete musical production where they reflect the themes exactly of the tracks and unite in perfect blends. For the increases in rhyme tempo there isn’t just simple increases of bpm. Bronze’s gift is his awareness of choices and then the power to make them with the use of melodies, horns, pianos, strings and vocal loops in myriad ways. For “Farewell,” there is the Marvin Gaye vocal over a dynamically grooved cymbal crash snare. “Reggie” has its incredible beat change from tough horns over slushy snares into a baritone vocal whoo. It’s accompanied by trombone’d bass brewing through beat snares that are wonderfully frenetic and overactive becoming crunchier with alternating pops and doubling. “Worship” is fueled by sinister cinema strings over a double up bass drum that pops off a splatt snare. Then there is the expert chopping on “The Road” with such a great marching drum stuttering through a honking horn and a vocal calling “Find a Way” looped throughout. The bridge between verses makes the re-introduction of the versing track more amazing. Reviewing the original Dip______... source gives a clue to the creativity employed.

When Kevlaar adds on, it reminds of their great success in live experimentation from last year’s Wisemen group work, Children of a Lesser God. “Gomorrah” is amplified by a bass line that has an incredible purity to it and horns that capture the hood sketches they draft out. On “Fourth Down” there is an amplifying vibe given through the use of drum crescendo and the piano vibes hitting singularly. As the track increases and the verse tempos get more intense from Salute to Bronze through Kevlaar and Phillie, the horns just introduce themselves so vividly. Throughout this album, Bronze breaks down and rebuilds his tracks so well with chorus bridges and isolated breaks throughout. The drum work on this album is extremely diverse in its arranging and pacing. The main problem with The Great Migration, it’s mastering, is solved with great reward as these tracks deserve time to take apart and put together again listen after listen.

However, the real core to School is Bronze’s lyricism that has expanded so much. Throughout, it affects his technique as he raps throughout countless tempos and not only matches his vocal pacing with it but a root is in the incredible writing. On the slow tempo of “The Road” he employs shorter phrasing that is abstract upon first listen but becomes an exposure of engaging metaphor and similes. Bronze’s constant revision is in his word choices to give many of his verses perfect rhymes and virtually complete syllable synergy through his bars. The ingenuity in the verses is throughout School. Battle raps like “Fourth Down” feature “simmer hell hole/ smell of gold when I rummage/ chop the charge, holy prayers all leaking from it” or the best abstracted, poetic writing I heard this year on “Jesus Feet” that includes “"Black master implant/message dressed to enchant/many bent under modern Bethlehem street lamps/also for deep cramps exchange chlorophyll grants/oil spilled days make the sun rays enhance/the forecast, four diecast metal cats on a warpath paragraphs sera-laced raps/Bless the 13th amendment that I ever braced tecs/ take the X out the rebel flag/Malcolm got next ...Royal fam with the loyal hand/murals of my sonograms/nickname sauna hands..."

The creative lyricism matches any era propelling songs of distinct subjects into engaging explorations. There is a simple straight conversation on “The Letter” saying everything he wanted to say to his brother, in the heart, who returned to the essence from drug abuse. Yet, while “Pictures” tells of conversations he’s having with portraits of the beloved dead his wordplay is exceptionally clever where merely saying it simple is unacceptable. “I keep my hat low, roll up the dreams and blow…delusional off the smoke fixture…Stash the heat when I move cuz the sun don’t shine/ I keep my eyes low/natural sunglass/pass the wine…outlandish off the green lanterns…” Over an old flame on "King of Queens" Bronze reminisces, "I miss the old shit/splashing the clit/spilling the oceans..sometimes I think about you through a wind draft of old fragrance..." On "Farewell" and "Reggie" the poetry continues promoting the detailed advance of stories. The former is on a jail bid where his pacing increases and poetic detail expands versing "a wrong corner turning in the precinct/ finger print me like a German D-Day inmate/ I'm still great/ held down by colors and some change/ I buy heat it rains/I buy sleep i'd never wake/ fuck the easy route/the hard road will keep you in shape/I'm shipped upstate to truncate my freedom and I could feel it.." The latter is a quest for a junkie who stole from him. Of the entire powerful verse, the plea the junkie gives is worthy of particular note versed, "we were once the same/ but he got caught in the flame/ now his daily routine is making sure the kids ate/ along the way he started to climb rocks to escape/ never been to the mountain or ever had a full plate/ said he ain't mean to offend but its expensive stakes/ offered his shoes, I commence to take/ so I could see, probably do the same if I were he/ next word he speak built a stunning array/ he quoted Martin as I forgave and put my thunder away," ending the song abruptly with the Martin Luther King, Jr. quote the junkie recites. Complete with this type of supreme construction, School is the epitome of the ideally perfect listening record that bangs beastly.

In addition, the United Brotherhood is here in full force as Bronze’s own group of brothers, the Wisemen, drop some of their best performances. Kevlaar’s verse on “Worship” is perfected lyrical bombing while Phillie’s two appearances have some of the best stylings on the mic one can hear today. Special guests as Canibus on “Bronzemen 2” drop jewels of note (“revolution is not an event/it’s a process…it’s not about money/it’s about interdisciplinary studies that’s why sometimes things get ugly…open mic night but not an open mind in sight…”) while the Wu reps, greatly epitomized by RZA’s 4 appearances being some of his best lyrics in years. "The Fellowship” reveals such where he builds as the Abbot accepting the apprenticeship of Bronze, the disciple: “Accept the Four Agreements/perfect them, more achievements/correct them more grievance/reject them, more deviance… realness overfills life illness until it’s revealed through stillness/ I’m never jealous or overzealous/ Wu-Tang Clan, my fellowship.”

Like Mobb Deep’s Hell On Earth, Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders and even Ice Cube’s Death Certificate, School For the Blindman is an elevation of Bronze’s expression and an even more complete work than his classic debut. The core of the Wu, and all Hip Hop music, at its best is that long crafted Art that embodies keys to enlightenment, sincerely, non-didactically and with a raw, gutter score for lyrics as creatively structured and imaginatively dynamic as they could be. Today, a great album, School for the Blindman, is grossly unrecognized and an entire movement, Bronze Nazareth and the Wisemen, is being missed. That is part of the culture’s corruption and the enjoying/studying them is a key to reinvigorating Hip Hop fresh from the morgue.

0. Heaven Razah – Razah Reborn

The Greatest Hip Hop Comeback…

…of Heaven Razah is symbolic to the entire steady falling of Hip Hop as the cultural tool of our peoples’ expression and one of the last pure communication forums. Razah’s Razah Reborn mixtape album, featured more great b-sides from a 2010 top 5 LP, Heaven Razah, and some new tracks post-surgery. Unfortunately, his falling out with Shabazz the Disciple is a fan’s disappointment. That two MCs that made a near classic album in '08, Thug Angelz, and rhyme upliftment with exceptional skill are separated says much and also nothing (i.e. what do we really know?!). With so many health related deaths in Hip Hop from PUN nearly 12 years ago to Heavy D months ago, rooting for Razah is obvious and willed for. In 2012, Razah and beatmaker Tokyo Cigar will release the heavily anticipated Heavenly Cartel which includes new verses.

See Hip Hop is our cultural expressive force and it is rooted in the mentality that we have chosen to best share. We embrace negative energies of competition to engage in the positive enforcement of Originality. We elevate it all by the mentality of studying ourselves through everything we have been, crates to loops, old books to new loops, all to something deeper and more profound. And just iller. That mentality must extend to all things. That’s what it means to be Black, Brown, Yellow, ghetto, hood—Original.

This writer is willing this mentality continues with Razah for a most proper and healthy recovery.

Peace,

Sunez

HASAN SALAAM – MUSIC IS MY WEAPON EP Review

2012-01-02T06:15:00.000-08:00

The Solo MC. They became known when they use the forum as something to amplify the size of their worthy talents. They became famous when they can naturally relate what we want through it. They become absolutely essential, vital and uplifting when their talents fulfill our wants yet their essence and content is everything we need. There are moments in the career of these latter MCs where one can notice the wonderfully blatant difference. Music is My Weapon is Hasan Salaam’s newest EP, one of those moments we gotta call real.

Music is My Weapon is a perfect use of the EP as transition to a highly coveted third album, Life in Black And White, the follow up to the stellar Children of God. It doesn’t play as a B-side short runner setting up the A-side long player but a reminder of his strong thematic awareness and his concept versatility. Initially intended to be given free, it is logically and justifiably linked up as a worthy purchase to fully support the funding of a school, clean water well, and medical clinic in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa (http://www.indiegogo.com/ItTakesAVillage). There are countless charities and organizations the Carnegie rappers disingenuously toss chips aside to appeasing their aural shit. It is rare to see the sincerity of an MC with albums worth of that quality naturally progress to funneling his humane bars outwardly.

The 9 track EP is a complete primer that merges major ideas presented throughout Hasan’s career with evidence of elevated song crafting skill. The militant multiple meanings of the EP’s title fuel the work and reveal Hasan as not only expressing his culture but as a man of culture. “Musical Chairs” is filled with bars of sincerity as the love of music itself is expressed with verses on his youthful experience with it and the discography of legends that soothe and lift us up. Using it the toughest way, “.1911” calls out bitch wiggas, fake niggas and “all the leaches in the game” with such intensity that the rewind captures a wealth of lines (“Ain’t no swine for mine you dig/my style Halal never fuck with the pigs”) and stylings (”You know the struggle I go go for mine, the G. O. Divine…”). The fury that Hasan possesses on the EP is engaging because it takes on any pacing as the hard mid-tempo on the ill collab, “Shining,” with Steele of Smif-n-Wessun and Reef the Lost Cause with Chace Infinite on the smooth chorus all attest to.

“This ain’t pop music but you could get popped to it/better Hip Hop to it or get your block rocked..” because there are constant flows of inspiration for we listeners of the real, most hopefully livers of it, can match to every occasion. This is the relevance that Hasan addresses on “Chaos Theory.” Either through his most aggressive cadences with charismatic fluctuations guiding clever lines(“Bulletproof soul under God’s control/but not like Creflo Dollar cuz his God folds…”) on “Chaos Theory” or the introspective fortifying of “All Roads Home,” the diversity is impressive. This EP is ultimately about the inspirational weaponry music is and whether describing his Earth on “The Letter,” the historical building through the Avtomat Kalashnikova (“AK-47”), the metaphorical commentary of “Miss America” capped with the classic quote of Richard Pryor’s bi-centennial nigger build, the beats themselves are workman respectful when separated from their lyrical instruments. The horns of “.1911” propel the verses while the b-boy breaks show the current stop in the musical movement, Hip Hop. Still, this 9 track EP with 9 different producers depends on the choices Hasan makes . Bass drums are the focal point though guitar, organ and piano loops and chops all persist to thematic supporting blends. The closing title track openly declaring this weaponry of music as a 500 year process from Blues, Jazz, R&B, Funk (Salsa, Bomba, Plena, Roots Reggae, Calypso, Merengue…), also proves Hasan is in the present moment of this movement.

Peace,

Sunez

BRONZE NAZARETH – THE B-SIDE SCHOOL BUILD

2011-09-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

The work of a Hip Hop journalist is not to chronicle the paparazzi’d actions of the now-crossed over version of this genre of music. Every last publication on the planet trying to succeed financially covering versions of rhymes and breaks can only do so by covering the most cosmetic with all day lenses. They work to make the hustle of the fake the reality of our victory. But. The Hip Hop writer, a man of letters of all things real, can only go in the cipher to build. The chips earned may only get us two more audio fixes but we know that if we just helped them hear this..this shit right here..they’ll get it...

“Catch your casket driftin

Unbutton holsters, embroider clips in

Chicago bear cough clip ya snare off

Pick six to carry off his coffin

While I’m lofting

Pterodactyl off of white widow endorsement”

-“The Road”

It’s Bronze Nazareth’s sophomore album, School For the Blindman recently released where I had the honor of building with him and presenting a specific set of his ideas to Hip Hop DX ( http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.16828/title.bronze-nazareth-explains-conceptual-growth-as-emcee-learning-from-rza). Bronze is a supreme beat maker and those mostly intrigued by the drum have earned him countless beatmaker props. Props for the talent that only wraps his true gift as an MC and a leader of one of the fastest developing groups in Hip Hop today, the Wisemen. Below is the best of the rest of our build…

SUNEZ: This new School for Blindman album took a couple of years, four since The Great Migration. Why was the Wisemen’s Children of a Lesser God released before Blindman?

BRONZE NAZARETH: What they didn’t want to happen was kind of a deflation. They didn’t want School for Blindman to come out and then everybody got their fix. Then Wisemen come and out and people be like ‘we good right now.’ It’s kind of like a marketing strategy as far as placement of when it should come out and what the reaction would be. I felt like if we gave people School for Blindman then no one’s coming back for a while again and then when the Wisemen came out it would be kind of ignored. I don’t know if that was the right strategy but it did help because in the time that I was waiting to get my shit and we was doin the Wisemen thing I got a few more features so it kind of rounded out.

SUNEZ: As I reviewed Children I thought the sound was the most progressive in Hip Hop I’ve heard today. But it didn’t get the promotion or the coverage it deserved. Horrible actually.

BRONZE: Indeed. It was Hip Hop but it wasn’t so stuck in the Wu-Tang form that I’ve even seen my Wu-Tang fans say ‘Yo, this don’t sound like the last one’ and they was disappointed. But on the other hand just straight Hip Hop dudes was like, ‘Yo, this is bangin’. I mean you know how it go. You can’t please everybody and it was just different. It was experimental but it was all real Hip Hop. I think it’s still hangin in there. It’s still moving units.

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SUNEZ: I also have to note that Phillie pulled a Phife on Low End Theory on this one. I ‘m not as surprised by Phillie as I was Phife but Phillie really reached another level of lyrical ability. That “Faith Doctrine” verse is a clinic in swagger.

BRONZE: I told him that was my favorite verse on that album. It was just so much feeling in that verse. And he’s droppin names but it’s not in the game way, it’s in a respectable way showing that yo, we on the same level as these dudes. That was my shit my dude. You on point homie.

SUNEZ: And my favorite part of that video was when you tossed that kid on the wall!

BRONZE: Haha! Dude stepped in front of the camera.

SUNEZ: Phillie got a solo album coming too, right?

BRONZE: I just can’t wait to release the shit we got comin. Even after my shit, he got Welcome to the Detroit Zoo. That’s coming and it’s crazy. All Phil, just gutter, just real Hip Hop. I’m excited about his work too.

SUNEZ: The Kevlaar Die Ageless LP is immediately after tho?

BRONZE: The muthafukn bomb for them. He’s been crafting that for a while. Just look for that to make a great impact. Kev is well thought out so he gon give some deep thoughts. He likes to put alotta knowledge and wisdom in his works. And he’s a reader too so you can expect some heavy shit too.

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SUNEZ: What’s the recording process for Wisemen like?

BRONZE: I been working on the flows hard so I might come in the lab for “Corn Liquor [Thoughts].” I got this. But see how I’m sayin my words in between this one, this snare we might lay it out how I flowed it. Then Kev might look at it and say ‘I gotchu.’ And that, June Meg will look at it and be okay I’m on it. It’s like the telephone game where you tell a person one thing and as it gets to the last person it’s all crazy. To a certain extent it gets like that because everybody’s flows could be different but at the end it’s kind of all like the same. We starting with the same foundation but everybody’s putting their bricks on it. It really is the beat telling us what to do.

SUNEZ: In your production work is there a lot of verse cut and paste?

BRONZE: It’s pretty much where it lays at. It might be a verse on there that was cut and we move everybody up. But give us a verse that ain’t nobody feelin it gets cut. And there’s no animosity or nothing like that…Everything is pretty much where it was laid at. We don’t really move verses to different songs ever. It’s all organic.

SUNEZ: How would that work with the live band Project Lionheart. Are they on School for the Blindman?

BRONZE: I got Project Lionheart on I think four of them. They not on there a lot but like on “Gomorrah” it was awesome. It was so complementary. I really do it by beat. I’m like, ‘Yo, this could use something else. Boom, let’s send it over.’ But if it’s something where I feel it doesn’t need anything else in it I just roll with it like that.

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“First forty eight hours is never seen

No force could measure me

The hunts off when they endorse my treasury

Yellow apparition”

-“The Road”

SUNEZ: How’d you meet up with fellow Gun Rule [Grand Rapids] brethren, La the Darkman? It’s interesting you now have a feature of another Wu-Fam MC we may have not heard from in a long time.  Great Migration had Killa Sin (“The Bronzeman”) while we got La on School (“Fire Implanters”).

BRONZE: That’s my dude. We really got to click at the Wu-Tang Rebirth Tour they did at Grand Rapids. I met up with La there and we really kicked it that night. He’s always been proud of me so he was like ‘yo, what you need’ so from that point it was like he dropped me a verse real tight… Show was in January and he got it to me 2 months after. Definitely fresh and new.

That’s a good parallel cuz that’s one of the Killa Beez that didn’t get the shine like the generals but still got that type of talent. I think the one with LA is a little bit slower but definitely comparable as far as mood. Very soulful and just hard lyrics. Good parallel, my brother.

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SUNEZ: “Poem Burial Ground.” Lyrically dense and even difficult to recite slowly. Are these one take songs or are there any punch ins. How do you practice that?

BRONZE: I’m about 50/50. Half the time I can feel it with one take down. Other times it might be I’m running out of breath with this line but let me come in on a new one with the same energy. Cuz I feel like you recording to get the shit perfect. Live performances-- then we go all out. But when recording you’re recording to put it on that wax perfectly. But like I said I’m about 50/50 on one take. Other times I might piece something together but never too much. I try to keep the rhymes where they’re not so complicated where I’m trying to fit too many words. My problem with writing is the battle with saying what I want to say versus making it fit right. So sometimes the delivery might change the words or the words shape the delivery.

With “Poem Burial Ground,” when I wrote it I actually said I’m gonna try to rhyme everything like PUN. I swear to God that’s exactly what I said to myself. And you heard me on “Hear What I Say,” Love Pac and Big but I miss PUN the most.

SUNEZ: [“Hear What I Say”]… is still true today for you?

BRONZE: You could take that song and apply them to some of the names that are out here today. And that song was nothing but truth because it was my truth. I sat down with the pen and I was just discussing with the game one day. I gotta let this out. I’m one of them dudes. That’s how I let it out. That’s how I let the beast out. I just put the pen down on it so I just down everything for real I was pretty much feeling. Probably never be as big as Jay-Z or Slim Shady. I felt like I should be but I probably never will be. And for an artist that’s really trying to get out there and for him to get down to a level and say I never will it’s just some real shit. So that whole shit was just honest feelings.

SUNEZ: What was the writing process on “Black Royalty”?

BRONZE: I made that beat a year or two before I layed it, man. I had the beat and it was something that sounded real different. So one day I was sitting in the lab, in the studio right out here in Detroit and I was just in the zone. It was like that day all my words was just falling in place. And the shit that got me was the flow and every lyric was just there. I don’t know man. I was just in the zone. I had a lot going on in my life at that point. I don’t know. That’s what came out. I called Kevlaar like the minute I wrote it. Yo, I just wrote this shit. It only took a couple of hours and I didn’t do any changes, no adjustments. None of that shit to that joint. The way I wrote it is the way it came out.

SUNEZ: Shit! So shit like “Follow a spiral staircase into my brain wave…” is one take?!

Bronze: I was goin through some shit with this girl. I was just in the zone. Like, ‘Yo, if you could really see inside. Take a spiral staircase into my brain waves.’ That’s just raw emotion and being blessed with this talent with the pen.

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SUNEZ: How was it producing the Remarkable Timing album for 60 Second Assassin?

BRONZE: I think 60 is magical on the beats as far as his thought process, his words. I just feel if he updated the delivery people would feel it more. And it was a lot of cutting and putting different verses in different places. I just think that if he had a more—the environment he was working in was like, ‘Let’s get these five songs done in the next two hours.’ It was kind of like a rush on his artistry so I think if he had more time to bang something out like work on his shit until he feels it’s done I think it would have been a better result. But it is what it is. Still, I think it really came together and was a nice album. I think if he wasn’t rushed he could’ve been more himself but I think it’s still a nice joint.

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“Records so sharp DJs slash they finger

We chop trees never yelling timber

float off on leaves cough and weeze of Magellan drifter
Off the Richter, scale triple beam, coffin lifter

Subliminal, seminal often lifted

Incredibly criminal, how they doze off on the discus”

-“Fresh From the Morgue”

SUNEZ: Today’s digital world hampers the culture of digging in the crates? Are you still getting dirty with the vinyl?

BRONZE: I still go to record stores. I do get and order some CDs online or order a record I saw. It’s real title by title for me. I’m still looking at records like right now. They’re dipped over here on the table. I still love the sound of the turntable. It’s got that underground basement dirty type of sound underneath the bass and the sound, all the crackling. Nowadays you can clean that up if you need to but I still go to records as my main source. …It’s tradition. I was raised in Hip Hop so you gotta have a DJ, you gotta work with records. Times change and cats now might just download everything but go find a record .

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“Burn you after murder spree then I off the witness

Double dutch and I don’t mean to rope, I’m off the benches

Coughin' endless, cumulus blends, off of genius intentions”

-“The Road”

SUNEZ: Your music is the Blues score of our day. How do y’all present your universal themes and the concepts y’all draw up?

BRONZE: We sit and deal with concepts too but a lot of the time it’s just like that real life theme. And it’s we involve things that we do in our lives in our music. We out here trying to bring our wisdom to the kids and teach the kids. So that’s what we’re out here doing. And that’s gon reflect in our music. When we’re goin’ through these life lessons and hoping somebody soaks it up from there. Definitely man, it’s all intentional as far as theme versus having a certain concept for a whole album or whole song. We do it all. Like Kev came with the concept for Who Got the Camera? being all political. It’s still more and kind of out the box cuz it ain’t just a whole album saying the “government is this, that and the other.” It’s also an album of Kev going through that struggle and then Kev sees the good side of being on the boulevard. It’s more like an all-inclusive theme.

SUNEZ: Today, there are no black leaders for us. No Black or Brown—no original men that offer us true representation, no leaders. Just the MCs, the Art of our music is left. Yet if I build on Culture in Supreme Mathematics it has the add on of Freedom to it. It reminds us that the true Culture doesn’t hinder but allows us the Freedom to reveal our Power and reach a greater Equality. But this 4^th degree also has the note of Freedom in it because the 85, the ignorant, assume Culture inhibits and ruins Freedom as they seek to do whatever they want, that savage in the pursuit of happiness. As an artist, does the Culture of representing a deeper ethic and principle inhibit your Freedom? Most artists consider it all a roadblock in their Art.`

BRONZE: I don’t think I find it as much binding as it is about being responsible. You ain’t gon find me—You know I dealt with guns. We did things in the streets or whatever but when we talk about it, it’s like I’m telling you this to show you something. We not the type of niggas to be like ‘we grinding. We gon bust shots at these dudes. We finna fuck it. We don’t care.’ It’s less of a vicious mentality and more so a survival mentality. We don’t do the ‘we’re out here serving the rocks.’ It’s “yo I had to serve rocks/ to get pops outta the lock.’ It’s got to have a meaning. And the real listener is gonna hear the difference between the dude who’s just saying this shit cuz he just wildin outor wanna sound out there, as opposed to somebody who’s saying something for a reason.

SUNEZ: That’s real peace my brother.

BOOM BAP! Like This Anna…No Jigganiggin Here

2011-08-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

"Teachers teach and do the world good/kings just rule and most are never understood/If you were to rule or govern a certain industry/All inside this room right now would be in misery/No one would get along nor sing a song/'cause everyone'd be singing for the king, am I wrong?!"

-KRS-One of Boogie Down Productions - "My Philosophy" (1988)

Let’s take seats where the people are. Off the golden throne sliding down the pile of shit all to realize the grit was muffled by the coon-coon pip popping. That grimy grit on repeat is really the Boom Bap. Today it is the way real brothers search for a shed of enlightenment’s forum they once knew and the way the fakest jot justifications on digiwax. It all seems 9^thWonder was respectfully polite when he said the feeling wasn’t there on Jay-Z and Kanye’s Watch The Throne. But the media scribbler’s politeness is a mask in the broader shell of media’s authority, where you can be in it when it suits and suit it up to fit it in. Where is the brolically inclined writer to shit on the whole industry while the scribbler lacks the righteous reason and the measure of the refined to backbone this counter culture?! The snare coffin holds many a motherfucka with electro junk effects, computer blip locking mechanisms, fortifying American dream packaging and emo gender bending lamination that coats the b-boy insight as mere bitter hate.

But Boom Bap has too many examples for this writer. I ain’t gotta wait for another month for Bronze’s School to open and S.P.T.A’s like J-Live to release. Boom Bap is now being made relevant. The relevant where you’ll say that beat is Art now and twenty years later, that lyric is the raw portrait, that flow is the Black talent, the Black that knows it’s Brown too and Yellow too and for the downtrodden. But it’s never disingenuous, always passionately building but never haphazardly hit making cuz “rap is not pop if you call it that and stop.”

NEEK THE EXOTIC & LARGE PROFESSOR – STILL ON THE HUSTLE

An incredible album that is an addictive study of Boom Bap. Large Professor is a legend like the old school makes them. It isn’t because of the classic works or the consistency of his work when it appears. His catalog is not at the length of other legendary producers (i.e. RZA, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Muggs, etc.) but it’s the essence of what real relevance means. It means that Large Professor career is as a Hip Hop musician that furthered, and continues to further, the culture. His decisions to work with, promote and educate the great MCs and producers around him are just as crucial. Large Professor is relevant, relevant like Yip Man to all Kung Fu.

Neek the Exotic is one of the many that had real life slow his real wax. Yet, throughout the too short Still on the Hustle, his intensity and precise pacing merge with just superior beat quality. Large Professor leads with his sound of incredible bass drums that boom boom bap pound into grooving basslines. This is the shit that gives speakers work exemplified by the title track, one of the best songs of the year and may be the greatest example of Boom Bap just yet.

PETE ROCK & SMIF N WESSUN – MONUMENTAL

The Boom Bap album of the year as legendary Pete Rock gives Smif N Wessun their second classic album for this brother here. The nostalgic appeal of Pete Rock is noted as his horns while the strength relayed of him are his layered drums yet the binding power he conveys is in the depth of his bassline grooves. The horns are all over the place but they are ruggedly designed for Tek and Steele by merging them into the bassline grooves just as the horn blasts into a bass’d sigh on “(I’m A) Stand Up Guy” or the parade procession on the title track. Yet it’s Pete using evil violins (“That’s Hard”) or melodic chimes (“Fire”) or guitar stabs (“Go Off”) to provoke the bassline grooves that lead us into a diversity that can only be appreciated by indulging the Boom Bap addiction. These are tracks to be explored in endless repeat. These tracks are thick without the open spaces pop tracks treble up and leave barren. The breaks are all unique and differentiated while the pacing is perfected to the MCs they are directed to.

RANDOM AXE

If Boom Bap could go righteously pop it was with Dilla with crisp snares and a spacing that allowed singers to sing and melodies to take center stage. The righteous pop baton is still in Detroit with Black Milk as he is a master of the digital drum. Often hollow and over punctuated, his snares deliberately make the joint bounce (“Understand This”) with utter simplicity or become part of a layered soup Sean Price and Guilty Simpson verse through (“ Monster Babies”). Black Milk is a digital orchestra with a core foundation of Boom Bap propelling all his tracks. Random Axe is the ideal example.

PHAROAHE MONCH – W.A.R. (WE ARE RENEGADES)

The lyrical effort of the year from the one of the greatest MCs of all time. Like Ghostface Killah, every MC category from pacing, flow, content, lyrical dexterity, wordplay, etc. are all excelled in at the most supreme heights. The perfected MC excels best on Boom Bap and here it is an abundance that is far from typical. Monch possesses so many dynamic cadences and melodic shifts that the beds to perform best will not be as stripped minimalist as say a Guru or GZA would have them. Yet the core of Boom Bap is that the drum breaks guide even when the music is epic Rock styled (“Grand Illusion”), straight wild funk (“Haile Selassie Karate”) or just an off beat break that pops as Monch’s revelations unfold (“Shine”). The best lyrical effort of the first half of the year is directed, guided and supported by quality Boom Bap.

RAEKWON – SHAOLIN VS. WU-TANG

Nothing is the same without RZA. RZA produces work for the particular MC. Every other Wu work without RZA sporadically achieves that even when beatmakers give their best. It really is up to the MC to select right but he may not know exactly how his voice ought to be compressed, drums equalized around him or the pacing that suits his flow and themes best. Ghost , GZA and Masta Killa have fared best in this while Raekwon has stumbled often. After the incredible reprise of Cuban Linx and its pyrex hells illuminated further, Raekwon continues throughout Shaolin Vs. Wu-Tang to choose quality tracks that allow him to continue to be one of the livest Boom Bap MCs in history. The soul samples and drum snares are abundant and they are of a driving style (i.e. “Butter Knives,” “Snake Pond,” “Rich and Black,” “The Scroll”) that allows him to perfect the wonderfully sinister vocal pace he’s developed.

BUGSY DA GOD – PR TERRORIST PRESENTS THE TERRORIST ADVOCATE

A fruit of Killarmy’s Dom Pachino the Puerto Rican Terrorist, Bugsy is hardly content oriented to show and prove he’s God of the Nation of God and Earth at all (i.e. the cross on the cover can't help) but there is a strong street consciousness there ("Cell Diaries). While Bugsy's voice is extremely similar to Holocaust/Warcloud he has real stories, quality battle raps and a consistent flow that syllables on beat. Produced by unknowns earning a rep (Labmatik) and Wu-Elements (4^th Disciple and Bronze Nazareth), the thump is pure Killarmy adrenaline as when 4^th thick clap snare comes in off the organ melody on “Dogs in Heat” or the rugged blues Bronze throws on “The Sound of Gunz.” This is hardcore Boom Bap from the Wu inspired root where there is a wonderfully embraced ignorance of anything pop. What the fuck is Pop? is the sound of the snare and who the fuck is billboard? the sound of the bass drum.

ELZHI – ELMATIC

An unfair record to introduce oneself to Elzhi as a homage to Illmatic entails verses that cleverly paraphrase NaS’ perfection. This reveals talent but may also be dismissed. However, if you we do more than act like we fucking know then his 2008 album The Preface is the superior near-classic album that this mixes into. Elzhi has all the skills from dexterity, word construction, pacing, flow, vocal clarity and a context from the street as the average real brother. Detroit is the new home of superior Boom Bap and Elzhi’s mic technique is as tough as Black Milk’s snares or as brutal as Bronze Nazareth’s blues’d bass drums. Elmatic can have the same problem with the beats but the live work of the Will Sessions makes the Illmatic instrumentals redone into some of the greatest remakes/renditions of classic material one can hear. If this quality and powerful resonance they achieve here is used to propel original material and new vocals from Elzhi then Preface is certainly elmatically driven to a classic.

WU-TANG – LEGENDARY WEAPONS

Musically, this original collection is only derivative of the Wu-sound so the experimental freshness of the RZA isn’t here. The live band excels strong because of the thick basslines that are so strong they overpower melodic accompaniments that do little. The production works to create the Wu sound but is obsessed with doing it minimalist as the RZA is historicized as doing. On tracks as “Diesel Fluid,” “Laced Cheeba” and “Black Diamonds” it certainly works because the Wu MCs, especially Ghost here, are incredible and effortlessly able to work the tracks. However, the RZA verses are so strong in content (“Start the Show,” “225 Rounds”) and intensity (“Only the Rugged Survive”) they deserve more than just amped bass. Still, this also reveals that the core of Wu is Boom Bap and with nothing else they excel powerfully as expected.

ILL BILL & VINNIE PAZ – HEAVY METAL KINGS

First get past Ill Bill’s (and disappointingly my man Vinnie Paz too) completely not right and exact obsession with idolizing Malachi Z. York, a bloodsucker of the poor who packaged the truth of street spirituality and historical scholarship of the Nation of God and Earth, Nation of Islam, the great Black Books scholars (i.e. Ivan Van Sertima, Cheikh Anta Diop, etc.) around fabrications of his awkwardly ever-morphing, unproven special divinity over others and his fantastical tales that are mixed in to make his package uniquely special. Now or End?!! If that can be done, there really is no Paz work that isn’t guided by authentic Boom Bap. HMK is filled with thudding drums (“The Final Call”) or epic breaks with mean basslines (“Keeper of the Seven Keys”) and becomes a place to find the next beatmakers. For now, C-Lance has the Jedi Mind Tricks sound mastered with gothic lore and crunchy breaks.

MOHAMMED DANGERFIELD

Reviewed months earlier, Hasan Salaam and Rugged N Raw only know Boom Bap. They live and breathe Boom Bap and their work sounds like nothing coming off the stale chair Jigga and Ye are sitting on. If you’ve ever seen Salaam draw out the illest Boom Bap out of a Jazz band or Rugged walk into a venue raw, climb the stage and drop perfectly paced bars immediately, then you know that their catalogs are about Boom Bap. The Mo Danger album is filled with raw and up and coming beatmakers that reveal the great decision making of the MCs and excellent engineering work to blend such unique vocal talents.

KEVLAAR 7 – WHO GOT THE CAMERA?

Also reviewed months earlier, Kevlaar joins Bronze as leading the movement of rugged Hip Hop blues on wax. The insightful rich and poetically pensive EP is filled with the Boom Bap blues that are synonymous with all the Wisemen works. While Kevlaar doesn’t need outside producers, he fills the EP with great choices that in line with his ethic. Too many sellout rappers, who are far more educated than they promote, are given credit for just noting the slightest social catastrophe around them. When one hears Kevlaar do it without sacrificing the beat thump or rhyme flow to go that much further with detail and proposing solutions, we can see the disingenuousness that is floating in our main streams.

JOELL ORTIZ – FREE AGENT

This quality joint by Ortiz is not near a superior Boom Bap event even though there are great highlights as”Oh” produced by Large Professor, “Sing Like Bilal” by DJ Premier. Nevertheless, Ortiz is a Boom Bap MC. His flow bounces on the snare and provokes the neck jerk immediately. No, he is no PUN and the homage can cross the line by over-jigganiggin the quotes and the references. Yet Free Agent has none of that problem and when the Boom Bap orchestra is there, Ortiz will be even more mighty.

KOOL G RAP – RICHES, ROYALTY AND RESPECT, KRS-ONE & SHOWBIZ – GODSVILLE & PLANET ASIA - CRACK BELT THEATRE

These two albums are from two of the top 5 greatest MCs of all time. The reality of rhyming on Boom Bap is virtually created by them alone and absolutely revolutionized and furthered by them. However, G Rap’s Riches is plagued by beat sampling that is too derivative while Showbiz, the great Diggin in the Crates crew producer, really seems to be offering an experimental minimalist technique that lacks the horn driven Bronx ruggedness of his best works. Still, these albums are still Boom Bap driven and are above any mainstream record you stake your namedrake on.

Now the God Planet Asia is here because he is a Boom Bap MC that achieved greatness in 2008 with DJ Muggs on their Pain Language album, a clinic of Boom Bap. He continued that with last years group offering, Gold Chain Military but Crack Belt is missing breaks and that pulse RZA so often builds on. There are rare glimspes like the snare sustaining "Boilermakers" by Madlib and the horn thumping "Mixtape Madness." Still, Asia is one of the great Boom Bap MCs coming from the OO's.

With all this Boom Bap we can dump all the Coon Pip immediately. Yet remember that Coon Pip exists. It can be the shit that fertilizes the realest fruit but only if we know it as shit. Until then, those on the throne will have their A&Rs, those mountain climbers playing electric guitars, who will write the history wrong again. Always without knowing the meaning of dope...

Peace, Sunez

67 Mob - T.I.M.E.

2011-08-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hip Hop is a Black and Brown music from the few, with all the Black and Brown in their heart, created and made to be sincerely shared to anyone. It isn't supposed to be made for everyone. That's selling out. That means that not everyone can make it. But “now we got white kids calling themselves niggas” and pop electro synth with talk on it being hailed as “boom bap” as Jay-Z recently has. So when we see more white people there is either an extreme suspension of disbelief and we front hardcore or we love the unalike and the oppressor again and give them all time rank and play immediately. Both extremes don’t help a music that should be made and heard by anyone sincere with something to say uniquely and incredibly.

67 Mob’s sophomore effort, T.I.M.E. is produced by Domingo completely, and have another strong producer guiding them and with great feature MCs from KRS-One and Sean P to the new generation’s Joell Ortiz and Bronze Nazareth they have to work hard again. While they continue to brag and boast mostly there is more work on their ideas about making Hip Hop music and coming from embraced Hip Hop cultural elements (i.e. “Karma Will Come Back”). Often their voices are too high pitched and digital but where they only ranked just below average on flow and content on their debut, T.I.M.E. is filled with improved flows and increased cleverness considerably. There is real homework on their flows, double time pacing and keeping on break worked on here.

As an Original man of immediate Puerto Rican blood from Sunset Park, Brooklyn, my suspension of disbelief with their debut album, Raising the Bar (2009), was only halted by complete production from Bronze Nazareth and continued with Domingo working the boards. These brothers are Italians from Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, two of the most racist, despicable hoods in my youth. They are not hoods we Sunset niggas could easily spill into to break, rap and beat box. Yet with white hoes saying “nigga” and Eminem holding MC crowns from sellout media, 67 Mob are brothers worthy of a listen and maybe it begins cuz they “was raised in Bensonhurst and now rest in Gunset”(“Get Down and Grind”). Their rhymes care about the principles and art of Hip Hop and they can continue to honor their people absolutely as they have something to share about themselves and their people. If 67 Mob continue to align their LPs with 100% production from a great beatmaker, continue to take the craft seriously as they have and most importantly, share their true Italian Brooklyn experience honestly then that’s real Hip Hop, the artistic insights of the rarely heard. I look forward to it sincerely as well.

www.67mob.com

KEVLAAR 7 - WHO GOT THE CAMERA? EP Review

2011-03-06T17:09:00.000-08:00

To achieve the highly anticipated debut album without hype, propaganda and the co-sign of the payola patrons is one of the greatest feats in Hip Hop today. The realest ones do it the old school way. They can drop mixtape after mixtape of tight material and endless cameos and production features that entice us. So we get the ill like Termanology or Joell Ortiz or eLZhi. They were developing before our eyes and they gotta get the props from us. But there are others that appear with a mixtape or two or a million and their beginning is at the peak of everything else out at the moment. Some call out Jay Electronica and they can wait for an ill Roc album. That’s peace but the God I’ve called out is from Detroit, brother of already great Bronze Nazareth, with that sick Unbutton Your Holsters mixtape: Kevlaar 7.

With this EP, Who Got the Camera?, who cannot marvel at an MC that has now dominated every chamber of released music without a solo album. Appearing capably on Bronze’ debut classic “Who can fuck with me on the table of elements/Hand me a mic and I'll melt MC's irrelevant...” (“Detroit”), then exploding on their Wisemen group’s debut, Wisemen Approaching, with the solo feature “Mixture of Muhammad” (“Intense incense, spread fear and icey whispers/Deliver, flaming labels/spit omega fables/Cradle graves in my arms and lay in level angles/Angels visit basonets/ whistle clarinets/Cuz I rush my last moments on murky clouds of death”), release the Unbutton mixtape with original material like “Nothing to Hide” (“Keepin the fury full adds dirt to my burial,/I'm grippin on a piece so my fam can see peace,/A rare experience under the heaven we beneath,/My expense is war until my temple's deceased”) only to peak higher last year with the amazing work on Wisemen’s superior sophomore album, Children of a Lesser God. To then release this EP isn’t about proving his skill but maybe getting more buzz as he lets go of some b-side tracks that demolish the a-sides of the majority.

Kevlaar, as he revealed blatantly on the Children LP, with “Thirsty Fish,” “Victorious Hoods,” “The Illness 2” and “Faith Doctrine,” is an rugged beatmaker incorporating booming basslines and now any drum from the wax to bangin conguero in his studio session. On Who Got The Camera there are two Kevlaar beats where “Boulevard Article” is that ruggedness that now seems easy for him. This really is an EP of the best beats that won’t be on his Die Ageless debut and an exercise in lyricism. Kevlaar is an MC that truly a writer penning an entire concentration of deepest thoughts and burgeoning swagger on the page. For this EP he goes thematic and focuses on deft socio-political rhymes that are guided by the countless deaths of our people by the pigs despite camera footage and other measures of obvious proof. The great crate to support the theme is his use of the Martin Luther King, Jr. quotes that go against the mere integrationist propaganda that his canonization has offered. Kevlaar is a lyricist and his gift for the abstract artful brilliance, is contained here to instead detail the streets and oppressive bullshit as candidly as possible without sacrificing lyrical density.

Who Got the Camera is a concentrated effort of just a handful of Kevlaar’s gifts and these builds on our plagued communities might be the most relevant to prelude the most anticipated debut album in years, Die Ageless.

HASAN SALAAM & RUGGED N RAW are MOHAMMAD DANGERFIELD Review

2011-03-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

Mohammad Dangerfield is one of the most obvious great albums to be released in a long time. Easily the livest duo since Method Man and Redman, they are the most logical marvel team up I have witnessed in years. Their synergy has been witnessed for years as they catapulted off their “I’m Broke and Proud” duet. Still, the unity provokes a highlight of versatility that the underground enthusiast may not have noticed of them and the pop rap downloader never even fuckin knew.

To unite the brilliance of swagger and fierce righteousness of boxing legend Mohammad Ali and the brilliance of effortlessly classic one-liners of comic great Rodney Dangerfield is to bring MCing to a renewed truth. A truth that the MC, the live orator of verse, is a real person with insight and humor barred up in inspiring builds and engaging cleverness. Before Mo Danger, you may have to know of them personally to know that Rugged N Raw is truly a sincere, articulate and virtuous brother for the cause. You may also need to know that Hasan is an engaging personality who can be the spark to the jam as much as the bloodline of the revolution. With Mohammad Dangerfield, the oddity of the implied imbalance is exactly the joke. There is no imbalance. There is only one of the livest and naturally insightful albums from this next generation of great MCs.

The success of Mohammad Dangerfield is their command of the live aesthetic and transmuting that on record. The fuckin album is a party of builds, punchlines, flows and skills displayed. Wiith Hasan, an MC that holds the weight of the world in his greatest verses from “When the Guns Come Out” to “Kingdom of Heaven,” has so many places to react with anthemic verses of triumph (“Valley of the Kings”) to the builds from all of oppressions’ lenses as on the dynamic “Generation Kill” (“It’s not that I hate their freedom it’s that I hate that i have a wife and three kids and can’t feed em/ united states looks like a garden of Eden but they army’s taking potshots at the door when we leavin...”). Yet Rugged N Raw, an MC that is a master of the comedic carelessness of our poverty and free swag living, he has an incredibly paced flow that puts every word strong on the disc. His insights drive understanding home with their sardonic emphasis whether on “Generation Kill” or the great detailer of failed circumstance as he rhymes on “Break of a Star.” The interchange between them melds and blends into explosions of truly live MCing as they put the stage on wax on “Rhyme Like No One” or the concentration of that fluid, rollicking slow flow of “Truly Yours,” the strong concept songs as the anti-abortion “Unredeemed” or the battle circus of “Wrek Center.” Unlike some premature reviews, the beats immediately recognized have the familiarity of b-boy staples (“Mo Danger,” “Wrek Center”) yet are a majority of well chosen beds that multiply with the instrument of verse upon them.

Unlike many of the quality of MCs today, Hasan and Rugged really thrive in the same cipher as the greats they are influenced by. They have all the tools from the stage to wax and have the realness that we sadly stopped expecting from MCs when the 2000’s came and concessions were disguised as necessary to the realness. Mohammad Dangerfield is an album of exciting MC martial art with the depth of topical insight and thematic realness of peoples’ revolution.

THE REAL OF 2010

2010-12-31T19:12:00.000-08:00

The Hip Hop Writer.
[Dasun (l.) & Sunez]

There’s only a few of these brothers, they some niggas to God that give structured opinions that further understanding of the only culture left of people left only with like and dislike. Word, these them brothers that say it so right everyone knows they real like the real they advocate. No, they ain’t them cryogenically urbanized transplanted from the lands of Wanna-be-fuckin-Downama that gimmick Hip Hop as their drama strategy for idolatry, so fuckin Obama. The fans from the suburban know it nots and have it lots to the little girls all adore hardcore with auto-tune might and Lil Tupac lites. But now we gotta read treatises and official declarations from hyped helpers and pop poachers that tell us this bullshit we hear is real. How real?! Not the “i kinda like it” real that gets you fucked up like De La Soul is Dead skit rehashing but that “yo, this really is real, quality Hip Hop music.” But I ain’t with that fucking shit. This is only the realest of 2010...
That Bullshit

The most significant change of this decade is that the complacency and concession of the average ignorant fan is now the accredited insight of the those that write about Hip hop. This reality is expansive not only from the bullshit writings at the best of websites to the littlest of blogs that serve up the confusion as official notice. It’s that Hip Hop is the lane that every fuckin nigga pickaninny picking a niche longs for. If you sell ideas to the youth now you fucking know that Kanye is a musical genius?!! You want to teach the babies by relating to them so now you know that Lil’ Wayne is a fucking mic monsta?!! The only fact of all this bullshit is that Nicki Minaj is teek een dem tings.

Hip Hop is a set of unified cultural expressions of our urban Blackness that has been comodified as a selling musical extravaganza. Yet, in this crazy show, the principles of Realness--Originality, Creativity and No Biting--all should suffice to be the applying requisites that prove all that shit wack. The Writer must be real, tell them the what and how the music is made and grown from the beginning and the beats are breathed in and the rhymes are exhaled like the great Yogis celebrating the arrival of their righteous females as they now rap, cut, scratch and tag love all over Breakbeat Mountain. And the writer is with the rolling pen and traveling papers forgoing Nirvana to tell you muthafuckas whats what. What the Fuck!

Overrating is the way to bliss now. It’s not only that Lil Wayne isn’t just a silly voiced, urban puppet surfing on the froth of his own cliches. It’s that he’s just a sometimey clever punchline and almost always stupid fuckin stream of conscious joke gone wrong rapper that blows the populace up and the boys with forums blow. This is also the case with the entire reality that collapses as one with Drake. Any and everyone giving props is only working to cement their spot on the gullible minded or preserve their small limelight fizzing away. This disease of overrating the next shit is also a sad hope for a future of a genre that that has almost no innovation left in it that can be and will ever be presented on any mass level. It also reveals the enormous confusion of our Black street music that is sold commercially. The product will always have to be exploited after exhaustion to be acceptable like Latina actresses learning to talk white. It’s not only that Nicki Minaj is peddling her beauty, it’s that she blends the Lil Kim vibe with a jacked Ol’ Dirty Bastard palette with alternating voices and off beat staccato verses that are just corny. Then everyone is disappointed that her album is pop fodder. Close your eyes when you listen and you’ll see.

It’s not that he’s white. He deserves his deal. But whoever heard of a white man sellout Black music?! That is, was he real first? The true sellout is no Drake, weak from the start, or Minaj, slutty from the get, but that man with talent, representing the people and then went out for the bucks. Clearly, Eminem don’t fit all the criteria as he has talent but who does he really rep? The white folk? Most likely but when did whites need representation in a countercultural music that was made and is most needed by we Blacks and Latinos?! Do all the whites that own all them masters count or get all of the points on them bled, sweated and teared over records?! Still, Eminem sold his skill for the better bucks and it’s hard to tell cause he was a silly gimmick from jump. You think that collabo with Wayne is ill then you don’t even respect the Hip Hop ethic that still was in the Marshall Mathers Lp or that time he rocked Jay-Z on his own song. Refer to “Ether” verse 3.

It’s not only that Kanye hasn’t helped blur the lines of realness and fakeness in ways that rival the exploits that raised Diddy’s Dirty Money. The legendary trinity of RZA, Primo and Pete Rock aid in his works while the most fraudulent of rap’s gloss from Rick Ross to Kid Cudi defecate on them extravagantly. His content is more of the lyrical genius that Pop flaunts--porno punchline play and his pathetic tormented rich artist shtick. What we’re left with is one of the most overrated albums in the history of Hip Hop. A fucking mess of rock synth overproduction that vindicates itself because of the work on it, the efficacy of his technical sound quality and the few tracks abandoning that whole shit for the roots of his best. The roots like “Devil in a New Dress” reveal the best work getting Bink, a souled out beatmaker, to get there. But here we can see how horrid an MC he is. And Ross there too? Isn’t that like a poor--rather, a poverty stricken man’s version of Raekwon/Biggie mashed up?!! Pathetic. Kanye West is an elevating of Pop standards but certainly not Hip Hop. There is still greater, more progressive works in Hip Hop on all levels.

The principles of Hip Hop reveal an artistic nature that can guide a child’s ethic allowing them to see the depths of creative possibility, the discovery and release of their insights and keep them living real. All we need are a few real niggas to share them with the kids.

Honorable Mention:

The year 2010 can’t just be a list of the best albums as some of the best MCs didn’t release albums but dominated with incredible tracks. Raekwon’s Cuban Linx Part II is a classic of this era and his excellence kept being displayed on his Cocainism Pt.2 mixtape and the countless features including the best verse on Kanye’s album, ill spots on Capone N Noreaga’s [note: Noreaga is the better choice for a thugged out street punchline MC] entertaining War Report 2 and the great prelude to his Shaolin Vs. WuTang LP next year with the Bronze Nazareth produced banger, “Butter Knives.” That’s just some of the punch-you-in-your-face music he promised and the infamous misstep rapping on Kanye’s RZA-jacked track with Justin Bieber. Note the mistake-Justin Bieber. Not just Beanie Sigel or Jus Allah JMT. Justin Bieber.

Many albums we anticipate didn’t get released but we know for a fact that Pharaohe Monch still has a command of extreme dexterity and lyrical presence that is otherworldly. With “Shine” and a few other joints performed from his upcoming W.A.R reveal this just as Sean Price dominated the underground with special performances of Mic Tyson joints. Roc Marciano’s Marcberg is an excellently self-produced beat album with a tightly timed mid pace flow with a more simple stylistic approach to the stream-of-conscious technique with only above average. If his focus increases Roc could make superior albums. Yet, its best track, “Snow,” became one of P’s highlights with the incredible verse he dropped on it. But Sean P was all over doing this from “Sabado Gigante,” “Angel Dust,” “Gang Leader,” and that performed freestyle called “King Joffe Joffer” at Brooklyn’s Southpaw was the topper. Sean P’s innovation has it’s revival roots in DOOM and Ghostface’s stream of conscious mastery but add a dynamic ruggedness, a dexterity that rolls smoothly with perfectly precise and deliberate pausing and you have one of the great influences on all the new real and fake today. All of the heralded Lil Wayne, J Cole and Drake “lyricism” is straight filler next to P.

But Brooklyn has more waiting and Joell Ortiz, como todo los Boricuas en la historia de este fukeen pais, got played and they didn’t release his Free Agent album. Irony aside, Ortiz rhymes with a freedom that has developed from more than a battle MC but a great storyteller who really accentuates great images of nostalgia. But if you ain’t lived the real shit it won’t fuckin relate. They say that’s a problem nowadays.

Of the albums deserving note are:

Ras Kass - A.D.I.D.A.S.
Because it’s over 2 hours of Ras Kass bars. Ras Kass is one of the greatest MCs in Hip Hop’s entire history possessing all of the tools--dexterity, character, insight, diverse content, real. His career is impeded by weaker production and endless label holdups. Those holdups justify a double album even if we get some filler. Still, that filler (i.e. “Mr. Right Now) is propelled by his natural charisma, a trait that allows him to be effortlessly non-didactic as he gets into the deepest of builds (i.e. the super savage and too heathen Roman roots of the weekday names and Christmas on “Linguistics”) or thematic insight (i.e. the Black, Brown and Yellow unity on “Hip-Hop Now”). While Razzy is easily the most underrated and unaccounted for MC of merit, he also is a leader of the West Coast MC movement as “Scenario 2012” affirms with Planet Asia, the great B-boy MC, Chino XL, an original root of eminem and any other shocking lyricist and two from the best pure underground hardcore groups, Krondon and Phil Da Agony of Strong Arm Steady. A leader of the movement because he is the greatest MC on the West Coast now, arguably of all time. A.D.I.D.A.S. rewards with all of the mic skills and the add on of Rhettmatic beat skills throughout.

All APOLLO BROWN production (LPs: Boog Brown & Apollo Brown - Brown Study; Apollo Brown - Reset; The Left - Gas Mask)
The newest developing production faction of the Detroit sound is Apollo Brown. Certainly developing for two reasons. The first that the lyrical depth at his disposal is not at the level of the two other major factions (Bronze Nazareth/Kevlaar 7 & Black Milk). Boog Brown is a sister with insight, sentimentality and a strong conviction for integrity. Her flow is in that smooth Jean Grae school and shows the most promise as true female MCs are the greatest rarity, unfortunately. It makes Brown Study a special record that is reminiscent in introspective intimacy as Jean Grae’s superior Attack of the Attacking Things. Boog’s skill is in the midst of growing significantly and that is logical in this rising faction. For The Left, Apollo Brown teams with DJ Soko and Journalist 103 on the mic. While Journalist has a great “keep it real” intensity his content is limited to that with just a respectable wordplay while his dexterity is acceptable. His dexterity is not an overt blemish as the beats are all bangers in the intense upper mid tempo. For the Reset album, Apollo collects a slew of he deepest underground reps and draws great verses from them. All together, the lyricism of the faction is tight but it’s in a Detroit cipher of incredible Mic Controllers.

The second cause for development is Apollo Brown himself. As the Reset album shows, he is a true producer, able to select the right track, that may or may not be his comfort zone, and give a forum that gets the best of the MC’s verses out. Yet as a brother once down with Bronze Nazareth’s Wisemen, the highly touted Gas Mask, at a deeper study, is still ill but absolutely derivative. As Bronze Nazareth noted that he “taught him how to make beats, chop samples, pull out the basslines, etc. I gave him his very first program to make beats with, gave him the cool edit program he still uses to make beats with. I’m pretty sure he made the Gas Mask album with that program.” (http://www.abuildingroam.com/2010/11/interview-building-with-wisemen-bronze.html) With the Gas Mask, there is a great Kobe effect--the tracks are incredible but they are the original moves of Michael Jordan, that is Bronze Nazareth’s classic The Great Migration. The sample diggin on Great Migration is far deeper, Gas Mask’s most signifying samples are Migration rooted (i.e. Bobby Blue Bland sampling on Gas Mask’s “Statistics” vs. Migration’s “Hear What I Say” & "More Than Gold") and the MCing is just an unfair challenge for Journalist. Still, Gas Mask is an album that spends its entire track list addressing pure and real Hip Hop in some way that is reminiscent of All Natural’s No Additives, No Preservatives of 1998. It’s an addictive work and Apollo’s skill with the beats is sharp with great work on the bass drum. In addition, he is not a one styled beatmaker as these three works have wholly different sounds from the more brooding thick snares that let Boog get pensive to the booming soul that lets Journalist vent or the diverse breaks and tempos in the compilation. With this, Apollo Brown’s complete 2010 reveals he can produce a unique album beds for lyricists (Boog Brown) and b-boys (Journalist 103) and for the multitude (Reset). With the great comp around him the inspiration for greater work is imminent.

Gold Chain Military - Chain of Command

A solid group of MCs led by Planet Asia along with Killa Kali and Turbin also from Fresno, CA, Tristate reppin’ LA with Killer Ben and Sav Killz building from Brooklyn. In the spirit of Wu-Tang/Killarmy eithic, the goal is stream of conscious militancy to resurrect Hip Hop quality. The insights are a unified Nation of God and Earth theology, a well unified street spirituality presented with ideas right and exact on ethic and dietary concerns with only the occasional odd add ons of Malachi york references and the worthy ones of Rasta insights. Just as Planet Asia’s career is a reinvigorated homage to Originality in hardcore b-boy lyrics and the alike minds assembled are of the same mentality. The album is 17 deep cuts of hardcore beats that really is filled with great snare work from Masterkraftsmen, who handled about half of the cuts. The other half are by various producers including Large Professor, Alchemist and Evidence that show a consistent selection from the group that really are all upper midtempo snare poppin breaks with wild horns or blues vocals chopped in. Along with PA, Sav Killz and Tristate show great potential with unique voices, intensity and fluidity in pacing. Albums like these were normal, maybe even overdone in the 90’s, yet this is one of the few hardcore non-skip albums to train heavy with.

Black Milk - Album of the Year

Detroit, despite eminem’s selling out, is still the realest and most progressive set of Hip Hop music miles in the world today. It’s because the many factions all keep it real with some of the most Original talent in years. One of those factions is led by Black Milk and his growing production excellence. Musically, the Hip Hop sound of Detroit was given notice with the great work of J-Dilla but only when he died. Unfortunately, until Donuts was released, the greatness of Dilla was not so blatantly bundled. Dilla has wonderfully influenced so many producers with a mastery of the snare to provoke the pop appeal of the b-boy tracks of soul and funk he created. It’s why his tracks could work with Raekwon, a perfect breakbeat MC as RZA noted and also D’Angelo and other Neo-soul acts. Milk’s solos Sound of the City, Vol.1 and Popular Demand showed deep soul and a very digital funk and his production of eLZhi’s incredible The Preface album, it’s clear Milk can produce for the sound of it all and excel in creating beds for the lyricist.With Album of the Year, Milk continues his explorations of the soulful funky snare to new heights. With Album, it’s not that the snare is ill, sharply piercing as ever but that his breakbeats are completely wild and unorthodox. The tempos are upper mid tempo but the excitement of the tracks gives a it all a much faster feel. Black Milk is only a bragaddocio rhymer in a Special Ed/Kane girl getting lane which hampers it considerably. Milk has incredible MCs at his disposal and his growth pace on the mic is so much slower than eLZhi, Royce Da 5’9” or even Guilty Simpson. Still, Album of the Year is a great producer’s album.

All MADLIB work!:

The entire decade of the 00’s needs a Madlib moment of reflection each year. In proper retrospect, without Madlib the entire 00’s become virtually devoid of great evolutions in beatmaking. Madlib has the crown for the deepest crates, so deep he spent the entire year releasing Medicine Shows of his crates from Roots Reggae and Jazz to his pre-Lootpack beat crates (the ill Medicine Show No. 5 - History of the Loop Digga 1999-2000). There are his progressive Jazz records under the psuedonyms Young Jazz Rebels and The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble. Then there are the fully produced Hip Hop albums for Guilty Simpson (O.J. Simpson) and Strong Arm Steady (In Search of Stoney Jackson) that turn quality MCs, if not spectacular lyricists or amazing dexterous vocalists, into an aural showcase of exploration. S.O.S.’ album is filled with some of the deepest and purely thick basslines of the year (only DJ Muggs’ Kill Devil Hills rivals this) while the skits on O.J. virtually make Madlib an additional lyricist countering Guilty’s rugged bars. There is no prducer in the history of Hip Hop music that has such a complete level of quality amidst abnormal quantity of work. Madlib filled the beat universe with at least half a thousand tracks the last decade and begins 2010 with almost 20 albums worth of material that is filled with treats.

The Roots - How I Got Over
"It's Black Thought, for certain I'ma win eventually/This unsung, underrated, under-appreciated/The one them underachievers had underestimated…" - "Doin It Again"

Shit!?! What the fuck is this!?! How I Got Over is the theme of the ?uestlove-led Roots and I ain’t with that shit. I’m not with having the greatest performance MC of the last 10 plus years, one of the greatest MCs of all time being a merely a consistent feature on Rising Down while it has a majority of weak ass beats and annoying hooks with the classic "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)." And being in the Fallon band is a peace hustle only if they ain’t gotta have this superior MC, B-L-A-C-K Thought, singing I-God damned Christmas carols on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float. Those are kanye customs on a vintage lyricist that don’t get you over. It ain’t all ?’s fault cause no one can make the MC mc just anything and on a deeper level there is a shift that has developed the entire 00’s decade that saw Thought’s content taper in it’s insight away from a street spirituality-- that is the knowledge of self that builds with mathematics and doesn’t see a mystery god--into just the respectable hard times riffs. No one can judge a man’s deepest choices but the consistent search for a mystery god (“Dear God 2.0”) is in line with the many concessions the Roots have made for palatability and relevance in their wider market. How I Got Over, unlike Rising Down, has much better breaks that are more B-Boy rooted but is filled with a very intense blue-eyed soul for all of its choruses. It's almost as if he's too rugged to sell completely. It means nothing only when you get these Roots albums that aren't bar heavy and where Thought is sparsely featured. Yet, The Roots are still a legendary band, now in theory, where Black Thought has incredible mastery on the mic that is more visible hearing his thicker tone of experience and pacing blatantly compared to the features surrounding him. Beatwise, ?uestlove's drumming is elevated as on "Right OnS," "Radio Daze," and "Now or Never" with polyrhythmic fluidity. Still, this is an album where personal bias must be noted on this brother's part--Black Thought is the Hip Hop of the Roots. I want to listen to fuckin Real Hip Hop!
"Shit, I'm Black Thought, what could be more prolific? For this love I go above and beyond a limit/ I told y'all I'm above and beyond a gimmick" - "Right On"

EP’s & Special Releases:

AZ - Doe or Die 15th Year Anniversary
Seemingly a gimmick record or a promo set up for Doe or Die 2, this 15th Anniversary with its mere 5 new tracks and 4 remakes from 1995's Doe or Die is an incredible showcase of pure dexterous lyricism. Not only do the remakes redeliver the deftness of the lyricism and the expert swagger in precise pacing but the new tracks deliver it equal to, if not better. During the 1990's an MC as AZ was often dismissed, myself at times also erroneously, as a frivolous ghetto caricature -- the lyricist of the ghetto despair triumphing through countless hustles proving his earned righteousness. Yet, after the 00's where every last MC from Jeru to Wu, toned down their lyrical depth, AZ is far more appreciated. This idea of dexterous lyricism where the wordplay itself is so technically complex it affects the actual delivery of the lyric is assumed to be part of the 90's MC. Yet, except for GZA, NaS, Raekwon, Ghost, Monch and a few others it is extremely rare. AZ's troubles have been in the abuse of his swagger to challenge Jigga with pop diddies (i.e. "Undeniable"). While they have often been clever they always dilute the program. What hasn't been diluted is the most impressive of AZ. His content is still the amazing reveling in hustler's success yet it hasn't lost the insight of the knowledge of self that constantly reminds one that the hustle is a struggle against oppression. AZ's message still stays rooted in the streets, the suffering prisons and the greatness in the Original man enlightened as he succeeds. This is easily one of the best albums of the year and matches with 90% of every release on this list.

J-Live - Undivided Attention EP
The third in the career of an artist like J-Live, the EP serves the purpose of reminding the faithful that the skills are still in tact, the integrity is still non-conceding and the beats are still banging. Now J-Live is 3 for 3. J-Live is the epitome of the underrated as he is respected and revered by anyone that hears him. Anyone that has seen him perform "Braggin Rites" live cutting his produced track up as he verses effortlessly over it showing he's indeed the Triple Threat--MC, DJ and Beatmaker. Still, J-Live can only be appreciated as an obscure crate is or a great Thelonious Monk record. It is immediately recognized that it must be good but it takes a deeper listen to appreciate the greatness of it all. There is J-Live's dexterity riding with the silly Homeboy Sandman on "Fitness" or the fluidity of "The Way that I Rhyme" or the building depth of "Calculations." J-Live's strength is in his wordplay and its execution in song concepts. Just as every other EP and album, each Undivided song is a unique idea musically and lyrically. Now with the 00's past us, it can be officially said that J-Live was one of its top 5 MCs and the epitome of the era. Undivided is the primer for the next chapter in masterful MCing from J-Live.

Big L - Return of the Devil’s Son
If you are waiting for Thank Me Later or the canonizing of a Weezy nursery rhyme on this list then you are waiting for the God to make mystery. Instead, the real completist will rock the finality of Big L's career. A lengthy collection of his left over cuts, early works and unreleased tracks, Big L's intensity and rugged bars are amazingly refreshing. Like Chino XL, his shock verses are a father to eminem and every other MC saying whatever the fuck they want. As a note for this list, Celph Titled's album, Nineteen Ninety Now is a great beat work by Buckwild but Celph only really delivers the expected battle rhymes. While that makes for a quality album, one of the worthwhile this year, Return of the Devil's Son is filled with great D.I.T.C. tracks from Buck, Showbiz and even Large Professor. Big L is easily one of the legendary battle MCs of all time and its only sensible as his root is Lord Finesse. On Return, one must marvel at the high level of skill he was at. Today, a rapper learns of a silent letter in a word and he's an iller G all of a sudden. With Big L, his cadence was perfected by equal patterns of syllables in his verses and a penchant for peaking his voice for his punchlines. He also had the dexterity to fit his bars in with G Rap speed. L is the most undeveloped talent returned to the essence and it makes him a most tragic musical loss. With Return, we can revisit those roots with the dignity of a really well put together compilation.

Mohammad Dangerfield - $Free.99 EP
The best freebie of the year, Mohammad Dangerfield is the not-so surprising unification of Hasan Salaam and Rugged N Raw. Two completely unique MCs with all together different styles and focused themes yet they are alike in great dexterity, intensity and realness. They are also alike in having slept on catalogs. Rugged, from the Redman school, has a dynamic voice, great punchlines and only knows heavy bars, an MC's MC. As I've often said, Hasan Salaam is the best young MC of the last 5 years in the Tri-State area. That's alotta fukn rappers but the brother has all the tools. As the superior Children of God album in 2008 or the strong 2005 debut or the precocious verses on the 2005 Reavers album, Terror Firma where I first did the knowledge, Hasan, has guiding themes of knowledge of self, the ghetto strife and trials endeavored against oppression and a strong battle presence. The elevating note is that his vocals are a dexterous baritone that is rare in all of Hip Hop's history. Mohammad Dangerfield as a unit is B-boy excitement led by Rugged with the insightful lyricism guided by Hasan. Performing live for a long time together, they always displayed great synergy and it shows on these 8 tracks, best seen on the ill "Van Gogh" or the unique rhyme patterns on the stuttered break on "Flying Coach." And the shit is free!

Immediate Honorable Mention:
Skyzoo & !llmind - Live From the Tape Deck
Medina. Brooklyn. The place. MCing's history is weak without it. Actual fact. For this to be so it means almost everyone in Medina raps. Funneling them all the last few years, Skyzoo remains of the new. After the 9th Wonder produced LP, Cloud 9 and the tight The Salvation album, he should be better known and much more prized. Skyzoo has the Brooklyn influences that he's supposed to have. He has his own masculine version of the pretty hiccup, the smooth drawl and lethargic conveyance of effortless mastery that is a dose of swagger in hardcore Hip Hop much needed. It all gels beyond frivolousness because he has a lyrical dexterity that has AZ and Kweli components to it. He is not as deep with his content or powerful with his insights as he can become as most of his thoughts focus on the details and technique. Technique is obsessed over to success as "Kitchen Table" metaphors the struggle to provide with getting each place set on the kitchen table. The obsession with wordplay reaches clever levels reminiscent of J-Live as he does on his second verse of "Flow by Numbers" or on the incredible "Frisbees" ("Now or never, I'm around whatever if the call is out/Out of what's considered to be considered considerable/I couldn't find a reason to leave up outta the lyrical/Fuck all of the fuckery, motherfuckers luckily ain't see me with a cosign/I get one of you--clothesline/Pardon how I pardoned it, but don't pardon the part in it/that pointed out the parts that I'm apart from where you parted it…") The details reveal the legitimacy and Skyzoo masters this on the extra slick graf track, "Krylon" and glides through references on "Digital Analog." Skyzoo is a fiend for the playing with words and brings great stuff out of the MCs he works with as he does with Torae on "Barrel Brothers." All of these techniques and details swaggered through are over the very digitally melodic production of !llmind who uses sirens, bleeps and lots of rock synth bass to dress his bass drum heavy breaks. Many of the tracks have a familiarity (i.e. "#allaboutthat") to work he's given to BCC and others but every bed is proper and allows Skyzoo to display the art. This shit really is an Art and Medina brothers remind us of that all the time.

Statik Selektah & Terminology - 1982 [w/1982 EP]

One of the top five debuting MCs since 2005, Termanology is an MC with all the tools that has developed consistently over every record. As most MCs and rappers in the last decade they have diluted the strength of their catalog by releasing countless mixtapes to garner buzz. Term's series of Hood Politics joints is one of the better sets to promote an MC and by the Volume 4 the command of his content, intensity and incredibly dexterous delivery came to fruition. Un Boricua who is a direct disciple of the PUN school, his deadpan monotone breath control is extra ordinary. Unfortunately, the anti-climatic moment in Term's career is the release of his debut album, Politics As Usual, where he really is the first MC since NaS to debut with production from DJ Premier, Pete Rock and Large Professor. The potential to really live up to that was certainly there but the album works too hard to be diverse suggesting a possible PUN route here as Capital Punishment is very diverse. The slight setback led to a great response with the great idea of rhyming over an album's worth of Dilla tracks on If Heaven Was A Mile Away, that exploited his gifts as on "Circulate (100 Bars)" and "Enemies." The unity with Statik Selektah has been present throughout his career and by the Hood Politics VI, featuring tight tracks from "Wild Puerto Ricans" to "Brown Paper Bag" leading to the Statik produced gem, "Nobody's Smilin'."

With 1982, the only flaw is the obsession with diversity again. That is, using the old model that the cliché style of track (i.e. the bitches song, the queen song, the hard times song, etc.) will properly propel the ideas. 1982, the year Term and Statik were born, is a respectful homage to Gang Starr and Pete & CL as Term really shows considerable flows from a smooth paused flow on "Born in 82" to the punny flow on the classic hardcore joint "Thugathon 2010." The sincerity and conveyance of realness through the integrity of the music is a theme revealed throughout and honors Guru greatly. In addition, the many features that hamper other albums aren't here as Xzibit's incredible verse on "Goin Back" is At The Speed of Life worthy. Beatwise, Statik is a proper breakbeat fiend and a great selektah of accompanying sample vocals. He also has the skills to make addictive beats merely by the choice of melodic hook or sounds as on "People are Running" or "Goin Back." Consistent beats allow Term to become the MC that is still developing. He has a great handle and insight of the life he came from but as he literally learns more his work will have even deeper meaning. This music was invented by Blacks of America, the Caribbean and the Latino Caribbean yet the reality of the Puerto Rican is so underrepresented on the MC side that Term's insights are most welcome. With that said he has worked to bring ideas but they also require more study on the part of the writer (MC) as "Freedom" with Reks reveals straight errors on Puerto Rican history. Boricuas have been racially oppressed by the U.S. since being made citizens in 1917 to be official tools of war in World War 1. Yet, the details of our degradation and that reality on the truest micro level Term reveals throughout 1982 with massive dexterity manipulating techniques with Kobe effect only PUN really did. His intensity also has powerful range from the slowly intense "Things I Dream" to amplified live vocals on "Help." When Term and Statik, together or apart, leave every model of "proper" recording behind, they will only give us their best work. For now, 1982 is a strong one and continues the high quantity of quality [1982 also has a free accompanying EP with quality b-sides with the lyrical feature with Chace Infinite ("The Darkest Cloud")].

10 - Meth, Ghost & Rae - Wu Massacre
This list is Wu'd out because they're still the best and the rushed collection of quality b-sides still is an incredible record if it has 2 of the legends and one Great of the Wu, Ghost, Rae and Meth, respectively. With some of the greatest album covers ever dressing the meager ten tracks, the incomplete nature is wildly evident. Ghost, Meth and Rae should be on every song as RZA, himself, gets more verses out of all of them on the entire Wu albums. Nevertheless, the intensity of the work makes this more of a Cuban Linx II Gold than the Gold version. It really plays like a special playlist from a Wu album as Ghost innovates again with an abstract, stream of conscious style of storytelling on "Pimpin Chipp" and Method Man's referential wordplay is at a peak on "Meth Vs. Chef 2" and "Criminology 2.5." Raekwon following up the classic Cuban Linx Part II delivers rhymes that are received with the stature that they deserve--a legendary lyricist with exceptional details with the slow, menacing pace. Beatwise, all the producers are near perfect picks to reproduce the early RZA era/soul Ghost preferences that always work. So certain songs sound like they were released already ("Dangerous" by Allah Math) while others have that special sample unused but wonderfully expected (i.e. Linda Jones sample on "Miranda" by Allah Math). Rushed records like these are done to capitalize on the recent resurgence and CL2 is the reason. Nevertheless, the classic skills and enormous talent of these MCs continues to increase and even the seemingly incomplete sound of tracks as RZA's great Michael Jackson sampling on "Our Dreams" with no breakbeat works like many RZA classics with minimal breaks (i.e. "Tribute to the 5th Brother"). With Wu Massacre, it's more of the Real-- a very short, little more of the Real.

9 - Killah Priest - The 3 Day Theory
The last cd I personally purchased physically from Fat Beats NY and Priest's only album since 2009, one of the most amazing MC performances in Hip Hop history….But no one knows or took notice that last year Priest released 4 albums worth of material (the official Elizabeth and The Exorcist with the "mixtapes" The Untold
Story of Walter Reid and I Killed The Devil Last Night) and two EPs of free material. Over 100 songs that include a near classic Elizabeth and 3 other albums of original material with virtually no filler. Priest is known for the vivid details to his epic storytelling and the brutal and gory battle raps but last year they became something else. With a better mastery of flow and dexterity since 2005's Black Market Militia there is just more command to Priest. There is nothing unexpected but the truth is that the best Wu MCs are literally getting better as they refine their techniques and song writing skill. 3 Day Theory is filled with more with battle rhymes and guest appearances and isn't the intimate journey that Elizabeth or the underrated Behind the Stained Glass are. For Priest, it is a respectable poor man's The Offering that blends his metaphysical cosmic journeys of "Outer Body Experience," "Circles" and "A Priest History," with battle tracks like "Democracy" with an impeccable Canibus verse, "Brolic" or "The Destroyer." After so much work, that this album is so good is amazing. Everything in Killah Priest's catalog after the BMM album is worthy with countless exceptional moments. He is one of the most unique MCs of all time specializing in a lyrical depth no one really can delve into. 3 Day Theory is another essential one.

8 - KRS-One & True Master - Meta-Historical
Hip Hop is a music attached to deeply embedded cultural expressions of Black and Latino urban culture that reinforce originality, creativity and the integrity and principle of not biting but sampling in honor of the past one learns from. After three decades of commercially released music, to dismiss it all and just advocate the new nigga hoping their phoniness will change and he will lead the masses is complete ignorance, stupidity and/or selling out. Those men and women, boys and girls of each era must learn of each other's experience in this and actually have a proper understanding of the united code to create this. KRS-One's Gospel of Hip Hop book is 800 pages worth of that like sentiment with lots of mysterious religiosity to pop it forward and more great understanding to support it. Meta-Historical is no mere uniting with a like mind and great producer of the classic 90's era in True Master of the Wu-Elements producer greats. Instead, Meta-Historical is the offering of KRS' Gospel thoughts and best builds onto wax. The MC stylings have KRS going back to the Boogie Down Production days for his earlier reggae techniques, chorus chants and rhyme cadences. Some have tried to trivialize KRS's ideas and it can be done sincerely by noting he says that our people are supreme controllers of our destiny yet can speak about a god in the sky helping you if you work hard. Still, KRS's presents little mystery as the God True Master truly has an influence as the chorus of "Palm and Fist" suggest ("Knowledge is the foundation/Wisdom is the way/Understanding will show you that you are on your way"--a sampled verse from the Nation of God and Earth's Enlightener anthem). With that KRS' content is not just the regurgitated "Rap is something you do. Hip Hop is something you live" jewel. There are the expected Temple of Hip Hop recruitment songs ("Knowledge Reigns Supreme"). Yet the gem in all this is that the album is designed to use history, the 90's style and ruggedness to bring his newest ideas. It all is led by the title track with a brilliant build on the wholistic nature of history. This is one of the core ideas in the Gospel of Hip Hop and its made into bars and put on wax ill. True Master, as mentioned, is a complete producer that affects the content direction of KRS and the guests to a focus of knowledge of self and the lack of mysterious beings or energies but our own minds creating this "omni event." As on "Street Rhymer," "1-2 Here's What We Gonna Do," (with a great RZA verse) and "Unified Field" the driving tracks with deep bass, crunchy breaks and intense melodies are true 90's Wu while tracks like "Murda Ya" and "Gimme the 90's" are deep and simple minimalist breaks that drove early BDP work. The album is too short and would be better fit with the many skits of good builds translated into verses on new songs instead. Still, for that continuity and reality of a complete unified field of Hip Hop from 1986 to 2010, KRS-One is that MC, most crucial, for that task.

7 - DJ Muggs Vs. Ill Bill - Kill Devil Hills
Easily the best solo production from one of the top 5 producers in Hip Hop history, DJ Muggs. The Cypress Hill albums aren't enough to reveal that. The great producer has to make classics with good MCs (i.e. B-Real) and the legendary (i.e. GZA). After 2005's Grandmasters, an easy classic with GZA, Muggs followed his work with a solid banger with Sick Jacken (Legend of the Mask and the Assassin) and the classic Pain Language with Planet Asia. Muggs ability now is understood by this years Kill Devil Hills. The depth of the MC will be drawn out by his beats (i.e. Pain Language) or the perfected MC will reach greatness again (i.e. GZA). For Ill Bill, a more than respected white MC, a Brooklyn veteran who was crucial in the success of Non Phixion's only album, The Future is Now. All of these are relevant details to his judgment. The judgment of any artist's work, especially the MC is personal and should be as their content is considered. We just need to show and prove why. Kill is a classic production that is designed to let Ill Bill do what he knows best--thugged out soldier fighting against the madness of surrounding conspiracy of devilishment and ensuing Alien domination. It all sounds ridiculous but when one considers that the Gods and Earths, since the 60's, have taught a knowledge of self of personal supremacy as the natural reality of the Original people and sharing the science of a world with no mystery god and righteousness in all of humanity, countless ciphers of exploitation exist in the streets from Nuwaibians to RBG to A Teams telling their tall tales of it all. As a white MC, Ill Bill's ideas show he has built with Gods as he does on wax with the God Chace Infinite on "Secrets Worth Dying For" but is convinced that the heights of humanity are not the Original man but Aliens soon to come as we all are "children of a lesser god." Ultimately that framework is straight bullshit and has a sting of racism to it if it was uttered by another. For Ill Bill, it's more ignorance played out on wax. The latter half of the album overdoses on this and Muggs only keeps the beats poppin for the peculiar pillage. Vocally, Ill Bill is a fluid MC directly influenced by BIG PUN in cadence (i.e. chorus on "Amputated Saint") and fluidity (i.e. opening verse on "Cult Assassin"). Over Muggs beats, one can come to respect his insight because it's true rebellion and often rebellion done well, as here, brings about revolution of truth. That truth may not come from Bill but it may be in the next forum the legendary Muggs offers.

6 - Ghostface Killah - Apollo Kids
Ghost, like Razah, is a perfected MC. They never need shift their way to make great music. However, Ghost is an MC who really can do everything. As his Ghostdeini Wizard of Poetry album reveals, the surprise quality of ideas that are horrible on paper (an album with today's R&B music with B-level and some A-level singers of the genre) have amazing results. Like Ghostdeini, Apollo Kids is an exploration into a chamber of Ghostface. Far more subtle here Ghost is indulging in his superstar 70's inspired Soul brother Pretty Tony, Starkey Love Baby lane. Technically as an MC, Ghost easily can be regarded as the greatest ever just like a few others are. Ghost ranks at extreme peaks on dexterity, flow (manipulation, continuity, etc.), wordplay, word usage and depth, content, storytelling and insight. However, the peak he is exploring here is a special one--the ridiculous swagger. Apollo Kids is only 40 minutes and Ghost shares the mic on 9 of the 12 tracks of which "Street Bullies" only has a chorus from him. Still, Ghost albums begin with the ability to executive produce his own shit. No, post-Russell Def Jam don't sell shit let alone the real but the direction of beat selection and thematic focus on the tracks is always superbly done by Starks. Only Frank Dukes, with 3 tracks, has more than one track to his credit so the aural unity of the record must be commended. Yet, it is an exaggeration that this album is a great rewind to the vintage Wu sound. The Wu albums on this list are as much vintage RZA/Wu as Apollo and if one is really diving into the sound the tracks are extremely clean, a digital treble that is subtle but easily discernible from the work of Bronze Nazareth, Kevlaar 7, True Master, 4th Disciple, DJ Wool, Dev 1 and the many Wu-Elements and preferred stable used by Wu MCs. Lyrically, there is no comeback for Ghost. When he went R&B and showed proper love to the Original woman the skills were there and his raw features on Cuban Linx Pt. II are classic. Here Ghost is fuckin Youngblood Priest where "Starkology" is the peak of that rugged swagger ("Yo, I can do this on crutches black with no legs/Both arms in a sling, push me on stage/Style still linger in the air like Glade..") and then the frivolous glamor of "Superstar" is done with a rhyme that lets you hear the stutter step letting you know the slickness ("This is Theodore, they call me Starkalicious/Cause my tongue game is a likkle vicious…") with a speed to add in observations and suggestions to the beautiful women encountered ("Y’all respect my tour bus/We got whores with no drawers ready to do all four of us/Wildin, bustin big bags of Ruffles..."). The stream of conscious flow is centered on his immensity with constant distractions taking place to acknowledge the lust for the ladies. No one does this but Ghost, an ability to bring mastery to so many personas. If these are the short ill works to get out of his Def Jam contract, what will be the time tailored art work?...

5 - Hell Razah - Heaven Razah Integrity. Sincerity. Perfected lyricism. Hell Razah has always been Heaven Razah. Since that opening Sunz of Man verse where he noted, "What? He sold his soul? Life publishing" ["Cold"], Razah has spent a career effortlessly exposing devilishment and offering a most high spiritual consciousness that only comes from the street roots that help construct his integrity. The entire reality of Sunz of Man led by Priest and Razah helped solidify the depth of consciousness of the entire Wu-Tang cult and movement. Razah's great contribution is the steadfast integrity in that message and the uncanny consistency to lyrical fluidity that never wavers in focus. Just as DOOM was wildly prolific from 2003-2004 with numerous albums, many classic, Razah was that MC from 2007-2008 releasing superior albums Renaissance Child, Razah's Ladder, Ultra Sounds of a Renaissance Child and Welcome to Red Hook Houses as half of the duo T.H.U.G. Angelz and two strong mixtapes in between (Hell Hop Volumes 1 &2). Razah is no experimental MC, shifting into new content that might be hip on the street spiritual scene or making requests for hotter tracks with less drums, more synth and syrupy dressing. RC showed his definition of diversity with hardcore tracks from a slew of underground reps where his lyrical themes are very overt. With one producer, Blue Sky Black Death, RL's lyrical palette went deep on the exaltation of his persona and ghetto trials. Of these two classics, RC is the beat blueprint for Heaven Razah where the diversity of producers offering strong tracks that are what we expect from Razah. Lyrically, Razah's Ladder is extended as he's literally climbed up the ladder. When I had the honor of building with Razah briefly in 2009, he was stern on the idea it was enough to merely recreate success if our understanding has elevated. This work honors that in that he focuses on a spiritual truth that one only has the integrity of one's act and the sharing that one may give their Queen and children. Yes, Razah may speak to the skies far too much but his prayer and lyrical revelation is filled with such endless flow that reaches a calm few attain rhyming. Heaven Razah is not a new Razah. It is Razah remaining at his enormously high peak. As our thoughts are with him for his physical recovery we will his greatest feat will soon come.

4 - Vinnie Paz - Season of the Assassin
Jedi Mind Tricks. The rugged lyrics. The hardbody tracks with incredible sampling and musicianship. That's it. The best group of the 00's. Like Ghost's Apollo Kids, Season has incredible beat selection. With the props to get beats from 4th Disciple, Beatminerz, Madlib, Muggs, Bronze Nazareth and all of them are incredible bangers with even innovative ideas from them. While Bronze's "Role of Life" is the classic example of his illness, Beatminerz' vocal siren throughout "Bad Day" match the daily horror Paz depicts. Madlib gives the expected wild, unorthodox amplified sample of Electric Light Orchestra the perfectly matched dement-ion for "Aristotle's Dilemna." Yet for the lesser known, the beat quality is superb. Some of the modernized choruses by Block McCloud don't always work ("Ain't Shit Changed") but the ability to get Stoupe/JMT worthy tracks is consistent over 20 tracks. C-Lance's work, particularly "Kill Em All" captures the gothic sound and the rare appearances as Beanie Sigel here are precise and great counterparts to Vinnie's gruff. Louie Doggs is the next generation MC that has honored everything great of the hardcore 90's. A vicious battle rapper who has a brutality that is intriguing and uplifting in this world of post-masculine rap. However, the reason Paz is such a vital MC is his Islamic thoughts penned. Paz is an MC that kills everything with a righteous cause. He is the foul living brother that collects the sin of the Jihad ("Run with brothers who's forty guzzlers, Islamic extremists/ Ugly and ignorant is how they perceive us/ I don't care, I'm trying to deal with my personal demons" - "Drag You To Hell"). The core of Vinnie's rage is filled with the street spirituality of the streets. No, it may be warped into conspiracy theories and Alien prophecy at times like Ill Bill but when focused it is rooted in the Islam, the way of life shared by the Nation of Gods and Earths, that is I Self Lord And Master, one that erases religiosity for scientific reality. It's why the muslim that Paz is truly is a young Italian man, who not only has realized hidden Black Moorish roots in his Sicily, but also related the ideas that Hip Hop has taken him through in the Philly streets. If you can't get all that listening then listen to him speak on it as he did in a lecture he gave for Temple University. Paz is a disciple of Hip Hop and really does the knowledge to the insights of the Gods, Earths and, indeed, all the others offering from the many street factions posted. This makes his thoughts sincere as they are rugged. Personally, Vinnie Paz as an MC is a source of real to fall back on and on Season all of the insights he offers from conscious social commentary, Islamic ideas, metaphysical propositions, conspiracy theories (some of which have great truth as the idea that fluoride is a dangerous heavy metal and should not be consumed) and the most brutal battle raps are necessary today.

3 - Canibus - Melatonin Magik [w/ C of Tranquility]
Canibus is part of the long list of actual facts that have been altered for truism. Canibus destroyed LL Cool J. Now as we move on, after Wyclef helped destroy his career, his lyricism became more intense, more convoluted with confused ideas, overload and some really bad beats (i.e. C True Hollywood Stories and Mind Control have some failures). Canibus has kept the popular populace away yet it is completely wrong to say that the lane he thrives in wasn’t where his talent truly deserves to be. A lane where he is recognized as one of the most lyrically dense and intensely rigorous advocates of breath control in endless bars ever. To hear Melatonin Magik is to hear Canibus not only riff lyrically complex over bars (“The Nephilium Pharaoh, the three thousand year old scarecrow/Hang you from your nose on a square pole/The squid faced rock beast with swamp croc teeth/And a two headed parrot with a desert fatigue beak/Step out the depths of Hell, exhale sceptic smells” - “Hip Hop Black Ops”) but also detail his legitimate beefs (“The Danger of Judah”), the incredible build on Hip Hop music (“Only Slaves D.R.E.A.M.”) or the beautifully abstract tales of “Ripperland.” The beats are hard breaks, militant sirens and ill guitar loops. There’s no difficulty understanding shit here but great beats and intelligent rhymes and in 2010 Canibus has mastered it. This album merging with C of Tranquility makes Canibus the rhyme animal he says he is and as the Primo track chorus goes, “I take it back to the golden era of rap/when it was exactly that/not specifically jams in the park/ but when MCs used to talk with advanced thought...” That is literally Melatonin Magik and C of Tranquility. Real boom bap and ill lyrics.

2 - NaS & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives
NaS is one of the greatest MCs of all time yet unlike Ghost he has great limitations in many chambers. Unfortunately, he has thought otherwise and experimented sincerely and also commercially to excellent (i.e. "One Mic") and horrid effect ("You Owe Me"). However with Distant Relatives the complete product is really a great album. Broken down to parts you will hear the conscious content of NaS with the expected tinge of complacency (i.e. “He sides with Black,
White Pride and Mexican...” - “Tribal War”--White pride is what causes all tribal wars as they trickle down...), limited bars overall for NaS, and music that is not a next level blend of Hip Hop and Reggae and is quite familiar to much of the Roots of today. In addition, a point that only the few would make, the African unity expressed to all of us is not and has never really been channeled overtly to Latinos, especially with Jamaica in the Caribbean right by Cuba, DR and Borinquen, who have as much African blood, tradition and culture as any Rasta. Still, the latter issue is far deeper than the lyrical skill and musical acumen of NaS and Damian, respectively. Lyrically, NaS succeeds as his limited bars are all perfectly matched with a content that makes all the tracks unite as an album of unity and revolution in consciousness. NaS, never noticed for his incredible pacing and flow, is a master at the mid to upper mid tempo range. As a result, he thrives at the Roots pacing with the virtual spoken word flows of “Leaders,” “Dispear” and “Friends” which all vary at significant, though slight tempos. Yet, NaS is great on the upper mid tempo trade-offs of “As We Enter,” the energetic bridge he goes in on for “Count Your Blessings” or the straight breaks of “In His Own Words" show. As Damian chants, sings and verses pon tracks throughout he certainly is the star and focal point of the album. Damian has a perfected sound and flow and even when they horribly misstep with Weezy on a track and Joss Stone as the soul component, still the illness of Damian’s flow on this track is patois perfection. Throughout, his verses lend such melody and depth to the music that it certainly is part of the production. A production that is much like the world Reggae sounds we hear original and jacked but the purity of their construction and having NaS verse over them brings the complete package. Released in May, this was the best album for much of the year until the Wisemen arrived again...
1 - Wisemen - Children of a Lesser God

Every last website, every last magazine, every last media source all fucked up (except for Silencer at www.abuildingroam.com). * It’s not that they mention Wisemen’s sophmore album lightly or in passing. Now Cipher! It’s not mentioned at all! The best album of the year and my review in October (http://lavoerevolt.blogspot.com/2010/10/wisemen-children-of-lesser-god-review.html) details why. Everyone take the L and recognize Bronze Nazareth’s next solo album, School for the Blindman and Kevlaar 7’s debut Die Ageless so you won’t screw up two years in a row.

The Wisemen album is a surprise from their first because it’s not a Bronzemen album--each Wisemen from Bronze and Kevlaar to Phillie and Salute to the old members appearing finally Illa Dayz and June Megaladon all destroying significantly. The flows have a mastered unity and the rewind button is broken all day. Musically, the live instrumentation and arrangements all have great synergy and songs like “Corn Liquor Thoughts” and “Thirsty Fish” are two of the classic tracks of the year. I’ve championed this album greatly because this is the best music of 2010 and the direction Bronze and Kevlaar go musically and lyrically is where Hip Hop will reveal the next level shit. With Children, beats propel incredible lyricism from all on this near classic work.

* NOTE: Sa'id at his incredible Beat Tips Manual site recognized with detail Wisemen's C.O.L.G. work classically on January 19th of 2011. (http://www.beattips.com/beattips/2011/01/the-wisemens-children-of-a-lesser-god-classic-street-rap-in-full-effect.html) Peace.
0 - GURU
Returning to the essence was Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal. The essence was and will always be God Universal Ruler Universal. Guru of Gang Starr was more than an incredible MC with an expert cadence, verses composed of complete phrases, effortless calm and exquisite voice. He was a champion of integrity that, in the end, did not realize how powerful his realness was and how de negros fronting solar work to strip them bare for their own luxury. Guru was more than an MC. He was a master controller of integrity, ethics, ideals and righteousness amidst chaos. That truest integrity when men blend the hell of the streets with the righteousness of their nature and build a new cipher. The cipher where the Real is the Real. 2010 lost one of the greatest MCs of all time. An MC that no one can surpass because his words were sincere, his integrity conveyed and still reigning after every trial he went through. Even his post Gang Starr work lyrically is gifted. No one can take that away. No one will. Gang Starr is Forever.
Peace to the God Guru. Peace.

I Self Lord And Master, shall bring disaster to evil factors
Demonic chapters, shall be captured by Kings
Through the storms of days after
Unto the Earth from the Sun through triple darkness to blast ya
with a force that can't be compared
to any firepower, for it's mindpower shared
The brainwake, causes vessels to circulate
like constellations reflect at night off the lake
Word to the father, and Mother Earth
Seeking everlasting life through this Hell for what it's worth
Look listen and observe
and watch another C Cipher pullin my peeps to the curb
Heed the words; it's like ghetto style proverbs
The righteous pay a sacrifice to get what they deserve
Cannot afford to be confined to a cell
Brainwaves swell, turnin a desert to a well
Experience the best teacher; thoughts will spray
like street sweepers Little Daddy street preacher
Illustrious feature, narrator you select
Accompanied by Deck plus the DJ you respect
The 7 ½ combine, over the frontline
The 10 Percenters, promotin slander in the airtime
Bear in mind jewels be the tools of the trade
Sharp veins heavenly praise and dues are paid
-Guru - “Above The Clouds” [1998 Gang Starr Moment of Truth LP]

THE NEW REVOLT CRATES featuring AGAINST ALL ODDS (BIG VI & CONSEP)

2010-11-12T08:57:00.000-08:00

Crown City (Corona) Queens has some of the nicest MCs that no one really knows. Virtually everyone I meet reppin is a veteran. Not veterans by age but by perfected skill and technique. My man BIG VI is the epitome of the illness. Tracking VI's work, it's certainly seasoned with smooth pacing that emphasizes the rough and tumble accents of the urbanized Dominicano, VI is an ideal boom bip MC that really has potential. The potential to express insights of the Latino experience that have gone unmentioned. This Hip Hop shit is missing many Original peoples lyrically that created the whole shit. With a lyrical maturity and rugged sincerity, VI has the potential to rep Crown City like it should be.

The following track, "I'm From the 80's" is from Against All Odds, the duo of VI and Consep, merely a small clue of VI's skill. Consep, another astute MC, with energetic verve and comfortable in the difficult upper mid-tempo rhymepacing,

I'm From The 80's by BiG VI

leads the verses with a picture of Hip Hop elements all blending and peace commentary on the culture's worth. VI ghost-dieni's his verse with the ill description of the 80's wears and the sights of cultural elements that were actually ours, not only to buy to actually live and use to express ourselves with. Consep caps it with more details to spread the picture.

I'm personally partial to these tracks because it directly relates and to do it well is to prove you really were fuckin there. It'll be interesting to see what songs BIG VI and Consep add on to make this decade a little more unforgettable.

Peace, Sunez

The A-Side Build w/Kevlaar 7 of the Wisemen

2010-11-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

“I got on late cause I’m ahead of my time...”
-- “Faith Doctrine” (Children of a Lesser God LP, 2010)

“I give you power with my words/ it’s a gift and a curse/ like nursing a dead flower back to life...”
--”Panic in Vision Park” (Children of a Lesser God LP, 2010)

2010 has already witnessed its greatness and the crowds of popularity and sing-a-long song smother the taste and fervor of the last proponents. The last people that are just Original, poor and oppressed and love a great break, beautifully captured sample and an ill lyric as the next meal. They now wait for Kanye to save them on Good Friday and contests to construct the Wu again.

The 2010 greatness is Wisemen’s new album, Children of a Lesser God. The Wu legacy has a family of contemporary family from Sunz of Man to Allah Mathematics. Yet, the evidence of the legacy’s continuation is in the success of discipleship. After Bronze Nazareth’s classic, The Great Migration, we have an superior MC preparing his own incredible beds of drums and soul. Bronze ushering in his peoples, The Wisemen, led to a debut, Wisemen Approaching, of respectable MCs that served as a well extended Greater Migration.

Like his mentor The RZA, Bronze MCs, produces and brings his family in. With their Children LP, we have a similar path but fresh innovations and the mandatory recognition as all six of the Wisemen are truly MCs of a profound caliber. We also receive a prelude to the next great musician, Kevlaar 7. A-alike his brother Bronze, they provide Children with music that succeeds in the direction RZA has oft articulated, a progressive hardcore sound filled with live musicianship. Children is what them ol’ great albums are---something to explore and thus be rewarded for.

Before Children’s release, I had the opportunity to build with Kevlaar 7 on the sciences of everything in life that now must include his burgeoning skills as the next great MC/producer, a Hip Hop musician with an ear for the perfect bass/melody/break assortment and the pen of a composing lyricist. Here are some of the snippets...

Sunez: I actually don’t see you all as beatmakers but MCs first even thought most may see it otherwise.

Kevlaar 7: Exactly. That did come after. Both of us started rhyming first. Bronze been making beats since ‘94. I was just an mc from 94 to fukn 2002. But eventually in 2001 I had a thought and even though I think I’m the illest MC I made beats. I’d send them to Bronze, Cilvaringz. They was like 'Damn. You got good quick as fuck!’ From then on I kept goin. I’m definitely a lyricist before beatmaking.
[Kevlaar 7 & Sunez building on Riverside Drive, NYC]
Sunez: What’s the mindset on this album?

Our mindset goin into making the record [starts] with the group we worked with, the live band, they from Seattle, Project Lionheart. They did shit on 60 Second Assassin’s album [Remarkable Timing]. We wanted to bring that rugged gritty Hip Hop shit but update it with real music. And a bigger sound as far as sound quality. You know how Dr. Dre’s sound quality is as far as the quality of the mixing and the mastering. We wanted to bring a crisp sound like that but at the same time keep the gritty shit in.

When I hear a sample I’m already formulating what I’m--- ‘oooh I want these drums. Man, I used these drums back in 03.’ Pulling them back out and seeing what I can do with them. That might sound good on that. It’s just shit like that and usually when I pick out I might pick some drums that I already did or pick up a new drum pattern and shit. Grab me a new snare, a kick from over there. [With Children of a Lesser God] we would make the beat first how we wanted it then we’d be like, ‘you know what do with this.’ Add a horn, c major. Whatever we thought sounded good this band would do it. This is how we enhanced the beats. Now I used to be able to read music. I used to play the trumpet and the piano but you know, life gets in the way.
[Kevlaar 7 & Sunez w/Paragone, designer of the Wisemen LP cover]
That was another thing too. Me and Bronze was talking about this too. We want our own brand, our own sound where muthafuckas hear you and be like, ‘That’s the Wisemen.’

Sunez: When you do the whole body of work, you have all the tracks on the album, do you go ‘I’m repeating drums’ and we can’t have a whole album with this repeated or that repeated?

Kevlaar: That’s like a process that happens like when we’re making the album. We’ll listen to what we got. We don’t have this type of song, or this type of joint. We need to do them type of joints but can’t nothing sound like anything else.

Sunez: Well explain that for me only cause people think when you say “that type of joint” or “this type of joint” they may be thinking commercial joint--insert here. What do you mean by “that type of joint”?

Kevlaar: We take it deeper than ‘we need a commercial joint, one for the bitches.’ We don’t really do it like that. Most people do it like that on some straight cliche ass shit. But we be like, ‘we need a real soulful joint,’ cause Phillie and Illah sound ill on that shit. They write deep shit on those. We need some hardcore, bring you some “what the fuck is you looking at” type shit. We do it like that. You can do it that other way and you might come out with some deep shit but from the start we take it deeper. This is not just a song for the bitches. We taking it deeper. We wanna know how they feel about whatever...That’s another thing. You gotta have four or five concept songs. Shit that’s about some shit.

We gotta joint named “Lucy.” Illah Dayz came up with the whole concept. Bronze did the beat. It’s an old soul sample saying “Love ain’t what it used to be” and then the beat come in. We rhyming on some--Illah comes raunchy. Another called “Do It Again” That’s the one dude that made the album. He’s from Detroit named Supaa Maine. He did the beat. You probably never heard of him. He really ain’t got no name. We met him at a show. My man from Black Wall Street introduced us to him. He made some shit we would do so Bronze, Salute and Phillie jumped on it. Then I jumped on it. It might be a radio joint yet we keep our integrity. We still doing us but beat wise it has a mass appeal to it. It’s an old sample but its got the knocking drums that would appeal to the masses. We tried to keep the shit hitting from all angles. We got some shit, “Get U Shot” and basically...I’m telling a story on my verse about some dude who was a thug ass nigga and that’s what his life was about. He ends up shooting a block and accidentally hits somebody and the dude is a vegetable. Then how ill revenge is and his moms came back and killed him. But in between the verses me and my man from South Carolina, my brother in law, we be on some comedy shit talking like them ol’ niggas. Like “don’t go near them muthafukas will get u shot boy.” Shit is hilarious. We tried to inject some comedy in the shit too and everybody we let listen to it is like ‘you muthafuckas stupid man.’ [laughs] So we sounded like some Richard Pryor shit. We try to incorporate everything but at the same time not force it. To us, it’s always been a thing to us--everything has to come natural. We don’t ever force shit. It don't sound right when you force it.

Sunez: Now with Illah Dayz and June Megaladon coming back into the fold, how are tracks constructed? Who gets to be on tracks?

Kevlaar: Ain’t no yes men in the group. If five other niggas is telling you that you can come harder then you gotta look outside yourself because one person can’t always tell what’s goin on around them. Someone else will have to tell him or five other niggas will have to tell him. You can’t always take your own opinion and trust it all the time cuz the people that love you is gonna tell you the truth. That’s the first thing too. We’re family. Me, June and Bronze grew up together. I’ve only known Illah dayz since 2002 but the reason he wasn’t on the first album was because he was in an accident. He’s paralyzed from the waist down. It was after a studio night and that’s why he took a hiatus. He was going through therapy. June’s Pops got killed when he was seventeen and he was part of the Unknown [group] so he took a hiatus and became the man of the house. So he was at home taking care of his mom, sisters and all that shit so he kind of got away from it. But really they just came back to the cipher.

Izayaa (photographer): How do you put your lyrics? Alotta people in education and other fields say our people can’t write. How does your process of writing happen? I know it sounds high class but how do your lyrics come out?

Kevlaar: It don’t. I appreciate questions like that. Alotta people don’t really analyze shit like it needs to be. I be wanting to know what peoples’ deepest thoughts about the shit are. My writing process can go any number of ways. If I’m working on my own shit I already have beats picked out for my album or project I’m working on. Depending on how I’m feeling that day I’ll go through the beats and I’ll hear a beat that makes me wanna--it brings the shit out of me. Bronze’s beats do that. Some of my beats do but it be hard to write to your own shit. If I listen to my beats over and over it makes it hard. I don’t know why but Bronze’s bring it out of me. However, the beat makes me feel those are the lyrics that come out of me. Usually I write down the first line that comes to my head. I’ll write four bars first then I go back and I keep repeating it and repeating it. Then I’ll be like ‘nah, throw this word out. Put this word in. Place this word with that word.’ It’s like a puzzle. And I do that with however many bars I’m writing and by the end of the shit I’ll have it memorized.

Sunez: The use of the metaphor. How does that work in extending the metaphor so deep and extended?

Kevlaar: It might be a mental sickness [laughter] but seriously I just keep writing until I feel it in my heart I’m finished. We was influenced by RZA with the metaphors. You might say “we gon shoot you,” but he taught us to say it in a different way like “I’ll thread your needle, nigga.” You just say shit different and I might take one thing and think of thirty different ways to say it.

Sunez: You do a lot of word coupling and you’ll also double time your verses with the beats almost stuttering along.

Kevlaar: We do that with the beats so it’ll be more noticeable. We get that from [Kool] G Rap. Just take the last verse I heard from him amazed me. He rhymed every single word in the rhyme.

Sunez: Word. And the rhyme schemes are double timed. Like on “Associated.”

Kevlaar: Actually I’m a tell you the story. Bronze sent GZA like 30--just bangers. Turned all of them down. We let him pick the beat for our album. Bronze was like ‘fuck it,’ and just sent like ten more of them. Didn’t care which ones he threw in the folder, sent it and it ended up being that...We was like “that beat?!!”..Me and Bronze was like ‘there’s nothing wrong,” but we wouldn’t have picked it out for the album. We was like ‘fuck it, let’s do it.’ And it turned out sick.

Also interesting is that “Introducing” was really the first song we recorded for that album and “Wisemen Approaching” is actually the last track. Dreddy had wanted three more tracks--“Iconoclasts,” “Associated” and another track I forget. We had just moved out of our crib with a studio in the basement. Bronze moved with wifey and I moved in with Salute so we was like ‘fuck, we ain’t got no studio right now.' So we set shit up in the closet of the apartment. “Associated” and “Iconoclasts” were recorded in the closet.

Sunez: I would have never guessed that shit. I would have said the Unknown album was done in an apartment closet.

Kevlaar: Yeah! Exactly, we did that shit in a fuckin real studio. The shit is crazy how you learn to uplift the quality of the music no matter where you’re recording it.

Sunez: Any beats of yours peoples getting on?

Kevlaar: I sent Jay Electronica some beats. That dude is ill, real ill. I sent Rae a few. Me and Bronze sent Raekwon a few. I think he chose one of Bronze’s for the Shaolin Vs. Wutang.

Sunez: Rae should have you two do the whole thing.

Kevlaar: Word. That’s what we waiting for. When we rocked with Killah Priest in Detroit, we rocked a couple of shows with him. We brought him to the studio and he did the track that I produced. He jumped on it and it’s on Bronze’s album (School for the Blindman). That shit is crazy--”Sodom and Gomorrah.” Priest was like, ‘we need to do a whole album, just us three.’ We was like ‘Word. Let’s do it.’ We gonna make it happen but Priest is all over. He’s never in one spot for too long.

Sunez: For me, Detroit has the best new MCs. Are you all in contact with other MCs like Royce Da 5’9”, Black Milk or eLZhi or any other expansion?

Kevlaar: Yeah, it’s coming. Matter of fact, Bronze just did a joint with Royce last week for one of M-80’s projects. And I did a joint with Kurupt, Tri-State and Ruste Juxx.
[Peace to Kevlaar 7 and the Wisemen]
Sunez: How is Die Ageless, your debut solo coming along? What are you building on?

Kevlaar: I speak on a lot of issues, like inner city issues especially in Detroit--Gun Rule. The joblessness, homelessness, ignorance. The people that’s oppressing us ain’t the only problem. We do it to ourselves sometimes. I got a joint on my album called “My People” produced by J-Skrilla from D.C., DMV area. I think Reef the Lost Cauze is gonna jump on that. I got this song called “Solstice” where I’m telling a story but it’s a true story. Me and my man was playing basketball after school and a nigga got bucked right across the street at one of the payphones. Then I go into it on some enlightenment shit. We did go over there and look at the shit and see brains all over but I went deeper and made up some shit--”I looked into his eyes and this is what I saw/ 1995 early autumn I saw/ the fire from the hammer as soon as I bent/ the corner dropped to my chest/ this block is hotter than a sauna peered from a spot/ seen a nigga that was shot/ alotta, screaming and yelling and tires peeling out/ I lay for five minutes forever no doubt/ I rose up slowly, looked into his eyes/ and this is what he told me”-- There’s more but I wrote that like six years ago and I did the beat and it gets real deep. I gotta song for the women cuz you gotta address the Earths. It’s called “Losing Hand Gamble.” Basically what I’m doing is I’m comparing relationships in the past when I was wild and ignorant and it’s called “Losing Hand Gamble” cuz I gambled that shit. It was good for me but I didn’t see it. In the first verse I’m comparing one of my real relationships to a game of Bones. The second verse it’s another relationship in a game of chess. Then Brix, she’s from Boston, she’s gonna come in on the third verse and give the female perspective and compare it to relationship. She’s down with the Wolves--Krumbsnatcha and them. Bronze did the beat with a Ray Charles sample. It’s crazy.

Sunez: It’s mostly other producers working on it?

Kevlaar: Mostly it’s me and Bronze producing the album. I got a brother named Wooden Change from Indiana. That’s my song about money called “Federal Reserve Note.” The evils of that shit but also the necessities. My man Central Intelligence from Albuquerque. I think that’s it. Other than that it’s me and Bronze. I haven’t gotten the exact date but it’s early Februrary. I probably have about 3 more songs to write. I also got a joint with me, Sha Stimuli and Ras Kass. I’m fans of them dudes so I was happy to do that joint.

“Everyones’ stressin/ expressin/ they fake knowing you heartless
Listen, pick apart this/ even my cousin of death heard me rhyme/
bleeding my brethren stealing my time/
it’s my second resurrection/ my lines are perfection
drop the needle, we need you to bring your lessons
so I grip the fifth/ swig my shot and spit/
and lifeless lifetimes/ I’m echoing this,
How many times/must I drop out the sky
and teach the lost how to fly/
How many times I gotta tip the bottle’s eye/
to quiet my tension, Pass the vodka dry”
--”Makes Me Wanna Shot” (Children of a Lesser God LP, 2010)

Wisemen - Children of a Lesser God Review

2010-10-25T17:09:00.001-07:00

The flourishing of Wu discipleship is one of the greatest sights in the saga of Hip Hop music. That the root takes Earth when Bronze Nazareth is realized by The RZA is the revealing premonition that we will receive the innovations of versatile epiphany and expert expansion. After 2006’s classic debut, The Great Migration, Bronze presents himself as the focal point to introduce his extended Detroit roots with the whole Wisemen crew’s debut of 2007, Wisemen Approaching. A debut album that played as an addictive continuation of Migrations’s stripped down hardcore beats with more rugged verses from Bronze. To listen deeper to Wisemen Approaching one can see that great lyricists and unique voices lurk within the fold as brother Kevlaar 7 and Phillie.

3 years pass and the waiting of the fan and the hustling of the artist is revealed as a diligent study of debuts that deepened in listener worth and MCs that have made the craft a profession. The sophomore effort of Children of a Lesser God must be understood as the success of mastered experimentation fortified by developed technique. With Bronze, Kevlaar 7, Phillie and Salute joined by members June Megaladon and Illa Dayz there is a reduction of versatility in flow and steadiness of track tempos as they seek perfection with exquisitely developed mid-tempo rolling breaks they accent with congas con tumbao and soaring soul wails all laced with seasoned rhyming.

In an age where Hip Hop seems scarred by a lack of skill as much as exploited gimmickry the Wisemen have an album that charges through with innovations of sincere musical exploration and a band of MCs that all have incredible mastery for syllable coupling and the imagery projection of their survivalist blues of enlightenment. Like the Wu-Tang Clan itself, each member of the Wisemen are brothers before they rhyme so their convergence on the mic has a completely unified sentiment that is compelling.

Bronze Nazareth is criminally unknown and garners the most respect merely as a great beatmaker. While this is as valid yet incomplete as understanding Michael Jordan as a great defender there is no rest in the earned respect. The tracks add live instrumentation with a band guided by Bronze and Kevlaar with the emphasis on unique snares, roaring bass lines and wailing vocals as if they are modern orchestrators with the spirit of Barry White in them. Whereas Wisemen Approaching may be seen as dynamic sampling from Love Unlimited Orchestra to Candi Staton to wonderful effect, Children... must be recognized as a distinct orchestration. As this is the epitome of the addict’s album, the innovations are felt with constant repetition. Bronze’s work this year has been with 60 Second Assassin’s debut, Remarkable Timing, where much like RZA with Wu’s 8 Diagrams, provided soundscapes that evolve with the inflections of the MC. 60 Sec, more the soul wailing orator of select terms like Greg Nice, was given hard tracks that isolated his verses (i.e. “Remarkable Timing”) or fluctuate with him like the oft kilter breaks on “Fizza Funky.” With Children..., Bronze, now with Kevlaar adding on substantially, offer hard breaks that ride with deliberate pausing that emphasizes on the MC’s rhythms and punchlines.

The marriage of beats and rhymes is exceptional and where we can understand the production advances. The Wisemen are all literally rhyming in a mastered tri-patterned flow that often has a punctuated rhymed syllable as the fourth word note. So many tracks achieve this synergy we can look at the Bronze produced “Corn Liquor Thoughts” where Kevlaar, who has a gift for the wonderfully chosen word, takes the verse from Bronze and on the isolated vocal hook begins, “Spin the cylinder/cyclical spitter/realer than lead spit at the White House pillars...” and on that tri pattern flow the break invites itself right on time. The amazing verse is followed by Phillie on the tri-pattern also going in with “Laser daggers piercing your skin...The power to devour whole cities, oh so Phillie, gotta Fo(ur) Fo(ur) wit me/ my bank rolls sickly/ pockets throwing up, regurgitating fifties/Long Beach ice teas/ chronic by the tree. it’s all I need to rock an m-i-c..” leading to the most deliberate use of the tri-pattern flow by June. June Megaladon, with a voice that has bass and command like the well featured Big Rube, goes in penning the song title to begin the flow, “My Corn Liquor Thoughts/ trouble I brought/ Liver than raw damage/you niggas fall famished...” The track is brilliant with a swooping bass line like a car engine churning and the break propping it up while the soul wails musically support the intentions.

And the tracks are where all this is immaculately attached. Kevlaar is literally the next great musician, with beats and rhymes. His reworking of the Charmels cymbal crash used on RZA’s “C.R.E.A.M.” has all the signature of his young stylings. With beautiful soaring vocals that chime in like the illest zombie Doo Wop group, the break has a marching crunch while that Charmel’s cymbal crash shines like a light in a dark attic finally discovered. Every sample, every type of vocal, every snare, every break, every bassline has a plan that promotes the MC intentions. Kevlaar’s “Faith Doctrine” epitomizes this where beautifully introspective lyrics on the enlightenment of honorable survival are led by a vocal sample of a lecture on principle that is then applied to their Black Detroit reality.

Beats like this make verses seem effortless but it isn’t easy to have six MCs have such concise timing, heavily employing that ill tri-pattern flow with fluid inflections, punchlines and introspective insights. Bronze’s work on the intro title track is filled with wild cymbals cut short or left roaming on the break and blaring horns constantly reintroducing themselves. The beat and rhymes marriage here is led by Bronze on a beatifully abstract, introspective verse, “Screaming bags of madness/ can it stop?/ Planet Rock/Motown, no manuals out/Fam is left to plan my route/ I vanish, iron chains/ surround my city’s canvas/ Brandish lanterns in overcast moments...” Kevlaar’s great use of congas on “Thirsty Fish” and “Victorious Hoods” or Bronze’s snare work on “Lucy” or “Panic in Vision Park” are more of the many notes on the illness.

Children of a Lesser God has no immediate conclusion to its exploration. It is an album of six Wisemen that indeed create Hip Hop blues, the introspective lyrics of hardcore intensity and sincere awareness tailored with a unified flow, storytelling detail, abstract phrasing and superior word choices and phrasing. And all backed with some of the greatest music today’s Hip Hop has to offer. That these brothers can’t merely be children of a lesser god is the real jewel.

P.E.A.C.E. Course Lessons 2010: The Justice Build

2010-09-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

The 120 Lessons are a complete tool of learning if one applies a complete body of disciplines to it. Below are 10 immediate disciplines and concepts to begin with. Each point will be related to the 1st degree in the Student Enrollment (1-10) (Who is the Original Man? The Original Man is the Asiatic Blackman. The maker, the owner, cream of the planet Earth, father of civilization and God of the universe.) The stratagem here may be applied to any teaching we come across.

1. Vocabulary
Before we even seek to explain the meaning of the degree, let alone get an understanding, we must know what the words themselves mean.
(i.e. What does Asiatic mean?)

2. History
The 120 Lessons are not structured chronologically and many become confused by the timeline. Throw in the Asiatic calendar, a calendar based on events more than astrological timing, and there can be extreme confusion. We must know the time we are studying and also the historical events referenced or the history it suggests we should know of.
(i.e. What is the history of Asia? How is the Blackman the father of civilization?)

3. Science
We must engage in the sciences that the degrees are referencing. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught as an evangelist sharing a fact based religion. He built a massive congregation off the dynamic sharing of unknown truths that he did not technically prove but overtly declared must be accepted. We cannot do that because these muslim teachings have become our 120 Lessons and so we must look for real scientific reasoning at every turn.
(i.e. The bio-chemistry of the Black man? Who is Black?)

4.Abstract Vs. Concrete
The language of 120 is a dialect we must learn and a way of speaking that is not overtly technical. We must understand the use of metaphor and abstract terms that are not to be taken exactly literal and other terms that are much deeper than they appear to be.
(i.e. the abstract term of "cream" and the deeper meaning behind "Blackman")

5. Titles Offered
We are learning a knowledge of self with this great aid. In it titles are shared constantly and we must note under what conditions and notice their worth, the activities and powers designated by them. We say we are God or Earth, the most important titles known.
(i.e. God, the maker, the owner)

6. Today's Reality
With these degrees written in the 1930's we must learn how to understand how this language fits this time and the people that are around us. How do they see it? What would they understand out of 120? How do I share the principles if I quote, paraphrase or explain in my own words?
(i.e. explaining Blackman is God to a yellow seed Dominican who is Christian Catholic?)

7. Common Ancestry
120 is a new arcane text of spiritual truth. It is important to note how our people learned this truth and what parts of it over the last 6,000 years and beyond. Without, we will not see the useful tools to gain from the past and often will strut around reinventing the wheel.
(i.e. the ancient texts of Islam, the Tao, Buddhism, Hindu, Sufi, Yogic, etc.)

8. 120 Reference
You cannot prove a degree in 120 by quoting another degree. That is the same as saying you are correct because you said as such last week. However, in the study of 120, referencing other degrees brings insight to the concepts in each of the degrees. They must be cross referenced to extract total meaning.
(i.e. the 10th degree in 1-40 asks "Who is that mystery God?" This lends insight to the 120 being one of the few spiritual texts to overtly claim who God is as opposed to other ancient texts that were far more subtle)

9. Supreme Mathematics
This is the language of our essence, the what and how the Original man and woman do? It is also the law and order of the universe and we must always be mindful of the degrees that the lessons highlight
(i.e. 1- knowledge, the number of the degree and 7 - God, mentioned in the lesson)

10. Your Understanding
Life is a developing understanding and you must articulate what you know so that you may figure how you may use it. Your understanding is a unique yet proven insight that propels your way of life. Your building with 120 is nothing without this.

P.E.A.C.E. Course Lessons 2010: The Justice Curriculum

2010-09-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

The study of many disciplines does not make man righteous yet it greatly propels the ease by which they may realize themselves as such and build greater. Just as the most oppressive societies have fortified themselves with the study of many disciplines, our study of a versatile curriculum will develop our framework of ideas, potential and self awareness.
The following ten subject areas are a beginning in this broad range of study that are necessities of culture…

1. Hygiene - In a supposedly civilized advanced society, hygiene is often at its lowest. A possible reason for that aside from the awkward change it is for the Caucasian/westernized world, is that we do not view it as a constant study. We may adapt certain measures as they come to us or flow with social mores if say someone properly uses a tissue to open the bathroom door that reeks with diverse fecal matter particles. However, we must constantly protect ourselves from the environment through a developing awareness and knowledge of hygienic practices and study to fortify the home with less chemical pollutants and cleaner rituals.

2. Music - While we may enjoy the latest pop craze and shuffle 500 diddies on our ipod, music is a language of resistance and expression that our people, oppressed the last 6,000 plus years have developed wonderfully. To love music is to learn of it, to expand the palette of sounds we here also broadens the ability to hear and develop new ideas. In the societies we live in with so many Original people from all over the world, we ought to know these other languages they have expressed themselves with, beyond the radio's narrow dialect. In New York City, we have at least Dominican meringue and bachata, Puerto Rican Salsa, Bomba, Plena, Cuban Son, Jamaican Roots Reggae, the so-called African American Soul Music, Jazz and the for all these Original people the most lyrically expressive musical genre to date, Hip Hop music. Rakim, Donny Hathaway, Miles Davis, Johnny Ventura, Willie Colon, Bob Marley should all be heard.

3. News - From the politics of your immediate residential area to the world stage, we must seek out legitimate news sources and study them. We must know more than the paltry 15 minute broadcast at 11pm of tabloid specials. This is one of the ways to understand the people we love and seek to build with.

4. Science - The sciences of bio-chemisty, quantum mechanics and mathematics are key to a knowledge of self. Working to study sciences slowly and usefully will always give more sense to the universe we have created. This is the study of our inner workings. How can we not study this daily?

5. Health - The diet is something to constantly from the inner to the outer. If the proposed healthier lifestyle is adopted, a vegan/living foods diet, is embraced then one can no longer eat ignorantly. One must be a student of ingredients, preparation and recipes. We must learn what things we may be putting in our body, how to prepare them so that we may have supreme control and learn to express ourselves through our food with recipes that make food taste great to us.

6. Training - The training that one chooses must be studied. Brothers must study how to increase their muscle mass without loads of whey and sugar to merely mold fat. If we engage in a sport we must learn more of the sport and what its benefits are. We must also learn to strengthen our bodies and avoid injury.

7. Identity - The study of identity is a key to a successful knowledge of self so that a title of God and Earth and a righteous name are not merely fancy claims. We must work on noticing belief and letting it go with truth and become aware of the clichés we have labeled ourselves with and let them go. This is a lifelong study.

8. Pedagogy - The science of teaching is also in the science of learning. Learning how to teach we must also learn how we actually learn. What pitfalls we may be prey to become more evident the more familiar we are with the many techniques. Also, learning to share sincerely is in the judgment of what ought to be shared. This is to be studied.

9. Talent - We must engage in many disciplines to find and hone our talents. It is through out talents that we will create sharings for the betterment of all. We must be aware of our talents with a humility that does not overrate them yet does not underplay them as well.

10. Love - The relationship of family, the creation of God and Earth is the reality of all things. We must study whom we share our deepest intimacy with and not merely expect to be loved but develop self into a person worthy of love. This is done with studying the ideas of intimacy, relationship, care and sincerity.

Peace Course Lessons 2010: Power Bat (Build Awareness Square)

2010-09-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”
- Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C

These select lessons personally composed are to reinforce the nature of this year's particular theme that has been focused on: Work. The learning of a knowledge of oneself coupled with the natural development of virtue through sincerity must be channeled through Work. That there becomes a Love of Hell as no Hell can be imposed on the true and living; it is merely work that we have developed for ourselves. This Course will never guarantee the success of the engaged student. There are no riches and fame; rather, there is an awareness of what oneself, one's cipher and the talents one may use to create works to share.

These said lessons are to begin to have an awareness of all the work we naturally, must and can be doing and ultimately able to work with the 120 Lessons with greater ease and ultimate usefulness.

POWER BAT (Build Awareness Square)

The core to a knowledge of self is that there really is only Creator and Creation in the Universe. Once this is realized then what is only sharing, the giving and receiving of the fruits of Creation. Even the teacher, naturally poor and righteous is engaged in an overt sharing of forums for the student to draw up their understanding, talents and nature. As Creators then we must become aware of all we do as vital to the development of self. One's square is the surrounding reality of one's awareness of truth that one protects and uses to build and destroy. To develop this powerfully and stand on one's square one must build awareness of one's personal status at all times. With this one may progress powerfully in their endeavors.

1. EAT:
The diet proposed is of the highest refinement and thus able to allow us to project the most power in all our undertakings. Yet, while a vegan/living foods diet is ideal, the nature of awareness is most key. There is nothing that we deliberately take with us and have the most power in deciding how that the food we place in our bodies. We may love our family and even cherish our possessions but none of that is inserted inside our body as much as the food we eat. To begin, we must learn to note the foods we eat, the conditions we dine in, the reasoning behind our eating and how each and every food feels within us. In doing this we may better decide how to use our food as a deliberate energy source and solve countless problems often not attributed to diet yet truly are (i.e. difficulty reading, lethargy, lack of emotional control, lack of desire, etc.)

2. TRAIN:
The P.E.A.C.E. Course may reach a point where you may reach and decide to train martially the art of Shaolin Kung Fu. However, athletic achievement, notoriety and making punks jump up to get beat down is not the heart of the awareness here. It is that our bodies are the outward composition of our thoughts and will only be equipped to do what we train it to do. Just as the mind drives the body, the body well trained inspires the mind, thus the interplay of creation in mind and body of Bian Xing San Bao (Metamorphosis of Three Treasures Kung Fu).
The root of training is to track your exercise, study the many outlets of interest (i.e. sports, martial arts, etc.) and work on scheduling a personal protocol for consistent training.

3. READ:
What are we reading? What are we watching? What do we see more often than not because we are drawn to it? What are we absorbing? The concrete reality of the knowledge of self means that there we are in a society adverse to our growth and development. There can be no such thing as a non-reader for those that understand the nature of war our lives are bred in.
We must begin by learning to choose what we read and make real goals to complete the reading of books, articles and writings. We must then extend this to all that we knowledge.

4. WRITE
What do we write? What are we saying? What are our ideas? Who and what do we write for? Writing is a forum of sharing understanding for those who will not always be around. Writings are your sharings absorbed away from you. How developed is our projection of our ideas? It is that the idea is the foundation of the great writer.
We must begin to write our own personal journals and catalog our understanding, increase the amount we write so that just as we speak and/or share writings to the world they are most sincere, willingly useful and best understanding.

5. SHARE:
The genre of self help literature is vast, designed to accept life as a rat race and then lace the right shoes for the finish. While the sincerity of the student can never be received from a teacher or teaching, the development of virtue can be engaged in to develop an awareness of one's sincerity. That is that no one in this society will judge us wrong for transmuting our greatest energies to think and grow rich and let all those around us sink and we switch. However, when one asks oneself, 'Once I have found my talent and it is able to survive me then what is the nature of truly thriving?'

We must then take note of simply sharing. Are we sharing disingenuously for profit and fame? Are we sharing truth out of anger or resentment? Are we sharing with a hidden agenda to receive something in return? It is difficult to gauge what must become natural. To try to log what one shares is not a technical activity but a personal retrospection. That in this we may actually judge our talents and the worth of what they can one day aid others. This is why the best part is the best part.