4. Rare Species

There is an album out there, you most likely haven't heard yet. But you would actually like it. You just don't know it yet. You would like this Mood vibe, or this A Tribe Called Quest on next-ness and darkness style. It's so calming and unattacking, you feel instantly at ease. So mellow it will make your hair fall asleep. So not pop and not suburb teeny rap, it's everything a real head wants. But you didn't get it yet, did you? Why not? Well, let me convince you, before I send you off to their site, where you can buy the album, that you can reach by clicking here.

As soon as "Star Trek" kicks in, you know why the comparison to Mood comes to this reviewer's mind. The first single has a whining voice, a staggering drum, and voices that know how to ride this track. And while this is still somewhat relaxed, it has to be one of the harder tracks on here. While "The Exhibition" feat. Blakk turns the pace down a little, a vibe like keyboard layer make the Emcee go "who wanna fuck with natural disasters in their prime".

Speaking of the Emcees: Lord Lamont, MikeChekk and ShortyRaw are the members of this crew, and at the same time the producers of these tracks. While they keep it positive with their rhymes, they still come with that braggin' and boasting rhyme style, attacking it with scientific and mathematical madness, or structure, although they are sometimes hidden in the cut, what might be explained due to not up to par studio equipment, like a crystal clear Dr.Dre is able to use. However, they still get your attention with interesting similes and raw punchlines.

With "IC Foundation" the first highlight of the album is reached. A butter smooth piano sample makes this a 'selected few' joint, a rare honor, if you check the list, by clicking here. This Shorty Raw solo cut, is all about showcasing his superior lyrical skills. And with such an extra dope backdrop, this track can't fail.

The beat gets futuristic but early 90s style on "Superior Fam", and spacey on "Aftershock". While the beat still pleases, the Emcees sound somewhat uncomfortable behind the mic. There is a little bit, a tiny notch of confidence in their delivery of the hook missing. But that's something we will not anymore write about, when we will review the forth and fifth album.

On "Mutiny" another dope piano sample returns, as does Blakk who's featured, along with Self. This track gets the IC in their conscious spirit, kicking rhymes about the struggle. And on "Nothing More (Points Of View)" they showcase another more thoughtful side of themselves, saying "rhyming with your heart and soul seems to be a throwback, a weakness". This leads us to "Those Who Do It Best", a string enhance, melancholy track, that gives us these cats in their braggin state of rhyme again.

Just in time before they completely switch their style on "Natures Mystery", a hard hitting, stabbing track, with altered voices in the background and a stitching little sound effect. But as fast as they abandoned their calm style, they get back to it, on "Non-Artificial", while this time it's definitely on some summer night vibe tip. And we are not mad about it. We are not mad about the soulful, heartfelt, mind exploring spoken word offering by Mel, called "World Renown" too. Accompanied by another really dope mystic beat, he delivers a short poem, that takes this album to another unexplored area.

While "Social Problems" exactly talks about that, over a guitar and a not dominant, stripped to the essentials drum. And "Bring It To Y'all" gives us that perfect soundtrack for summer nights spent on the veranda, while "Euphoria", gives us another flipped version of their tried and successfully tested style.

And now consider: I only mentioned those tracks that had me go: "hey, this is nice". And since I like almost mentioned every track on this album, and not one of the not mentioned is wack, I do not get it, while you haven't got it yet.