Locksmith – “Olive Branch” (Album Review)

True enough, Richmond, California emcee Locksmith (Davood Asgari, formerly of Frontline duo) has come through on his promise to release his third studio album Olive Branch, and in timely fashion at that. Olive Branch was promoted briefly on Lock’s masterful 2016 mixtape The Lock Sessions but what’s better is that the LP is every bit as outstanding as fans had hoped it would be. Everywhere here the fierce, respected lyricist has an extraordinary sense of manhood and social responsibility and strong-willed moral character. His messages alone blow out at least three quarters of the mainstream rap field easily and when you add his top notch rhyme flow to the equation, he automatically moves to the upper echelon of hip-hop music. Also, new and returning guest artists and variably textured beats are in store for listeners old and new in what should prove to be Locksmith’s greatest album yet.

The whole idea of the project is to impart critical words of wisdom. There are few breaks from it, but it’s also impossible to tire from it. Spoken word advice atop leads to thoughts on arriving plus toughness in the Kato-produced “Nobody,” which opens for some softer focused lessons-to-carry via “No Way” before Lock’s beast-slaying “Agenda” wakes us up like a bucket of ice cold water to a fast asleep face. Make note of the Tribe “Kick It” quote there and especially the line “’til we see ourselves as one we can never progress.” Next we have “The Margin,” Lock’s special attention to hurting people drowning in a decadent society and a call to think about how we are all connected in this world. Similarly yet some four tracks down, in “Helpless,” Locksmith again touches on our disconnectedness as people. “Home,” with returning Lock music-mate Rebecca Nobel, in her second of three appearances, tells us to be ourselves in the face of resistance, focuses on individual strengths over weaknesses and helps to shed our fears of being perceived poorly by others.

Still, great feelings of love pervade the entire LP and in a few tracks most particularly. In “The One” Locksmith is concerned about struggling to make it work in a relationship enough to voice it (with fine eloquence), and later reconnects with his love in a spell of passion through “Neck Pillow,” which flips the melody and chorus of the Aaliyah tribute song “Miss You” (2002). Much as how “Go There” from Lock Sessions uplifted his and all mothers in general, this set’s “One More Time” immortalizes Lock’s passed mom with so much heart but mournfully this round, dropping the upbeat clip of “Go There” for a slower more soulful style.

The title tracks ends the project here, save for the live version of “Home,” which is just as welcomed and really drives home (pun intended) its many valuable points even further. “Olive Branch” the song sees Lock comment with humble conviction on holding onto his integrity and dignity, and that’s basically what the whole of the album does in one way or another. This is not the same Locksmith of two or three years ago. This is a better Locksmith. The work he’s put in since has delivered him great credibility and proven his confidence in spreading sense, intelligence and reason through his bars. For all those “tough” guys and girls listening out there, know this – the Olive Branch LP is mellifluously inspirational at times but it is incredibly powerful and heavy in subject matter, enough to instantly knock down the cold hardened persona of anyone willing to look at it.

5 out of 5 stars

The respectable Locksmith is truly brave and courageous in 'The Lock Sessions'

The Lock Sessions by Locksmith

You might be tempted to call emcee Locksmith’s new project, The Lock Sessions, an album because it is of that same type of caliber and quality, but from the start in the opener “Black Hole,” he states clearly that his new album is coming, so this Landmark Entertainment release that dropped on September 29 is more likely a mixtape, to Locksmith at least. And even if it is a mixtape, a ten track/thirty minute-long mixtape, it’s a high standing one at that. The Richmond, California-raised rapper, who has taken turns as a producer, freestyler, member of duo Frontline, battler and collaborator throughout his career so far, is as daring, fired up and fierce here as he’s ever been before, probably more so than at any previous point. After his first album, 2014’s A Thousand Cuts, he showed vast amounts of wisdom and maturity in Lofty Goals from 2015, and now, in The Lock Sessions, he takes aim at the wayward rap game of late, as he holds falloff rappers accountable for their music, taking these pseudo-rhymers and their huge company sponsors to the woodshed. Plus, there are other separately themed gems in the mix as well.

Much more than just a showcase of great vocal stamina and great rhymes, The Lock Sessions starts early and often with the urgent messages. The heavy-banging intro “Black Hole” smashes dumbed down commercial/mainstream hip-hop with a series of wonderful, sledgehammering lines. Locksmith first states his declaration of independence (“I know the journey is bigger than me / I will not submit to this industry / I write my songs from a genuine place”), then describes the current aboveground rap music industry (“they manufacture an art with no soul / look in that face, it’s a desolate hole / as long as I’m breathing I’ll keep making music, I cannot create under corporate control”), follows that up by speaking on the typical fake rapper (“you’re a slave to the playlist / all you do is make songs that are tasteless / for a label with a boss that is faceless, face it, nigga you a pawn you don’t say shit”) and lastly gives an example (“if they ask you to sing, you gon’ say, ‘what song?’ / looking for your bread, they gon’ say, ‘move along’”).

More excellent wordplay and guest Mark Battles mark “Epic,” where Lock is relentless and holds on to values and honor. “Koolio” reveals the tricky politics in the hood and in rap and exposes the truth and motives behind a lot of crooked modern day phenomena (“corporations see us all as investments,” “I’m scorned if I speak out”). Locksmith’s refrain is a promise – “I ain’t gon’ sit and say what you wanna hear, I’ma just keep it comin’ in front of here.” Plowing and pummeling through without cease, Lock provides his most weighted line of “Grime” when he comments on the scum of the game rapping, “they just keep rapping ‘bout money and bottles and models and models and hollows and how they just copped a new yacht in the grotto but what is it worth if you shallow?” Fred The Godson and Mally Stakz spit hard street bars in “No Rules,” and in “No Manners,” Locksmith details how the major music business treats vulnerable artists susceptible to manipulation and even seems to go after culturally retarding online publications… “they gather the young and impressionable and pressure them through material sums they can profit from, every profit plummets at some point but at some point, niggas got to be responsible but their response is bull;” “from these writers, makes it hard as an artist to get behind sites, like they forcefully force-feed with a forced fee and force greed instead of a subject matter with some substance rather.”

All hardness and no heart? Not the case. Lock takes time to deal with his struggles with love in “Nowhere” featuring One.Coco, and with David Correy he delivers his very own ode to mom with a new flip of “A Hard Knock Life” in the bumping lovely groove known as “Go There.” Rebecca Nobel joins in on “More Lessons” with its great advice from Lock plus his closing shoutouts. The name-list is a little lengthy, but how often these days do you hear shoutouts? It’s some time just for him but considerate too and if Lock is not well connected, I don’t know what you would call it. With a variety of beats, hardcore rap and tons to say plus faultless features, The Lock Sessions is very likely Locksmith’s riskiest project to date but also his most fruitful thus far. Few rappers dare to touch the topics Locksmith has so confidently and ambitiously gone head first into here. True enough, fans will not want to wait for his new upcoming studio album (Olive Branch), but they should be happy to, so that Lock is under no pressure to hurry or rush another potential masterpiece.

4 out of 5 stars