Mr. Lif & Akrobatik – “Resolution” (Album Review)

The second collaborative LP by Perceptionist emcees Mr. Lif and Akrobatik comes at a darker or as dark a time as their first (Black Dialogue) did back in 2005, when fresh wounds from 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were still bleeding heavily with just about no signs of abating. Along with DJ Fakts One and El-P playing major producer roles on their Definitive Jux debut, Lif and Ak delivered a fine combination of conscious cool hip-hop to enlighten and refresh the people. Twelve years later, Mr. Lif and Akrobatik return together again to release their sophomore in a like ravaged era of war, confusion and economic malaise, this time without Fakts One or Def Jux but with a new assortment of beat makers for the one and only Mello Music Group. It’s safe to say that what they’ve turned out, the Resolution LP, is a clear confident statement set to thoroughly enjoyable music.

Our heroes of rhyme pull the pants down on the one percent, corporations, the government in collusion with both and just the greedy, brutal and violent, problematic police included, in ghetto settings especially, where they seem to do most of their dirt. Lif and Akrobatik have energy and conviction, with many relatable messages one after the other, meaning they know what they’re saying to be true. In “Lemme Find Out,” the two raise suspicions of technology and the huge part it plays in everyone’s life, and “When Push Comes To Shove” makes time for the necessary elements of romance.

With no truly dull moments, Resolution does reveal spots not as attention-grabbing as others. The proceeding trio of tracks, “Let’s Battle,” “Free At Last” and “Dirty Drumz,” while good for advancing the spirit of competition, self-determination and real hip-hop, feels more like a connector of the beginning and end than a bridge or bond with material equally awesome as what sandwiches it. The dynamic duo nevertheless manage to make their finale as splendid as anything preceding it. Lif and Ak rap on something everybody’s been guilty of at one time or another – control obsession – in “Grab Hold” sharing that there’s no end or win when you’re trying to grab hold of what you can’t control.

Supported by a calming backdrop of smooth jazz and soul, the last two songs, “A Different Light” and “Resolution,” are beautiful commitments of the mind about surviving hard times in the first and pure thoughts on everything from optimism, wisdom and positivity to compassion, perseverance and care in the second. Instead of junk food rap, try Resolution, which offers healthy artistic beat-creations from the likes of Willie Evans Jr., Synesthetic Nation and Paten Locke and which doesn’t stoop to name-calling, foul play or debauchery thanks to Mr. Lif and Akrobatik’s dedication to spreading the good word and nothing but. The New Year’s celebrations of 2017 are long past but it’s never too late to make a resolution, or a revolution for that matter. (4 out of 5 stars)

Ugly Heroes craft another classic masterpiece with 'Everything in Between'

Everything in Between by Ugly Heroes

The Ugly Heroes trio of Mello Music Group (Red Pill, Apollo Brown and Verbal Kent) have been the next big thing in hip-hop for the past three years, ever since they released their amazing, self-titled debut LP in 2013. They're easily considered one of Mello's best groups to date and outside of the label, they are making phenomenal strides, combining Apollo Brown's beautiful soul with RP and VK's smart, philosophical, mature, wise and professionally advanced lyrics. Each man has a story. Red Pill from Detroit, the burgeoning enlightened Millennial backpacker is growing healthily within the creative ecology of MMG, Apollo Brown (also from Detroit) is a very accomplished producer with a uniquely identifiable style and a long list of credits, and Verbal Kent of Rogers Park, Chicago also has a lengthy discography and highly trained rap-chops. To the joy of everyone, they release today (June 24) their second album, Everything in Between, still on Mello Music and still on a heroically message-hearty binge. It makes for two back-to-back stellar engagements starting with the Ugly Heroes LP, and who knows? Maybe they'll someday make it a trifecta.

Everything in Between gives us a lot of what we all need more of, beautiful universal truth. Let's start at the top. In "Today Right Now," the refreshing lyrical duo of Red and Kent bring forth eye-opening revelations with the ultimate message being to not take life for granted, and they proceed with more fresh wisdom ("Daisies"), the advocation of good strong character ("Peace of Mind") and their own experiences with diversity, tolerance and community ("Place Called Home"). The most time-marked, most newsworthy song of the first half, "This World" lets Kent and Red Pill set things straight and rap sense about maladies across the globe - racism, Trump, brutal police, etcetera, and everything is presented in a very calm, serene and unobjectionable way, especially thanks to Apollo Brown. His gorgeous soul and easygoing jazz productions are to die for, commonly agreeable listening for all.

Down the line, the subject of "Can't Win For Losin'" is falling on hard times, and then Red Pill, who is the biggest star of "Roles," raps about being reluctant of bringing innocent children into a hateful world there. "Heart Attack" makes sure dreams, goals and high aspirations do not drop dead, and "Unforgiven" lays out two great rap stories. Red Pill confronts a detached resentful grandfather and Verbal Kent says accurately that a criminal set free by the justice system will forever be in mental prison. Lastly, they show their fangs in "Fair Weather" to help balance out any softness heard in the lead up sections. This timeless triumvirate are nothing short of magnificent in this perfect Everything in Between album. These Ugly Heroes could literally bring anyone onto their cause because one: they speak the truth and very eloquently at that, and two: they are backed by beat-prodigy Apollo Brown and his soothing jazz, blues and rock in a dynamic mixture. Furthermore, he reaffirms and strengthens his own style. Three heads are better than one here. Each man makes the other two tremendous people by giving them support and approval, and overall, they simply have an exceedingly splendid project on their hands and now it's in their fan's hands.

5 out of 5 stars 

(Review by Alex originally appeared on Examiner.com on June 24, 2016.)

 

L'Orange & Mr. Lif reach new heights in their forewarning rally-cry 'The Life & Death of Scenery'

The Life & Death of Scenery by L'Orange & Mr. Lif

Never doubt the wholesome influence and might of Mello Music Group in these days and times because though their record isn’t perfect, they keep coming back with awe-inspiring hip-hop gems that will last forever, as is the case with their latest release, The Life & Death of Scenery (Oct 14), a collaboration between the reputably great, twenty-some years strong-in-the-game emcee Mr. Lif and crate-honoring/sample-resurrecting producer L’Orange, featuring a midsize group of impeccable guests from their own picking. The album is a whole lot more than just a lyrically heavy conscious rap LP. It is an allegorical tale of an artless and heartless dystopian future, one where books, music and liberating opportunities are things of the past but from which the brilliant souls and minds of people rise up to flourish again and overthrow the totalitarian state bent on controlling them. It is equally social commentary and prophecy, driven by human strength, good intentions and a proper measure of humor. Mr. Lif and L’Orange are in top form delivering their best work yet in this lessons-packed hip-hop story.

To help narrate the storyline are four skits announced by the new radio channel created to keep the clones of the dark world in line and in order. In a quotidian segment coined “The Perfect World Radio Hour,” a faceless anchor disseminates drab news of the day with monotonous upcoming events. The first one we hear starts on day 279 (post-purge) and already the situation is very much bleak for its subjects. Mr. Lif, in “A World Without Music,” describes the effects of living under the crushing regime, where weakened thought and a deterioration of human nature and health plague all. With resilient Perceptionist emcee Akrobatik, “The Scribe” arrives with confidence to assist in deconstructing this brutal state (mind DJ Qbert’s professional handy work on L’Orange’s banging beat). Using weak rationale, our radio host tries hopelessly to deny the scribe’s greatness but he simply cannot. Lif with Chester Watson discuss the baits that lure the unknowing in “Antique Gold,” and all the way to “The Gentle End” they “keep[…] only beauty in […their] eyesight.”

The picture moves to Akrobatik again, Gonjasufi and Insight, who are there to help Lif make their fellow men and women aware of the “Strange Technology” and the “Five Lies about the World Outside” that have slyly become so ubiquitous in their lives and permeated into their existence so slickly that they’ve drawn next to no unwanted attention to them. On day 421 during the Radio Hour, the sounds of the revolt can’t help but be heard simmering and bubbling up in the background of Mr. Puppet-broadcaster, who is desperately trying to hold his program together. The voice of Mr. Lif, our hallowed truth-speaker, comes through replacing that of the now powerless “Perfect World” promoter to expose the king, sole controller of the globe, in “A Palace in the Sky” as his cold brick fortress disintegrates and vaporizes into the air leaving him “lost in the mirage of his reprieve.” End scene.

This is a happy ending. The ruthless ruler is dethroned, his institution disappears and the people no longer believe in the spiritless system force-fed to them since the banishment of quality entertainment. The Life & Death of Scenery is as much warning as it is guidance – where we might be headed (ignorant lifeless doom) and what it necessitates (unity and enlightenment). Such a loaded valuable account as this deserves more development and length as it is a bit loose and abbreviated, but it’s got progressive alternative boom-bap and picture-painting verses and it’s nevertheless a solid plot to teach that corrupt sources of power when exposed to the light (or when they become apparent to the people in the form of common knowledge) will inevitably dry up and decay.

5 out of 5 stars

Skyzoo and Apollo Brown stick to the script too tightly in 'The Easy Truth'

The Easy Truth by Apollo Brown & Skyzoo

The Brooklyn golden age style rhyme-sayer with the Jay-Z flow known as Skyzoo has nowhere to run to and nowhere to hide after closing up some of the options available to him at the onset of creating The Easy Truth with Mello Detroit producer Apollo Brown. Still knowing who they are and that they haven’t ever collaborated on a project before as extensively as here, the coming together of these two men remains a predictable happening. They’re a lot alike hip-hop wise and their artistic track records are very consistent, almost painfully so, so it’s not a stretch to expect The Easy Truth (Sept 30, Mello Music) to sound like the works they’ve made before. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what it does. The Easy Truth is a strong enough hip-hop project, but it doesn’t come out of left field for these two particular artists.

You’ll most likely make it through the first five songs of this fifteen track set with few or no qualms. Although Skyzoo fashions the typical East Coast rapper traits in his typically nostalgic style, materialistic though they may be (“Jordans and a Gold Chain,” “A Couple Dollars”), we do get some sound guest contributions from Patty Crash, Joell Ortiz, Conway and Westside Gunn plus an interesting violin sample by Brown in “A Couple Dollars.” Mostly however, we begin to hear Skyzoo’s branded tales of woe and triumph from the streets in these starting cuts.

“The Vibes” and the Stretch and Bob Show freestyle both pass without making any astonishing impressions, as do “Spoils to the Victor” (sounds a little like a war theme, eh?) and “Visionary Riches” (really? riches? again?), plus “They Parked a Bentley on the Corner” just gives away by its title that it’s going to have some lame form of car-idolization in it. Moving on, the beginning speech by an unnamed man in “The Flyest Essence” about not chasing and keeping demons and whatnot is inconsistent with Skyzoo’s vehicle fetish and romanticism of dealings past.

In “Innocent Ambition,” his presumed coolness for being a self described all-seeing drug game vet (like Jay-Z) arrives late in the evolution of hip-hop at this point, and in general and as per reputation he’s vague, subtle, indirect, even subliminal about the nature of the events and situations he’s supposedly learned from, but no amount of beating around the bush will hide the storied and reformed ghetto-puritan/ex-slanger character he’s putting behind his bars. “Care Packages” is a fairly obvious one – Skyzoo is taking care of some of his jail babies by sending them some special mail, and via filler-esque methodology, “Payout” (again with the money, LOL) and “Nodding Off” make little or no impact besides showcasing Ohio Maybacher Stalley in the former.

The fact that the first thing we hear off the album is a speech from some guy about how most people take the easy way in life is shady and confusing precisely because Apollo Brown and Skyzoo themselves have taken a more or less easy, standard (for them) route in making The Easy Truth, which is by doing just what they’ve been doing for years now. Unfortunately, this LP sounds like all of Skyzoo’s previous albums and the same goes for Apollo as well. God love him for how good he is at what he does, but all his beats sound pretty much the same here. This nonthreatening harmless and risk-less album stops well short of telling it like it is so it should be well embraced by the masters of the marketplace universe. In reality right now, the truth is NOT easy like how the makers of the album have conducted their business here (and how they named the final thing too). If Skyzoo and Apollo Brown really want the truth, they just got it.

2 out of 5 stars

Kool Keith, though solid, is consistent to a fault in 'Feature Magnetic'

Feature Magnetic by Kool Keith

Magnetic pimp and Mello Music Group feature-artist Kool Keith returns with his second album for the label, Feature Magnetic (Sept 16). The Bronx master of alter-egos and wacky rhymes has found renewed vigor in the game of recent, having released eight albums in the last five years. His hardwork is evident, and the fans have definitely been receiving his work kindly, as they should. Feature Magnetic surely brings the proven Keith thrills, and it closely resembles most if not all of Keith’s post-2010 projects, for the better or worse.

Craft-loyal guests from Keith’s own book of contacts play a major part, and besides the more frequently seen names, it’s more than nice to hear from artists Godfather Don, B.a.R.S Murre, Dirt Nasty, Psycho Les and Bumpy Knuckles (a.k.a. Freddie Foxxx). Kool Keith essentially combines all those things that make him who he is for Feature Magnetic – sex, flossing and idiosyncratic posturing, and he does it in his lyrically attention-keeping fashion as usual. It’s the typical game plan for him so the unexpected, by Keith’s standards, rarely presents itself.

When the unpredicted does show up, it is in the form of a few messages folded into two songs in particular. In “Tired,” Keith is somewhat personal and heartfelt in his frustrations as he goes through his history and his long intrepid career in rap. Edo G is likewise poignant and intriguing in that same song. In “Life” featuring Sadat X, he and Keith jam out on the topics of decisions, choices and which path to take in life. Keith’s conscientiousness for his fellow man has him advising that, “if you see a junkie, kneel and give him cold water and tell him little kids is looking, get up.”

On the whole, there are more of those run of the mill, fun and wild Kool Keith moments than shocking or politically conscious ones, but that’s not to say Feature Magnetic is bad, just that it’s settling into some repetition for its author, a cycle that Keith will have to break and innovate from more if he’s to advance. In fact, he should spend a little more time away from his characters and more on his wise ballsy adult side at this point. The good thing is you can sort of tell he wants to start doing that here. All things considered, Feature Magnetic has enough good rhymes and Kool Keith personality to steer clear of major trouble.

3 out of 5 stars

Red Pill offers another way to perceive the world in 'Instinctive Drowning'

Instinctive Drowning by Red Pill

Southeast Michigan ambassador, Ugly Heroes emcee and very close acquaintance to real life, Red Pill sees nothing much in his style that needs changing, and he would be right in that regard. His tone orbiting reality-based malaise and his solid bars of wordplay don’t require a lot of maintenance at this point. Only a year after coming out with his solo debut, Look What This World Did To Us, he returns with album number two, Instinctive Drowning (Aug 26, Mello Music Group). This time, he again thinks out loud candidly and outside the box bringing quality lyrics of course and inventive beats by Ill Poetic.

The real talk begins in “The New Normal,” as Red Pill’s sagely, spirited spitting projects down-and-out feelings like that which is conveyed when he says “the new normal is hopeless.” From “Four Part Cure,” we can see that he’s really into those unsexy natural discussion topics that everyday people would talk on. There’s no corporate, top-down mandated agenda speaking here. Plus, the aggravated rock refrains and light psychedelia interspersed in the verses there give it a double feeling much like the duality of life. Club privilege, something Red Pill is probably relatively new to, gets the spotlight in its own song over swingy electric guitar and the feelings that come with having unquestioned celebrity pull.

Sh*t gets even realer in “Stars,” as Red wrestles with longing, desire, and the difficulty and refusal to fit into the roles pushed by the media. The one and only guest, P.O.S from Doomtree, stops by in “F*ck Your Ambition” to help make the point that failure makes us what we are more so than success. Two great concept pieces remain, “Instinctive Drowning” and “When The Devil Knocks.” The first is an anti-alcoholism notice tacked to more psychedelic rock, this time building and lightly suspenseful, and the second warns of the final ultimate judgement when we’ll all have to answer for our evils. It’s also a bash on imperialism, religious fanaticism and right wing white supremacy.

Red Pill just supplies incredible wisdom and counter-philosophy in perfect poetry. Of the recurring themes – sadness, the search for happiness, the problems with self-medication and the eventual regret that comes with it – are of course big ones, but Red Pill does touch on a few others, like technology and consumerism. There is still the overhanging question of where his glum disposition will head in years to come, but now it’s like his fuel, his driving force. Shouts also to Ill Poetic, whose creative new arrangements are truly rich and dynamic, never cheesy or thin. Instinctive Drowning is another win for Red Pill, Mello Music, Detroit and hip-hop.

4 out of 5 stars