Collaborative album between Harlem rapper Smoke DZA and Mount Vernon producer Pete Rock. Along with the main emcee, there are Dave East, Rick Ross, Royce da 5'9", Cam'ron, NymLo, BJ the Chicago Kid, Jadakiss, Styles P, Wale, Big KRIT, Dom Kennedy, theMIND and Mac Miller.
After a brief intro, the first real track "Limitless" sounds like a classic. Splendid boom bap, jazzy and dark, simple and essential, drum trap, cinematic beat. Excellent rapping by DZA, smoothness, dropping socio-political bars, fluid hook by the first guest of the tape Dave East, sensational flow from Smoke in the last verse, dope cut. The following choice boasts a simple boom bap with rapid snare, glossy, triumphal, beautiful, DZA is joined by Rick Ross here, strong track with similar texts to the previous one. "Hold the Drums" is another easily winner in this tape, because over a gloomy and jazzy production without drum invented by Pete Rock there are Smoke and Royce: the first goes pretty tight over this beautiful piano looped, deep, rough and robust bass line, vocal sample chopped in background, ethereal chorus scratched by Pete Rock. The soundscape is perfect for the DZA's personal nostalgic thoughts. The Slaughterhouse forward rips the cut in the third stanza.
Cam'ron and NymLo got one verse each in the fifth pick (the title is a reference to a Cam'ron track in his debut), over a light rhythmic beat provided by Pete Rock: the artist creates a dusty and dirty beat full of strings to support this three rappers, the Dipset emcee provides one of this best verses of the last years with a criminal narration. "Wild 100s" is the first solo of Smoke DZA after the beginning of this effort: dark, tight, essential, almost circular boom bap, the emcee from Harlem keep it tight here, almost outclassed by the rhythm. The next choice is beautiful: splendid vibrant bass line, metallic midtempo drum, synth keyboards, the emcee drops bars with a velvet style, this is among the finest pieces of the tape. "1 of 1" is another masterpiece behind the keyboards from Pete Rock, that spits a couple of bars in the unique stanza of Smoke DZA, outro with a sample of Malcolm X, then Peter Rosenberg on another beat. The whole record proves to be infallible with the intense ballad "Milestone": piano keys in loop, deep and robust bass line, perfect uptempo drum, excellent delivery from the main rapper. BJ the Chicago Kid kills the hook. The record is closed by The LOX with a wonderful rapping, first Styles P then Jadakiss, both flawless, velvety, regular, dope flows.
"Show Off" continues this nostalgic trip in the nineties: tight, essential, magic musical carpet, good rapping in shape by Smoke DZA along with Wale. The beat breathes one minute with scratches, it deserves, amazing. The eleventh track is "Dusk 2 Dusk": smooth jazz in this soundscape, light boom bap rhythm, solid drum, calm bass line, dusty horns, pleasant samples, chorus sung by theMIND, verses dropped by DZA, Big KRIT and Dom Kennedy. "I Ain't Scared" is there, in the nineties, with a tight, obscure, jazzy boom bap, dusty horns in loop, rough rapping by Smoke DZA, Pete Rock joins him on the mic, great track. Switchbeat with easy-going bells in background before the last choice, "Until Then": slow production, obsessive and hypnotizing samples, DZA delivers two verses, then Mac Miller close the album with his effortless style.
Released by RFC Music Group and Babygrande Records, distributed by iHipHop Distribution, the record charts #25 among independent and #12 in the rap efforts. From the music point of view, Pete Rock does a sublime job in production taking the listener back to the golden age of hip-hop, the mid-nineties, with that typical dusty, dirty boom bap sound, centered on beautiful jazz and soul samples. Lyrically, Smoke DZA takes a long and intense look into the past, providing extracts of socio-conscious, socio-political, braggadocio, materialism and themes such as crime, gangsterism, drugs, hustling and some narratives, with a relaxed, flowing rapping style that fits easily with Pete Rock's exquisitely fluid and dark production. Solid, cohesive, raw and nostalgic, the project is welcomed by a critical acclaim and hailed as one of the most freshest albums of the season.
Rating: 8/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment