Can a single human being make a difference? Can he or she stop the forces of evil dead in their tracks? These are questions that ran through my head when hearing this sick 11 track CD from HC. This album draws comparisons to September 11th, 2001…a day etched in everyone’s memory. Tiananmen starts with “Prologue” in which Ubiquitous vents his frustration of the accounts and facts that led to the attack. This song will hit some real hard and bring back memories about where you were on that fateful day. The beat is serene with a nice piano loop and is the ying to the raw lyrics (the yang) that Ubiquitous spits. There are vocal samples of former Dead Kennnedy’s icon Jello Biafra (on the interlude “Death March U.S. / Us or Them”) and a very ill poem from Allen Ginsberg on the track “America.” The production by Sike, JKR70, and Eggnog is excellent, stirring up many emotions.
On some tracks you’ll feel angry (“Us or Them”) and others sad or depressed (“Prologue, Tiananmen Square & Epilogue”). Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad thing. Great albums are those that stir up different feelings and emotions; these will wear out replay buttons. The interludes are just as groundbreaking as the songs.
This is not for those who do not want to learn or are open to opinions and facts. If you want to hear BLING RAP (cars, women and material sh*t) don’t even put this in your CD player. For 11 tracks (2 interludes, 2 remixes and 7 full songs) this CD packs a powerful punch. Lyrically Ubiquitous has a complex but easily digestible style. You’ll rewind not because you didn’t understand him but to hear what he said again. Unbelievable flow. And unfortunately all this comes to an end with the track “ONE”. This album symbolizes what KRS ONE said many years ago, “YOU MUST LEARN”! http://www.humancropcircles.net/ CyPhEr777
CES CRU – Capture Enemy Soldiers
It’s funny how Hip-Hop has evolved. When a new group or artist would come out in the late 80s and throughout the 90s, your first instinct would be to wonder if they came from either the East or West coast (mainly NY and Cali). But, as time progressed, groups started to emerge from other parts of the U.S. (i.e. Chicago, Philly, Seattle, Ohio, etc…) and even over seas. Now, I’ve witnessed Hip-Hop coming from some really obscure places, but I would have never thought Kansas City would be one of them. They have built a serious culture out there, spearheaded by artists such as Mac Lethal, The Guild, Sounds Good, Archetype, Human Crop Circles and CES CRU as well as many others.
CES CRU consists of Godemis, Ubiquitous, and Sorceress and they come to the forefront spittin’ fire. “Capture Enemy Soldiers” blesses you with 15 tracks where all lyrics, beats and cuts were created breathlessly. All three emcees bring forth spectacular and cunning linguistics, backed by tight production from their creative cohorts (Eggnog, Joker 70, Kid called Computer, Mafesto, Nezbeat and M. Bonny).
This album is so much fun to listen to because it covers a variety of topics. The first track I must talk about is “Body Parts” because it is so sick…literally. Godemis plays the role of a serial killer who just bagged somebody. He takes you step by step inside the mind of a psychopath. Ubiquitous jumps in playing the role of your typical donut eating Cop who mistakenly stumbles upon a gory crime scene on the property the killers at. This track is audibly aesthetic, real eerie and on point. You’d have to listen for yourself to find out what happens in the end but, this undeniably is my favorite joint. “Get a Grip” covers the topic of suicide and has a melancholic vibe to it along with a dope piano loop. Now, many artists talk about how much money they have and others about how much they don’t have but none get too descriptive as to the problems of poverty and its effects. You get this undoubtedly on “Cost Effective Strategy.” The chorus says it all: “switchblades and guns, 5s, 10s and 1s. I need bigger faces than that, to be exact, like 20, 50 and 100 dollar bills ya’ll, let’s get it before the war and civilization falls.”
“Capture Enemy Soldiers” offers a nice blend of battle and conceptual lyrics with off the wall production. Other notable tracks are the southern influenced “Black Water,” “Sinister,” and the raw “Hell Hammer.” Without a doubt this is an immaculate epic debut album. http://www.myspace.com/cescru CyPhEr777
