|
eMC - The ShowAlbum Review by:
Samir Siddiqui
Saturday, March 29, 2008
 Preview/Download MP3 The concept of unity is steadily becoming obsolete in hip-hop. With artists looking to break out on their own, the group element has in recent years taken a back-seat to individual aspirations. Even among the game's existing crews have infighting and tension become commonplace, and many collectives struggle to remain both intact and relevant. But for every problem with hip-hop music, there is a solution- if you look hard enough. Aligning together to record a full-fledged album for the first time, rappers Wordsworth, Strick, Punchline, and the legendary Masta Ace form the talented group, eMC.
Their debut group album, The Show, kicks-off with the well-crafted "Who We Be," as each group-member brings listeners up-to-speed with their individual back-story, over a piano-drenched beat. The following skit, "The Airport," outlines the loose storyline of the album, as the group prepares to hit the road for a live show. But the quality of the LP lies not in some conceptual consistency, but rather in the consistency in quality between songs. While the easy-going "Leak It Out" runs on clever one-liners ("us not sellin' is like The Game not droppin' a name"), the horns-driven "Say Now" sees the four emcees claiming allegiance to their collective. Most people would probably assume that Masta Ace would consistently outshine his fellow eMC members, but Strick, Punchline, and underground favourite, Wordsworth, hold their own, and weak verses are few and far between throughout the album.
The subdued, soul-driven "Don't Give Up On Us" is contrasted by the harder-hitting Sean Price collaboration "Git Sum," which is hampered by a clunky, crowded beat that stands out from the more simplistic production which surrounds it. However, producer Nicolay later adds a throwback touch (cut up chorus and all) to “eMC (What It Stand For)," a track that depicts the various meanings assigned to the group's moniker (everything from 'Every Minute Counts' to 'Experience Musical Change'). Although weakened by a schmaltzy chorus, "Make It Better" is one of the most intriguing lyrical displays on the album, as Strick, Punch, Words, and Ace potently express the plights of the music game, the streets, and the world at large.
The musical and lyrical tones of the album take a turn towards more subdued, emotional content in several of the LP's final songs. The standout "Winds of Change" finds the group reminiscing about the past, as Wordsworth (of the future) looks back on his rap career as a senior citizen, rhyming between a perfectly-used sped-up-soul sample. The crew later sends "U Let Me Grew" 'out to all the mothers,' as eMC delivers an honest take on motherly-love before closing with the sombre "Feel It".
Clocking in at over 20-tracks (skits included), the four members of eMC have no trouble working off each other's penchant for dropping clever and solid verses, as at no time does The Show seem over-done or uninspired. As Wordsworth confidently points out on "Once More," eMC isn't the type of crew where there's "one or two in the group that you don't like." The flaws are few and the quality tracks are many- The Show is definitely the first truly great hip-hop album of 2008.
 ( 25) Comments | Post a comment »
|
|
