by Noah Sanders
Lord Jamar’s decision to release a solo album is a ballsy one, hell, any member of a famously influential rap
groups choice to go solo is a dangerous one. Jamar, member of rap super-group, Brand Nubian, is consciously removing himself from the safe confines of the group dynamic. In truth, laying himself bare as an individual, exposing the weaknesses that may have been covered by other group members. Taking himself away from the audience’s perceived norm, and challenging them to try something similar but different. In the case of Lord Jamar, he manages to skillfully step away from the Brand Nubian name, maintaining his artistic credibility, while subtly reinventing himself as a religious icon.
As a solo artist, Jamar is, solid, melding religion and hip-hop into a good, if not great, concept album. The concept behind the project being a pontification of Nation of Islam splinter group The Nations of Gods and Earth’s religious message. Jamar and a bevy of talented-featured rappers, nimbly relate the NG&E’s ideas into a selection of rap songs that any casual listener will enjoy. The beats on the album reasonably thump, but it’s Jamar’s drawling delivery that makes each song work. The opening track “Original Man,” with its almost generic horn bursts, is pulled together by Jamar’s lilting verses. “Revolution,” a Dead Prez-reminiscent anthem, bangs with an electric guitar thrum, and Jamar’s fiery rhetoric pushes it even further.
At twenty-one songs, the album drags considerably. A series of sermon-like skits performed by Kasim Allah, slow down the already sluggish pace of the album, and honestly, could’ve been excised. Yet, as a solo release, the album is notable. A solid, meaningful release from one of the greats that uses hip-hop to promote consciousness, in itself a rarity. If anything, a large amount of respect is due to Lord Jamar, for taking the sizable risk, and doing so admirably.
