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Five
years after the release of Third Eye Vision, the Hieroglyphics
issue their sophomore album Full Circle. Composed of Del the Funky
Homosapien, Pep Love, Casual, Opio, A Plus, Domino, Phesto-D,
and Tajai, this Bay Area rap group finally returns after branching
off to work on solo projects.
In comparison to Third Eye Vision, Full Circle is better produced,
and the album is not littered with unnecessary interludes. The
Oakland Emcee’s come through once again with brilliant word
play and catchy beats. “Let it Roll” and “Halo”
stand out as tracks with great lyricism and well produced beats.
Props to Domino and Opio for producing a well rounded album with
clean instrumentals. Goapele lends her sultry voice to “Make
Your Move” and “Full Circle”; the latter having
one of the best choruses in the album. The track also features
the crew rhyming about their experiences and decisions in the
rap game. Also included in the list of appearances is Abstract
Rude, adding his tight verses to the track “100,000 indi.”
Out of all the tracks, the Hieroglyphics really exercise their
abilities on the mic in “7 Sixes,” where each of them
take turns spitting clever rhymes like “I turn a threat
into a confession, I turn a mic into a blunt weapon, make you
forget what you was once reppin’, see I’m a bass drum
beater, mad high hatter, ensnare the snare with this here mic
chokin’…” Taking the form of a story telling
rhyme is “Maggie May,” where each member contributes
a verse that reveals the story of a girl who loses her way.
Many fans will try and brand the album too commercial sounding,
but the fact is this album is dope. Domino and Opio have proved
their producing abilities, Del and Pep Love hold their own as
two of the best Emcees out there, and overall Hiero Imperium has
matured as an independent label. Full Circle becomes better with
each listening, leaving the fans changing their minds about which
song is their favorite each time through.
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Jaylib-Champion
Sound:
Review by Ben Lambert
From super-producers Jay Dilla (Slum Village, Tribe, Common, and
The Pharcyde) & Madlib (Quasimoto, Yesterday’s New Quintet,
Lootpack) comes the long-awaited Champion Sound. A few years back
J-Rocc of the Beat Junkies hit Madlib with a CD of some of Jay
Dilla’s Beats. Madlib was feeling them so much that he recorded
a CD of himself rapping over the instrumentals. Stones Throw Records
put out a white label of “The Message” by Jaylib,
which featured Madlib rapping an updated version of the classic
Flash song over a Dilla beat. Eventually the two decided to release
an album where they would rap over each other’s beats. A
lot of hype, and a couple bootlegs later, Champion Sound is finally
born. The beats on this album are absolutely amazing. They are
so good that the lyrically challenged rhymes of Madlib and Jay
Dilla don’t even sound hurt this album’s quality.
The album starts off with the hot “Mcnasty Filth”
where Jay Dilla and Frank N Dank rock the mic over an aggressive
Madlib beat. “Nowadayz” follows with a haunting organ
beat by Dilla. On “The Red,” Dilla brings one of the
catchiest beats of 2003. The vocal sample over the bouncy keyboard
is the perfect backdrop for Madlib’s unorthodox flow. The
“Official” is another track with one of the hottest
beats of the year. However, this time it is Jay Dilla rapping
over a brass heavy Madlib Track. This album may not be for everyone
because of its experimental nature, but it is definitely good
enough to make most hip-hop fans, whether commercial or underground,
bob their head. Pick this one up! 4/5
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Freestyle
Fellowship-Innercity Griots:
Review by Ben Lambert
Freestyle Fellowship emerged on the Los Angeles hip-hop scene
in the early 90’s and would eventually become one of the
most influential hip-hop groups of all time. In 1991 they released
the slept-on classic To Whom It May Concern, and the west coast
underground was born. They were able to gather a following at
the open mic nights of a South Central health food store called
The Goodlife Café. Along with other artists such as The
Pharcyde, Jurassic 5, and Volume 10, the Fellowship were able
to create more abstract music in the Gangsta infested Los Angeles
hip-hop scene. They signed with island records in 1993 and released
the classic Innercity Griots. Made up of Mikah 9, Aceyalone, Self
Jupiter, and Peace, Freestyle Fellowship is one of the greatest
lyrical groups ever assembled. Their lyrical brilliance along
with the musically complicated beats makes this album almost perfect.
The way that each emcee swaps rhymes makes them a perfect tag
team. Their flows are so quick and intricate at times that it
is almost impossible to even comprehend what they are saying.
The opener “Bullies of The Block,” is a surprisingly
gangsta-rap influenced track. It is followed by the fluid “Everything
is Everything,” in which the group’s verbal gymnastics
are absolutely jaw dropping. By the time these two tracks have
ended, it is obvious that this album is special. Tracks like “Hot
Potato,” and the posse cut “Heavyweights,” are
absolutely mind blowing. No one was rapping with this style until
Innercity Griots. Other highlights include the soulful “Park
Bench People,” as well as Aceyalone’s mother goose
rhyme-style on “Corn Bread.” Listen to this album
from front to back with open ears and you won’t be let down.
A certified hip-hop classic! 5/5
Film Fest recap:.
Album Reviews:. Hip Hop Horroscope
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