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| tracklisting |
| 1. Intro (His Majesty's Laugher) |
| 2. KRS-Lightly feat. Camu Tao |
| 3. Pegasus |
| 4. Candid Cam (Wetlands 1996) |
| 5. Viewtiful Flow |
| 6. Zenith feat. Blueprint |
| 7. WHY'SDASKYBLUE? |
| 8. Da Supafriendz feat. MF Doom |
| 9. Poverty Land 16128 |
| 10. Elixir feat. Sadat X |
| 11. Look Mom...No Hands |
| 12. 9 Lashes |
| 13. Posse Slash feat. Karniege, Breeze Evahflowin, Poison Pen, Aesop Rock |
| 14. Could You Be? |
| 15. 12 Noon - Outro |
| 16. Life's Ill Pt. II feat. Breezly Brewin & Vordul of Cannibal Ox |
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| As many good rappers there are, there's very few incredible lyricists. A lyricist that's able to spit content, braggadocio, observations and word play. There's few that demand your attention with everything they say. Few that are clever, and seldom babbling. |
| There was a giant appearing at the horizon with "The Cold Vein". An album done with his partner Vordul as Cannibal Ox, Vast Aire proved on that record what his previous appearances promised: he's ill. Like life is. Today, the painful years later, Vast has to step out of
that shadow, that bigger than life album that still has power. It's an album you listen to and it commands you. Takes you over. "The Cold Vein" in style, execution, vibe and - heck - overall, was just an appearance, a sighting of what and how grand rap can be. |
| Vast's prime moment on that album, arguably, came with "The F-Word". Everyone who ever experienced an unsatisfied love jones and affair was able to relate. But on top of the issue being so down to earth, the way he said what he said, was enormously eloquent, clever, smart
and again, so full of quotables you wanted to remember every line, because they had the quality of folk sayings and might just come in handy at one point or the other. |
| This cleverness and the way Vast recites his verses, gives him a 'you better understand everything I say, or I'ma mess you up' arrogance. He's a potent emcee; always intense. He's always a couple of paces ahead of you, but allows you to catch up. The trash talked that will slap you
if need be. |
| While the intensity of "The Cold Vein" was just overbearing, this record is a little more fun. The emphasis stays on 'a little', because Vast is not out there picking daisies. But much of the intensity on his last album stemmed from the El-P production. And with that gone,
it on one side allows Vast to explore more varied waters, at the same time however, challenges every other beat maker on here to repeat the perfect combination of Vast and El. |
| Amongst the many producers who step up to service Vast is Madlib. He does the previously released single "Look Mom…No Hands". That beat is wicked and wild, as opposed to dark, deep and intense. But Vast is sounding good over it, executing a couple of quicker
karate kicks and jabs. The song ends with a lengthy diss portion called "A.S.C.F.", with 7L & Esoteric getting their skin peeled. Madlib also does "Could You Be?" which carries the album in very smooth and as-pop-as-possible territories. Vast is romancing the women,
more successful but also less conceptual than on "F-Word". Which is actually one of the things to note: there's not many songs on here that are so strongly sticking to a theme. A notable exception being "Poverty Lane 16128". |
| Another thing that stands out (although with a disclaimer, as this copy does not have all the credits) is the absence of the Atoms Family. Not in appearance, as the logo is on Vast's breast on the cover, but in features. There's Vordul, his CanOx p.i.c., on "Life's
Ill Pt. II" (a track also featuring Breezly Brewin') but apart from that, this record is void of Atoms contributions. While at the same time there's still many people participating. What allows us to raise the question if Vast feels more comfortable rhyming next to someone, rather than
by himself. |
| So there's "KRS-Lightly" featuring Camu Tao, where Vast spits: "I think my tongue needs a dance floor, cause my vernacular is like fancy movement". There's "Zenith" with Blueprint, "Elixir"
with Sadat X (and a subpar Ayatollah beat) and the "Posse Slash" with Karniege, Breez' Evahflowin', Poison Pen and Aesop Rock, who all spit over a Da Beatminerz beat. And finally, there's the song with MF Doom, called "Da Supafriendz".
And this song is fun. With a piano sample straight from a saloon, the two sound good, even though Doom could sound a little more enthusiastic. |
| What still leaves the 'solo' songs, like the clever braggadocio of "Pegasus", a club friendly "Viewtiful Flow" produced by Jake One, the previously heard "WHY'SDASKYBLUE?" and the RJD2
produced "9 Lashes". RJD2 often produces really bad beats for rappers to rhyme over. But here he serviced Vast with a thick something, that Vast utilizes (as so many other songs) to spit his smartisms. This here however also picks up where
"A.S.C.F." left off. |
| "Look Mom…No Hands" is different album and not warmed up "The Cold Vein". There was something feeling very whole about the CanOx record, which here is watered down due to the many different sounds and styles. At the same time, the common denominator - Vast
Aire - runs through the record with an arsenal of excellent verses, spit over most of the time good beats. And that makes "Look Mom…No Hands" its own album, its own as-good-as-requested album. |
| review: tadah |
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