producers: d.j. 'd

guests: abstract rude, aceyalone, awol one, buku-one, others.

8. 50 Years

The small children scribbling on a paper, as seen in the inside of the cover, still have the innocent naïveté in their eyes, that will make their sketches look like masterpieces, and that have no feelings of suspicion and hatred against the being, coming up in their growing soul. It's an honest courage and an un-arrogant contentness and trust in their power and skills, that creates every possible picture herded in their heart. And all that can be found in that photograph, is somewhat present in this recording too, without it being able to shake off all distress and despair of having grown old though.

The amiability of DJ 'D's music an social reflectiveness within his music, was eminent, but not finalizingly predominant on his "The High Life Movement" record. The way the wind is blowing, is now seconded with "The Workers Union", a continuum to something that was held in high regards by everyone that cared.

And so the first voice sample belongs to inspiration, to unification, as the strings of "Workers" are the megaphone for the voices to follow. The first to utilize this platform is Genstar and Lady Blue on "Shine (The Super Soul Flow)", hovering like the blinding light behind a shadowy figure. But maybe it's the intro of "Union Theory" that first totally grabs your attention, with it consisting of an ironic sample. With a smile you approach the lyrics by Abstract Rude, Trend & Aceyalone, that are put over a melodic bamboo beat. Showcasing their skills, they persuade bypassers to become new members. Abstract Rude remains behind the mic for "From North America To The World", that features an interestingly mixed track. Being quite silent, the elements are hidden, but in sight, obvious but no in your face. Ab is rhyming as if on the highest mountain, turning around and facing the biggest part of this globe possible. And the cosmopolitanism is further enhance by one of many ethnographic versatile sung samples hooked up by 'D at the end of this track.

Another sample opens "Static", featuring one of Cali's more eclectic emcees, Awol One. Taking an accessible beat, he goes for the braggadocios, but with him, that means that the punchlines might be out of the ordinary, as he almost proudly says "I'm the new Vanilla Ice". That's just part of the Walrus though, as his true talent is on the "you're pretty fly for a maggot" level. Leaving the wordsmith behind, 'D then picks up Improvize to let the 1210 speak on "Live At The Lounge Pt. 1". A track that suffers to not be reduced to a transition to "You Ain't Gotta Lie", again featuring Ab Rude, this time with D.K. Toon, who talks about studio gangsters, industry thugs, false prophets and mainstream, as well as underground, imposters. Just like not everyone that wears sunglasses is blind or blinded, so is not everyone seeing, despite his eyes being open.

With "50 Years", instrumental fields are explored, although 'D once more talks through a sample. But the rhyming does not just seize, as Ab Rude returns on "Live Long & Prosper", bringing along Buku One, on a track finding its destination and niche quickly, making this a dope offering. What can also be said about the slowly building "The World Goes On", that with the singing by Nina Lorin and praying by D.K. Toon once more leaves us satisfied. This is as street as this album gets. After that a new name pops up on "Committing Random Acts Of Peaceful Crime", as Virtue is given the chance to sing over this almost happy and certainly jazzy tune.

Either ironically or unwillingly, possible Native American screams open "Casino Pt. 2" featuring Street Reportaz. Actually this is as street as this album gets, with two cats rhyming as if they were Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. Approaching the end of the album with "In The Hood", with the rhyming of D.K. Toon and singing of Nina, this is making the composition a hopeful 'it was a good day', a count of the possibility inventory. And then "Down", the outro, ends this LP, it being a track that could be described as typical 'D, what also means it not being typical for what's outside of this Cali universe.

This second installment is not as mind-blowing as the first one, But that only means that we grew with that effort and are now better capable to draw something like this within us. We are still enjoying this enormously, at least we that enjoy this spectrum of the color range. But even the rest can only swallow their tongue to not give the deserving nuclear praise.