First thing i do every morning is brew up some fine Columbian, and hit up my favorite sites. Dallaspenn & Nahright being at the top of that list. So about a month ago the homie DP posted 3 leaks from this album, so i played half of "Snow" and cut it off... i was sold. I fucking hate to hear album leaks, because just like Frank Costanza "I like to go in fresh!"
Way back in 2001 i had just started producing and my Pete Rock stannery was still in full effect, I cut school and hit up my local hip hop spot to cop "Petestrumentals". On that album were just 2 cuts with verses: "Cake" & "Nothing Lesser" which instantly had me thinking. Who just murdered that track like that? Turns out to be Roc Marciano and i been checking for his shit ever since.
Beats: Being a producer this is what i check for before anything, and there are no guest producers here. Roc produces the whole damn thing. Armed with just a MPC 2500 he drops 14 of the grittiest, grimiest beats you've heard in long time. I listened to the album front to back and it seemed like every beat was consecutively just topping the last one. Roc's crate game must be pretty deep coz the samples used are fresh. The drums match the beats well, and the kicks sound punchy and the snares are real crispy... Just how i like 'em. Add this to the fact he's not exactly known as being a producer, makes all of this even more impressive.
Rhymes: The beats perfectly showcase his multi syllabic rhymes schemes and vicious flows. His flow and patterns change with every track, each sounding custom tailored to the beat. The album is littered with street tales and dope rhymes. My personal favorite being "Thug's Prayer"
We took money, put em under the study
Went from skinny to chubby, in the city thats gully
Back again, its the hideous ugly, gritty mcgillicutty
Put the squeeze on a nigga just like silly putty
Keep the arm chunky, fingers is heavy, plus
(What else) the rings sparkle in ya grill like 7-up
In the lexus truck, dressed up, word to Dapper Dan
Gold bands on the hands like shazaam (Damn!)
Throw up a thunderbolt, rappers'll somersault
Pelle's is butter soft, crabs in buttersauce
Perhaps let a couple off, skin bubble off
Hustling soft... Up in the loft. aint no love lost...
Life: The album sounds like an ALBUM. Todays trend of 2 singles and a bunch random filler aint cuttin' it. The sound is consistent from start to finish, and the tracks sound even better back to back. I get a genuine vibe from the album, as if he was able to do what he wanted to do and say what he wanted to say without having to answer to anybody but himself, and i like it. This is the type of shit you put on blast with the windows cracked enough so everybody can hear it. The type of shit you play at full volume to drown out the sounds of the subway, and the streets and just zone the fuck out in ya own world.
Bottom Line? This is a MUST COP. When i say "cop" that means on MAY 4th go to your local spot and BUY the shit. This is the type of artist you need to support. He took the super indie route, producing, recording and mixing the album, and getting it pressed up by fat beats all by his dolo. If you that same muthafucka complaining about how hip hop is wack... Just shut the fuck up and just go buy this album. You wont be disappointed.
No comments:
Post a Comment