7. Misc.

If you want to attract the attention of the hip hop heads, it might be a bad idea, to start up an album with some toasting, some reggae-ish music. It can also be called a strange phenomenon, that as soon as folks start to talk about the 'herbs, the green plant, they seem it necessary to combine that with some Jamaican musical backdrop. And so in conclusion to all of this, "Put Fire" is not the wack cut it could be, it still is welcoming us with an unfortunate hand, and so all we can do is, skip forward and check out "Automatic (Interlude)". This is more a solo cut, than it is a interlude. 'Matic flows almost uninterested, but the beat works better, than what C.D. was provided with on his solo track / interlude "C.D.", that unsuccessfully combines a whining g-funk synthesizer effect, with organ like piano chords. The voice is also somewhat buried in the track, and while still sounding dope, this track is confusing us with too many elements having been put into such a small space.

Now, things start to get funky on "Pitty & A Shame": the sample is pushing this track forward, and only the voice alteration is taking away from the summer vibe and eventually from a dope track, that also pleases with interesting content. The lyrics mingle somewhere in between story telling and battling, but the beat is still walking away with getting the most props. But not all members are introduced yet, so "Sin Sinister (Interlude)" is giving us a glance into his style. Putting his thug lyrics to a Bay Area funk beat, this works for that kinda style, but many will much rather listen to the vibes and xylophone of "Representative Mic Heck". This sounds like some early 90s straight spitting track, while the voices are again buried in the back, what makes it harder to concentrate on the words the emcees are spitting. What easily can be heard though, is the liquid flow of these cats, who spit in a running fashion, and you are not tempted to turn the tab.

Finally the voices are being put up front on "Misc.". This track is all about the braggadocios, while the emcees spit that they "represent the Midwest, so there's no need to boast". The beat is an akward mixture of early 90s bass, and a long lost quirky Wu-Tang-like sample. The collage feel of the tracks continues on "We Da Illest". While the emcees still spit solid battle rhymes, the beat combines a westcoast drum, like done by ATL and keyboard vibes, and a bubbling piano also chimes in for good measure. But in context to the other tracks, this just seems strangely distinctive, what fogs the impression we get out of it. And the album turns in a completely different direction, with a sampled female, some strange guitars, quirky sounds, and rhyme patterns that would make an early Tupac proud. By now we start to enjoy this wild courage to combine different elements, but we also wonder what is going on in De Moines, that inspires this kinda outcome.

Fading away from the usual battle rhymes, the emcees are getting things off their chest on "What Is This World Coming Too...". Combining conspiracy terminology, big words and real thoughts, the shuffling drums, as well as moody vibes, give this a gripping feel, we happily enjoy to get entangled in. "After Hourz" there's not a after party going on, this is more on some vulcano watch, still calm, but just short of it's eruption. The west is again won on "Big Tez", and this beat would make anybody proud who has heard some stuff The Deliquents, Dre Dog or the RBL Posse have done in the early 90s. And it's questionable if the lyrics are dumbed down, to fit better to this funk style, as backpacker metaphors are rarely spit over such a sonic backdrop. "Juno Lang" finally has this cat shine on his own track, before the album ends with "Lyrical Flames (Harvest Time)". This is another track that points in several directions at once, and sure enough, the emcees come off somewhat complex, but it's not like their lyrics will have you throw away your rhyme books and give you sleepless nights, because you are desperately trying to top what you just have heard.

This album is not as bad as this review sounds. It's just hella confusing, combining so many different influences, blending distinctive styles. But that again talks about the awkwardness of the beats, but tells nothing about the lyrics. However, it's the tracks that don't let us approach the lyrics in a relaxed stroll, but you need a machete, to cut your way free, through all the bushes and trees of the jungle, that the beat is, to get to the core of what we also want to listen to. We don't want to say that this album needs better mixing, it's enjoyable in it's refusal to commit to one style. But at the same time, this can also be a sign of the artists not having yet grown into the clothes they want to wear.