Escape From Monsta Island
label: metal face | rhyme sayers

producers: mf doom, x-ray
year of release: 2003
website: monstaislandczars.com
Amongst the year's most heavily anticipated new records, the M.I.C. finally drop their debut full-length, and boy is it a doozy. For those in the dark, the Czars are an imposing rhyme squad down with MF Doom. They stole the show on "Who You Think I Am" off "Operation: Doomsday", and have also laid waste to speakers via 12-inches like "Run The Sphere" and "Escape!" A small army of microphone warriors, their members include Kamackeris, King Caesar, Megalon, Rodan, King Ghidra, Kong, Spiga, and Gigan. All beats are provided by Doom and X-Ray (who dropped "Monster Mixes Vol. 1" last year), and perfectly blend ear-tickling funkiness with apocalyptically raw fury - the ideal sonic backdrop for the Czars' devastating lyrical prowess.
Unlike some of their subterranean colleagues, the M.I.C. don't concern themselves with sounding 'abstract'. They don't mess with freaky cadences and hard-to-swallow production, nor do they wax poetic about their sensitive sides and all the girls who they've done wrong. They don't front like fake thugs either, and are a far cry from the mass produced 'dubs/bub/club' radio-rap that rules the airwaves today. The Czars are straight-up hip-hop; banging beats that put your neck into overdrive, and rugged rhymes that make you say 'damn!'

tracklisting
1. What's The Name Of This Place?
2. M.N.Y.A.
3. F@ck Y'all Niggas
4. Witchcraft
5. 1 2, 12
6. Scientific Civilization (skit)
7. Mic Line
8. Poison Windz
9. Under Pressure
10. Became A Monsta
11. There's A Legend (skit)
12. Out My Mind
13. Warning
14. Make It Squash
15. Gunz & Swordz
16. Sumthin To Prove
17. Live Son Of A Bitch (skit)
18. Comin At You
19.Take Control
20. Escape From Monsta Isle
Weighing in at twenty tracks deep (including several dope skits), the album is practically flawless, loaded with a grip of exceptional tunes that could easily blow up as singles in their own right. King Caesar starts things off on "Out My Mind", which flips some vintage vocal clips, dark pianos and grimy snares. Kamackeris kicks in next, followed by Megalon on some near-spoken-word business over eerie strings. Prime 70's synth-funk and smooth female backing vocals set the tone for "Comin' At You", and the title track jumps through the speakers with it's poppin' bass line and simple but fresh drum work. Other heaters include the supernatural selection "Witchcraft", the fierce grind of "Make It Squash!" and the roughneck anthem "F@#k Y'all Niggas".
While the majority of the record consists of riveting posse cuts, several solo selections also impress. Rodan's James Brown laced "Sumthin To Prove" is hot, Ghidra sets it off on "Mic Line", Kong lets loose a stern "Warning", and Kamackeris rips it up on "Take Control." Though not as well-known as some of his brethren, Spiga more than holds his own, lending his deep flow to several joints, and going all out on the excellent jam "Became A Monsta", atop pounding piano loops, thick beats, and dramatic thunder claps.
Though some heads are quick to proclaim an album as 'classic' just because it's the current hot shit, "Escape From Monsta Island" is the real deal. Doom and X-Ray's production is undeniably ill throughout, and the level of raw microphone skills -- from all emcees -- is unparalleled. Mandatory listening for hardcore hip-hop connoisseurs.
review: brolin winning
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