producers: negus i, vitamin d, wordsayer, bean one.

Each one teach one. "500 years ago, captured, kidnapped and transported as cargo. Dehumanized and exploited as physical Source of Labor...". Source Of Labor is reflecting on their ancestors' past, writing this in the cover of the album "Stolen Lives". And once you read this, you know that we are getting something that demanded intellect to create and ask us to use our intellect to follow and appreciate it. And it being released on the Subverse label also makes clear that it's going to be intelligent, different, and inspired.

Things come rather jazzy, like on "Easy", that especially at the end gets very smooth, with it bigging itself up, making the lyrics as so often on the album, a combination of praising others and praising themselves. And it continues smooth with "Stories", that's reflective on how to prevent one being spoiled and diluted with all the unclean surroundings that often come in mouthsized portions. At the same time this is remembering and making sure that the stories that were relevant back then, are not forgotten a couple of moments later. Both tracks are handled by Negus I, who as group member produced the majority of the tracks on the album. He also hooked up the instrumental "Sunshower", where a sarcastic monologue comments the rain expectancy of Seattle. The beat then progresses simply, with rhodes and clavinet keys, that's very smooth, very relaxed, and a thankfully accepted moment of musical peace. Another smoother track is the title track "Stolen Lives", that's used to again get the message out.

Negus I can do different beats too though, as "Games" is still featuring a smooth layer to it, but the background is making it anxious and pushing, and Wordsayer is changing his flow appropriately, as he's getting louder with the words. The same intensity can be found on "Ascension", another representation of the creator, and "What", that's a real ill and somewhat obscure offering. Also doing something different is the very reduced "Wonder Twins" that features Kylea. Similarly reduced is "Never Your Less", that gives us Word' singing at times. And he shouts out 1999, just as did Kylea before, and so we have to start to think that this might actually be two years old. Somewhat spacey is "Clear Speak", another one of the strongest tracks on the album, with Word' getting back to the mic repping and ripping.

In their area, there lives a certain Vitamin D, and if you've been paying attention, you should have heard of that cat, because he's known to do excellent stuff. On here, he hooks up several tracks, like the instrumental "Papa" and "Emerald City" (together with Wordsayer), he's operating the tools on "Wetlands", that starts with a live bit. He makes the beat a little more bouncy, while Wordsayer is also getting a little more relaxed, as he's opting for some more straight forward rhymes, that are a manifest as an emcee and the verses are accordingly. Then there's "Audio Visual" where D gets jazzy, keeping the programming away from typical simplicity. Lyrically we are finding a mixture of thought findings, as well as the intention to ponder them not for too long, as Word' is again also getting his regular verses out. D and Word' team up again for "Full Circle", another really dope track, as well as the story telling "Invaded Lands", and the ending the album track "Livication". And when not Negus nor Vitamin is doing the beat, then it's Bean One, like on "Upendo Selassie", that happens to actually be one of our favorite beats on the whole album. Thankfully it gets a lot of space to progress, and even to change. Word' step up his rhyming for this, as he blesses the beat with lyrics with meaning, paying tribute to loved ones, be it God, siblings or the family, the heritage, the culture.

What we are given here is an album, that's asking much of us, as we are not given something bubble gum, something that is kept without edges. We are given an effort that is saturated by artistic identity and character. That also makes it a case of you either love it or you not being too interested in it. But the honesty and the desire to do something meaningful is deserving our attention, as well as the effort to seek it out.