The Conscious Daughters — Ear to the Street

The Conscious Daughters put a finger-gun in your face on the cover of their debut album: it's a female hip-hop duo from Oakland, formed by Karryl "Special One" Smith and Carla "CMG" Green.

These girls signing for Scarface Records, the Paris label that boasts a Priority distribution. Paris himself is a guest (in "Showdown") and producer of the entire album of eleven tracks and forty minutes in total. His soundscape takes inspiration from his previous records, having a clear influence from the Bomb Squad of Publikenemyan memory, and from the hip-hop trends of the time, contaminating the project of g-funk sounds typical of the West Coast.

The whole is united by the hardcore bars of these two girls, who in the conscious have only the name and some scattered lines, who also want to hit the pop charts: the rhythms are funky and hard, with a lean, slow and tight syncopated drum machine, there are g-funk vibes and hip dance beats to support their smooth syncopated delivery. Technically, they're not exceptional, rapping is average, but they prove they can spit, bringing out their best works with socio-political songs ("Sh**ty Situation", "Somethin' to Ride To", "Wife of a Gangsta"). Overall, it's a decent, noteworthy hardcore effort, despite plenty of average choices, average lyricism, and several commercial beats. The record is also doing well in the charts, entering the top 25 among rap albums.

Highlights: "Sh**ty Situation". Good hip house / dance rhythm, tight slow syncopated skinny drum machine, fast beat, simple hook, unstoppable slow syncopated delivery, dope vocals. "Somethin' to Ride To (Funky Expedition)". Simple beat, lean slow tight syncopated drum, g-funk vibes on the hook, slow smooth delivery. "We Roll Deep". Boom bap skinny and hip dance, slow flowing delivery, lacerating drum machine, light jazzy vibes, beautiful bridge from Lonnie Liston Smith's "Bridge Trough Time" for the hook. "Showdown". Boom bap hip dance / hip house, skinny slow syncopated and pounding drum machine, decent hook with g-funk synths, decent slow smooth delivery. Guest Paris, kills the cut with his smooth, slow flow, dope. "Wife of a Gangsta". Boom bap hip-house, good hardcore flowing delivery. "From Mac Flow". It starts immediately very strong I think it's Special One, hardcore boom bap, heavy and tight drum, fast and smooth hardcore delivery, simple cheerful joyful and energetic hook, good tune.

Rating: 7/10.