Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Nas declared hiphop dead... And rightly so... It has been for quite awhile, but ever since being tagged and bagged and sent to the morgue apparently it's been beating in the hearts of the Smash Bros. So before we bury it... I think we have a pulse! People are going to do one of 3 things when they hear Ash rhyme, love the voice, hate the voice, let the voice grow on them. The style and delivery is a raspy whispering growl and one of those 3 things will be immediate upon hearing him. I think it works well and the delivery is stellar!
The music itself contains what a lot of what my beats lack and I could never put into a concept, layers and layers of subtle sounds that fill up frequencies and make the songs sound complete and full without ever making the tracks sound cloudy. Synths and pads help move the stellar drum sounds throughout the album. Listening to this helps me pick apart the compositions and learn what it takes to fill it up. Interestingly enough you don't find that on as many Rap albums as you do Rock albums, and in particular Classic Rock albums. The "listener" will just dance and not pay attention to this fact, but the other producers like myself have quite a sonic treat in store for them. This album manages to be intelligent while not being too deep for a "listener" to enjoy thanks to the delivery of Ash Holmz. The punch lines are awesome and fun, there is plenty of personality on this album and more than once I found myself laughing out loud. There are obvious singles in here but I didn't find any songs that were "filler" per se. This album has a "Big" feel and brings hiphop back to life in a wonderful way.
Welcome - This song is a really nice intro to the album and the artists in general, Holmes delivers well with the lyrics over an epic sounding beat by Classic. There are some nice change ups in this on the drums and it all comes together well and makes you want to hear it again and again.
Got Heart - This song has a really BIG sound to it as soon as it starts and draws you in off top. This has some really cool synth work, and Ash is lyrically deadly, most MC's won't have the heart to try and go against this.
Shotz - It's been a long time since we had black activists in a song... I missed that, and that's how this song starts. Again Ash is killin this, but it doesn't suffer from sounding like any other song on the album. Ash is taking shotz at many societal woes on this over a very West Coast sounding beat. Classic is using some great pads in the back to move this song with a neck snappin beat. This would be fun to see live.
Overdo It - This is a cool club track filled with subtle humor that seems to be taking high brow shots that the average listener won't notice at other club songs and artists that make only that. The beat is hot to death and you have to dance to it or you don't have the ability to dance at all.
Get Down - Excellent track. Beat is a throw back to early upbeat hiphop songs right down to the sounds used. Ash keeps you moving as much as the beat does. Another good Club track, people should have no problem partying to this.
Allstarz - This is a cool song dedicated to memories of the past and present. Seems to be going out to the "allstars" in Ashes life. This is hot in the way that 2pac's "Dear Mama" was. The keys being played here really set the mood. Again this has cool elements of throw back hiphop while being completely modern.
Fear Factor - The title track to the LP that really lets you into Ash's past and life. I love this song as I can relate a lot to it. It's grimy and right on point for a story rap, the lyrical visualizations are amazing and have you lost picturing what is being said. Excellent delivery!
Party Till I Pass Out - Anyone throwing a large party and club owners will love it when this song comes on. It has a HUGE sound and while not being socially responsible... heheh. This a great song that makes you want to party! Classic builds the track over and over again reaching climax after climax. The personality of the guys comes out really well on this track!
Slow Creep - Not like I can pick a favorite song on here but this one always is a stand out to me. The title says it all, if you are in your car you will without choice amp this song and put the screw face on. This is great ride or die music.
Never Shall I Run - Amazing the way this album comes together in song placement. You young kids would do well to take note at this point. This song brings the album back up to neck snappin mode and Ash delivers "Grown Man" style on top of this in a great way! If you want to be an "MC" (fuck a rapper) then you may want to take note of the delivery and lyrics on this one.
Cuckoo - A club beat that I think will go over well in the clubs, my only complaint on this song is I can't understand the chorus, so while it gets stuck in my head I can't sing it out loud because I just end up mumbling. Beyond that, the damn thing's hot.
Werk Dat - The guys are definitely aiming for the club on many songs on this LP and this is no exception. What stands out here is this song is aimed at women in the club and making them "Werk Dat"! I think it's going to Werk!
Gangsta Image - Great way to switch up on the album here. Back to the streets, has a very street feel and the punch lines are great. Ash again finds another innovative way to bring you into their way of life and image. Hiphop itself is analysed on this track and I personally love the track.
Smash Out - Keeping it street level Classic brings an almost off beat track with lots of cool background sounds. This song is like Grown Man Talk part 2 (The first was an excellent song that can be caught on IllMuzik.com's compilation LP 2). Ash is here killin it again and has some good grown man talk for cats!
Rize Above - Featuring Sixteen Stone and StepChild, this song is definitely soulful and has an excellent feeling of missing those who have passed on. Sixteen Stone is an incredible mood setter with her almost sad sound in the chorus, guaranteed to put chills on you. StepChild, an amazing MC from NC, is delivering a very visual lyrical delivery that compliments Ash's style. The beat is hot, and any time one is feeling blue, you may want to throw this one on. Classic's piano skills shine on this.
All in all the album is Dope! Hands down this will be the underground LP of 2009! It makes you dance, it makes you think, it makes you want to hear it over and over. If you're a hiphop producer on the come up, it teaches you sonically how to build a track that stands out and feels full. I'm about to go apply techniques I heard right now! If you don't have this then go cop it because this is exactly what our music needed, high replay value with something for all hiphop heads!
Score: 5 / 5