MASAI BEY-THE PANACEA GOLDMIND UNCOMMON RECORDS
When was the last time you heard a pure boom bap Hip Hop album? For me, it’s been awhile, until now. This album should be the staple of how Hip Hop albums should be, sick lyricism and exquisite production; both work from Masai. But, where do I begin? First off, those of you have been introduced to Masai Bey when his astonishing debut LP “Natural Magic Music” dropped last year, he’s also appeared on side projects with the Jukies, the Weathermen and countless other projects, compiling an impressive resume.
The first track “Goldmind” is an introduction to Masai and his exquisite style. He tells you straight up that he’s different and he’s not afraid to show this which is evident in the chorus:
“I’m always gonna be me,
No matter what form, dimension or planet I’m on
I’m always gonna be me!”
Bruce Lee once said that water is formless and thus it can take on any shape. Masai takes this philosophy to another level lyrically in that, he takes on the form of the beat and seamlessly rides it.
The next track “Bey’s Theme” delves more into what defines Masai and his take on the music industry. He speaks about how wack producers use methods of resurrecting classic tracks without giving credit or adding originality to a beat. Again a dope beat comes with the rhymes, a formula that is a constant throughout the album.
“M73” brings more vicious wordplay that sets an already high energy level a notch higher. The beat once more complements the rhyming, making this another humble success. One thing you will notice about Bey’s style is that you can follow every single word with ease; the web of words not too tightly knit. We jump a couple of tracks to the up-tempo “Quiet Riot” that sounds dope with the KRS ONE sample looming in the background.
To me, the tightest track is “Reference Text,” which is a diss and a lesson to all those rhyme actors who use gimmicks to get attention. Here Masai plays the role of teacher schooling these wannabes in the true art of Hip Hop. He displays such a high level of lyrical skill combined with a fierce delivery, heat and rawness that jaws can’t help but drop as he rips this track to shreds.
At this point I’m more than halfway thru and I’m in awe at with how consistent this album is sounding as far as vibe and intended sound is concerned. On “Scarlut”, he combines two styles; having punchlines mingle with thoughtful explorations and at the same time adds off beat eccentrism. The vibes of the beats merge perfectly with his cryptic rhyming and messaging. Musically we get a lot of traditional Hip Hop.
Sadly the LP comes to an end with track 12 entitled “Slave New World”. This track is more than introspective but a warning to those who are blinded by media and all the government blindfolds.
Great albums are those that stir up different feelings and emotions. Great albums are what wears out replay buttons. This is not for those who do not want to learn or are not open to opinions and facts. If you want to hear about cars and women and material cornball rap, don’t even put this in your player. Masai brings much ferocity, lyrically and in his production and hot beats! This is a must have!!! Support Masai Bey and Nasa by visiting http://www.uncommonmusic.net/index.cfm or http://www.myspace.com/masaibey
