The Art Of Falling
label: elevation

producers: young rob (we xl), kenny keys, scientific (manifest destiny), overflo, meaty ogre, the infamous larry pickett (we xl).

guests: young rob, verbal, scientific.
year of release: 2002
website: manifestdestiny.8k.com
 
Despite this record being released on a CD-R it's major, like Lee not Sony however. Cause Elevation is dropping some heavy shit on you, like the flying elephant on the back of the cover. And like shit dropping on your head, this discusses "The Art Of Falling", what can be a dope concept for all kinds of things, or just an ill title for the project of one ill Chicago head. Yes, the Windy City, blowing air under the wing of anything that wants to rise. And the city itself should rise, with the incredible amount of talent that is surfacing lately.
Elevation is mingling amongst the Manifest Destiny and he records with WE XL, Overflo (of Birthwrite fame) and Meaty Ogre from the Galapagos 4 camp. So the beat aspect of this record should be covered, as well as the love for the surroundings are shown. So we get the best beats hooked up by Kenny Keys doing a piano plucking "It's Live!" and later on "Love I…", a more jazzy, but a even better cut. This is doing a complex drum programming, over a distinctive organ screaming more than it's doing anything else.

tracklisting
1. The Art Of An Introduction
2. It's Live! feat. Young Rob
3. I Hate You feat. Verbal
4. A Meeting Of The Minds feat. Scientific
5. Sick!
6. Sleep Deprevation
7. Shut Up And Listen
8. Fuck Hip Hop feat. Verbal
9. Cos Intro
10. Love Is...
11. Platinum Plus
12. One More Joint
13. Freestyle #9,721
Somehow not completely surprisingly, Overflo offers another one of the best beats on here, when he hooks up dramatic orchestration for "Sick!". The other bigger name producer Meaty Ogre is reducing "Fuck Hip Hop" to a minimum, only letting the bass ride and pairing it with a drum offering rhythm. The Infamous Larry Pickett of WE XL is asked to do the most beats, and he gives us the jazzy "Sleep Depravation". That vibe is then even further smoothed out on "Shut Up & Listen!", that is a quick instrumental interlude. On "One More Joint" the orchestration is taking over again, and with the pace being a little bit up, this moves forward without force, but the inner peace to part the ocean. And further, we also need to note "Cos Intro", that features an incredible sample, with there however no credit being given for this ditty.
The dopeness is also not absent from the lyrics, as Elevation varies from doing straight up ill spitting, like on "It's Live!" to love related rhymes on "I Hate You", that climax in the chorus going "I hate you / and sometimes I can't face you / even though I still wanna embrace you". On here lyrical partner Verbal steps up to share similar troublings. And just like Elevation, Verbal is a high pitch voiced emcee. That doesn't sound as good as a low growl, but both make up for it with strong delivery, that does not need extra cleaning up around the edges, but is already well groomed. And the two give you good lyrics, as again proven on "Fuck Hip Hop". Here however they cease to speak upon regular reality issues. Instead they use the time to hand out blows and punches to all those doubting.
The alternative part to "I Hate You!" is "Love Is…" coming on later and approaching the topic partially philosophical, and partially simply by first hand experience. Carried by the excellent beat is the vicious rhyme on "Sick!", that features gritty braggadocios rhymes and Elevation claiming "you sound about as wack as the rest of your crew / and anyone can be an emcee with the exception of you". The straight spitting, even to the extent of keeping a remote freestyle vibe to the song, is "Sleep Depravation", where the bragging turns into dissing. Mocking many and entertaining us thoroughly is the "Platinum Plus" spoof that at first clowns them big cats, to then takes the time to shout out folks.
The hunger makes Elevation finishing off this album with "Freestyle # 9,721", where Scientific and Verbal join the fun, and where a beat box is the mere pace maker. And this real time cipher reminds us that we are still listening to a cat that doesn't even yet have an indie deal, but he's still putting out his own records. Ridiculous, right?
review: tadah
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