Beatmaker Session 1
label: uprok

producers: blake knight

guests: mars ill, kj-52, la symphony, john reuben, playdough, freddie bruno, lojique, mg! the visionary, tunnel rats, sivion, others.
year of release: 2002
Another production from the Seattle-based Uprok label, that is to prove every now and then how dope this Christian Rap thing can be. Once again, let's drop the discussion about why on earth this labeling and get on with the music. 'Cause this is what we're supposed to talk about. And we get a lot of it, as Blake Knight (member of ill harmonics) has gathered some surely blessed emcees for this musical congregation.
Imagine: the day had been shitty and the world too. This means a perfect occasion to try the "Beatmaker Session 1". To set one thing straight: don't expect hot, expect cool. Feel free to take off your shoes and socks.
"Welcome (to My World)" means acoustic guitars and very little percussion. There we are. To us it's only to produce some appreciative head nodding while on "Frisky" Sivion of Phat K.A.T.S. promises: "light into focus, nighttime gets lost in hokus pokus...". And whether you pay attention to the emcee or the jazzy guitar, you anyway believe it. It goes on with more of these guitars, keyboards and the rhodes. These damn rhodes. Laid-backness is program and the soothing is to come sooner than expected. As Mars ILL spits it: "The theme for the night is rainfall and beautiful blessing..." (on "Theme Music").

tracklisting
1. Welcome To My World
2. Frisky feat. Sivion of Phat K.A.T.S.
3. Babylon Suburbia feat. Playdough of ill harmonics
4. What I Love feat. KJ -52

5. Theme Music feat. Mars ILL
6. Rhythm to the Rhyme feat. LA Symphony (Pigeon John, Flynn, Sharlok Poems)
7. Where I Was feat. Blake Knight & Earthsuit
8. Melodic Parabolic feat. Freddie Bruno
9. Blue Room feat. Lojique & Moon
10. What's Real feat. Tunnel Rats (Peace 586, Raphi, Macho of New Breed, Theory of LPG)
11. All Around The World feat. MG! The Visionary
12. Not That Serious feat. John Reuben, Scott Bellows, Bustone, Nathan Smart
And as we reach "Where I Was" it is time to lit some candles and open the window just a little bit so we can breathe some fresh air. Listen. The bass and the drum and the Knight himself talking. Especially spicy: the instrumental break towards the end, and of course this soulful chorus which alone would make up for whatever we didn't like about daytime.
Just before we threaten to drift away, there comes the accordions ("Melodic Parabolic") and later Othello's singsong on "Blue Room". Swish, the wind blows. More of this melodic rhyme style is presented by MG! the Visionary on "All Around The World". Not to forget the Tunnel Rats' contribution "What's Real?", where the instrumentation is savored to the fullest. Hence there's no doubt that 'associates' stands for a bunch of skilled mcs who fight their swordplay over this smooth production. We get the funk, the soul, some jazz and even the Chinese movie ("What's Real"). Then, of course, some enlightenment and inspiration. Thank you very much. The art to relax while keeping your mind acute.
A record for quiet hours - even if some tracks hardly cross the boarder from 'session' to 'song' and it might take some time to see all its brilliance. Its musical variety might satisfy a range of tastes, provided that you wait for nighttime to come and the day has been shitty and the world too...
review: denise
» back to top | last changed : 07.05.03
© 2000 - 2012.08 by urban smarts | contact