EP Review “The Odyssey of Franz Kafka”
The state of Massachusetts is home to some incredible artists, producers and collectives in the non commercial sector of Hip Hop. Haze of Main Aim has established himself as an emcee for more than a few years now, and has just released a new EP with Brooklyn producer, Retrospec. “The Odyssey of Franz Kafka” is a project in which Haze drew inspiration from some similarities he found between himself and the late novelist. Don’t expect gun and drug rap here, because this isn’t it. These rhymes are aggressive but with more depth, more emotion, and more substance.
First up, the opening track is “Kafka’s Nightmare”, in which the dark, eerie production coincides with the track title. Haze’s rhymes are strong, and the soundscape feels like you’re in the midst of a dark thriller movie scene. On “Cancel Culture” the message is that those in the spotlight aren’t necessarily people we should look up to or see as role models. Many times those we idolize are flawed, or get sucked into corruption in some way, so it’s suggested that we “separate the human from the artists”. On “Verbal Taekwondo” Haze showcases “lyrical jiu jitsu” through clever wordplay.
After a brief interlude with “Kafka’s Visionary”, we move on to my top track, “Dust On The Shelf”. The drum kick hits hard but with a pace you can just nod your head and vibe out to. In my opinion, this was the strongest joint put together lyrically and musically. The project ends with “Winter Is Coming”, which is drumless and subtle in terms of Haze’s delivery over the delicate canvas.
“Comp is nervous cuz my clicks about to flourish/Took off the drum just to piss off all the purists”.
“Scientists enhanced me so I can blast these raps as fast as gats in the hands of Myer Lansky”.
“Try to stay wise surround myself in nothing but these great minds moving towards one goal at the same time/You ain’t got the drive you gettin left behind, shit my team and I forever on the rise”.
Haze went bar for bar organically, dropping the illest combinations of verbal tactics. As half of City Yard Music with Grubby Pawz, he maintains a high standard in his craft, whether he’s with his usual team mate, with a different producer, with or without other counterparts. There were no guest features on this release, but at the same time, it wasn’t necessary. Retrospec’s contributions were unpredictable as you transitioned from one song to the next, which keeps me intrigued, and his sounds provided a solid foundation for this EP. For your listening pleasure, check it out digitally on Retrospec’s Bandcamp page. -Hipnotik1
