ETERNIA- IT’S CALLED LIFE URBNET RECORDS
If you want to listen to an album that best describes the current state of Hip Hop, then look no further than “It’s Called Life”. This is not your typical rap album. With this you get 15 cleverly constructed, introspective tracks into the life of Eternia. “ICL” Covers everything from relationships to spousal abuse, as well as the industry too. Many will relate to this emotional and entertaining masterpiece.
The “Intro” is a nice opening but, is just there to set up the rest of the album. Things actually get kicking with the banger “Evidence”. While the beat is tight, it’s the lyrics that’ll capture your attention first. With lines like:
“And that’s the ironic part of this thang,
Like you can’t get respect in this game
Until you’re paid
You can’t make a name for yourself
Until you’ve laid
Tracks down with Kanye”.
“Family” features a dope appearance by Helixx C. of the Anomolies creating a powerful duo between her and E, making it hard to determine who ripped it better. DJ Dopey provides the sick cuts by flawlessly fusing Mobb Deep and Gangstarr samples over a fast supercharged beat. The cameos continue with the soulful “Understand If I” which covers some of the many obstacles men and women endure in relationships. E and Freestyle perfectly relay their messages as if they were actually a troubled couple. Wordsworth and Ken Starr mix it up on the song “Struggle”. A track that’ll get multiple replays. “Death”, a spoken word piece displays how lyrically advanced Eternia is. Spitting poison tipped x-acto blades such as:
“Minds collide in time when the devil kissed my
Sky good-bye.
Formed third eyes that closed when you died.
Took a shot to my brain and stitched up my
Insides
With rusty needles.”
And E couples this with some flashing verses, rounding out the impression. Eternia shows why she has one of the strongest voices when it comes to carrying a tale. Other notables are “Time”, “Inspiration” and the track “Love” which features a beautiful vocal appearance by her sister on the chorus. All this ends off with the anthem like “Bang” (pun intended). The beats are sick with production by Tone Mason and Rude as well as some others.
For all those that slept on E, this will be the rude awakening. Eternia brings back some of the flavor and ease in combination with creativity we were used to, lets say, a decade ago. Some might even say that this effort is too personal, but I think this is what the industry sorely needs. It takes a skilled emcee to make songs of reflection and at the same time observing worthwhile topics. A very influential album for one of hip hop’s most slept on artists. As I stated earlier, this is not a typical Hip Hop ride, it’s a musical experience. Please support this piece of Hip Hop history by visiting http://www.eternia.ca/ or http://www.myspace.com/eternia . Thanx CyPhEr777
