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Only real hip hop heads now about these cats, if there's any on this site, what yaw think about this almost classic album put out buy'em?
Here's some of the lyrics:
Some'thin to prove: http://www.lyricsdir.com/monster-isl...ve-lyrics.html
1,..2..: http://www.lyricsdir.com/monster-isl...12-lyrics.html
Take control: http://www.lyricsdir.com/monster-isl...12-lyrics.html
I give this album a 8, but the enginering is terrible.
Yeah this album is dope, a personal favourate of mine.
this album is real grimmy, some real east coast thug shit
8/10, the production on some songs are not that great
"Under Pressure" is my favorite song off this album, real gangsta track
shit this crew bigger than the wu.
I only have a few tracks from this album. I havent found it for sale anywhere around me yet. I know its sick though. I heard it already. Classic textbook shit brought to you grande style.
^^get it on amazon.
ok let me school you on Emily Lazar (the engineer for this album), she is one of the tightest engineers out there. You want proof? Look at one of the best engineered albums in hip hop history by Cannibal Ox - The cold Vein.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dead President
She didnt have much to work with, i bought this album expecting alot, came away with poor beats and suspect rappers.
Only rapper worth anyhting out of all of them is Megalon, as Doom is only on one song.
no.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghostlaced
there is not a single bad verse, much less bad MC, on the entire album.
escape from monsta island is a classic, no doubt.
I don't giva fuck who she is, the enginering is bad on this piece...Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghostlaced
its the producer man trust me, hes wack. His names X-Ray, he did Megalon album aswell which i also have, hes wack.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dead President
Its been a long time since i put this on though so i cant even remember if i liked it or not tbh.
This shit is classic to me...straight up 10/10
i wish fuckin grimm woulda been able to be on the album that woulda been crazy.
"Hey yo we calculate the sands of time in slo-mo
Manipulating every moment through space
Metabolize the seeds of wealth and let the dough flow
Commiting the acts of violence and hate crimes against the po-po
Double barrelled hand-held bazooka for sargent shipbays
If you want to start frying like E-Robo
Blaze that bush whether your mary jane is def or even if it's so-so
Teasing bitches with ice cubes on their nipple, keep them playing with their yo-yo
Athletic pussy like Lisa Leslie and Rebecca Lobo
Rock the show from uptown, downtown to Tribeca, Soho
Most of these rappers are R&B singers like K.C. and Jo-Jo
Better off harmonizing with Taj, Leigh Leigh and Coco
Thesbian thugs, niggaz is all mouth like the Rolling Stones logo
Bianca Jagger, free jacker, jacking me off in a go-go
Stuffed down their throats spitting completely bobo
Keeping it groovy without the synthetic fucking mojo
Got the spot kicking like a donkey locked up inside a dojo
Smacked Ralph Lauren, got Tommy Hilfiger picking cotton and rocking Polo"
u tellin me that verse Rodan spits aint crazy!??!?!
Megalon is my favorite on the album probably though, production is dope to me
^straight up, that verse is fuckin heat
kongcrete's my favorite though, cause he's crazy as fuck
watch kong come rock ya, bust slugs at your knocker
we thugs piss blood, bleed vodka
megalon's pretty good, but it seems like he gets off the beat alot. his verse on poison windz is one of the best on the album though.
i know megalon just got outta jail...but wheres the rest of the crew at?
theres a whole new group of dudes rappin with grimm and they still use the name MIC but no rodan, kong, kamackeris, spiega, none of the original members except grimm. anyone know what happened to any of them or if any of them other than megalon and rodan dropped solo joints?
kong and megalon are gonna be on the new MIC album, dropping early 2007.
and kong's also supposed to have a solo album, but i dunno anything about the release date for that one.
http://www.myspace.com/monstaislandczars
there's some new tracks there.
I dont know what Megalons stance on the whole DOOM beef is, as Megalon (as tommy gunn) used to be pretty tight with DOOM. And I havent heard anything new from Megalon since his last album. Without Megalon MIC holds no interest for me. They got rid of the forum on DaybyDay website so theres no where to go for new news on shit. Just hoping Mega isn't up to any bad shit after getting out of jail.Quote:
Originally Posted by soulonice413
megalon punched him in his face a few years ago as far as i knowQuote:
Originally Posted by Ghostlaced
Here is a review form http://www.hiphop-elements.com/
After Reading this I really want to check out Escape From MIC and I am going to by Return 2 MIC next year.Quote:
MF Doom has mastered the art of the concept album and has become one of the most creative and hard-working artists in hip-hop today. Releasing album after album under different names, MF Doom has joined forces with MF Grimm and more to create Monsta Island Czars aka M.I.C. Originally Zev Love-X of the group KMD, MF Doom has grown to become one of hip-hop’s monst enigmatic emcees. His very good friend and fellow emcee, MF Grimm, was locked up during recording and was unable to participate in the project (even though he was the man who had the idea that all of them should team up.) Monsta Island Czars is a collection of hungry underground emcees who have traded their usual names for monsters from old science fiction movies. MF Doom is King Ghidra. MF Grimm is Jet Jaguar. KD (aka Kwite Def) is Kamackeris. X-ray is King Caesar. The others (Megalon, Kong, Rodan, Spiga, and Gigan) all keep their original names because they started out as members. With production handled by X-Ray (King Caesar) and MF Doom (King Ghidra), the concept album “Escape From Monsta Island” is 20 tracks of hardcore, underground, hungry, creative hip-hop. Sometimes, the deliveries are lightning-fast while others just have that straight hunger. Both on-beat and off-beat, these emcees attack your brain just like prehistoric monsters feeding on major cities.
While none of the songs are extremely catchy, some are instantly gratifying. The opening track “M.I.N.Y.A.” (produced by X-Ray) is an anthem that has an extremely cool and thick keyboard melody that drives along. (Note: Minya was the name of Godzilla's son.) Sounding very much like Kool G. Rap, Kamackeris steals the show with his opening verse: “…It’s going down this minute / We in it to win it / It’s all minted / Ride or die, chrome just glass tinted / It’s like kill or be killed / Ill or get illed on / I’m passing over suckers leaving first born, still born / I drop deeper than an anchor / Holding down a ship with my b*tch and my banker…” His energy is incredible and both his lyrics and performance is memorable. “M.I.N.Y.A.” is one of the best tracks on this album. Kamackeris and Kong both rock excellent performances on the X-Ray produced “Witchcraft”. This posse cut does not have a hook. It is just straight verses, straight spitting. MF Doom produces a wild beat on “1,2, 1,2” while Megalon rocks the mic with a dope 2nd verse along side Kong and Rodan. “Gunz N Swordz” (produced by X-Ray) has Gigan and Megalon spitting over a wild beat that has a cool orchestra-loop. It’s beautiful how the guitar comes in for a little while after the loop and the track goes back. The MF Doom (King Ghidra) produced “Make It Squash! (Got A Roc)” has a chaotic but very cool beat where the loops are hypnotic and the electric drums pound. Kong, Megalon, King Cesar, and Rodan all rock the mic with an intense hunger. “Under Pressure” (produced by X-Ray) is a very emotional track with very serious sounding loop and driving drums. The un-credited female vocals on the hook are both sad and sinister, poignant and severe, beautiful and tragic. “…Feeling that pressure…” Structure wise, it is very tight even though the verses by Spiega, Megalon, Rodan and Kong have a very hungry and wild delivery. “Out Of Mind” (produced by X-Ray) starts out with some incredible beat-boxing and vocal samples. King Ceasar and Kamackeris both rock the microphone with mind-blowing verses and intense deliveries. The hook is both used from a sung vocal sample and sung by the emcees: “…I – always – stay –out –of – my – mind…” The piano along with the scratching adds to the intensity of the beat. Kamackeris truly does an excellent job: “…Committing more terrorist activity / Y’all n*ggas can’t get with me / Spit rhymes, for y’all, sincerely / While n*ggas steadily beef / Still wanna talk on how you running New York? Please!.…” One of the best tracks on the LP, “Out Of Mind” is funny as it is sinister. The final track “Escape From Monsta Isle” is an interesting posse cut with some very typical MF Doom (Ghidra) production.
Each monster has a solo track too! MF Doom (or King Ghidra) is not on the LP as much as fans may like but he does have a dope solo joint called “MIC Line” that he produced too. The wild thump of the bass and the weird melodies along with the rugged drums make this classic MF Doom. Ghidra even sings a little. Lyrically and delivery wise, the song is true hardcore underground hip-hop. His flows are mind-blowing. “Take Control” (produced by X-Ray) is the Kamackeris solo track. Short and sweet, this track is very impressive. The driving beats along with the atmospheric melody and the flows of Kamackeris make this a classic track with an intense hardcore quality. The hook sounds simple at first but the energy is severe:“…You want money? F*ck the money! Y’all want power? F*ck the power! You want respect? F*ck respect! You want gold? We take control!…” Kamackeris has some powerful lyrics too: “…Life is even hard / Even if you got a job…” I cannot wait to hear more from the emcee. “Became A Monsta” (produced by X-Ray) is Spiega’s solo track. While it does not hit as hard as the previous 2 solo tracks mentioned, the rugged drive of the drums and the sinister piano loop along with his deep, eerie voice makes this a very interesting track. Kong’s solo track, “Warning” (produced by X-Ray), is an extremely energetic track with a thick, oppressive bass line and ambient piano. In his verses, Kong rhymes his ass off with the usual hunger and energy that makes this project wonderful. The odd hook has him singing and mentioning “dot com” for some reason. The verses and the beat make this track worthy. The X-Ray produced “Somethin To Prove” by Rodan is a deep and funky track that uses James Brown samples. The bass line and the drums pound as the funky guitar loop adds a familiar sound. Rodan has some very entertaining lyrics under that hungry flow: “...Bad luck to MCs like a Kennedy / Reach across infinity / Reestablish my divinity / Between me and the eternally great enmity / Imagine a natural born enemy befriending me? / Offending me with what you pretend to be / How the fuck you a killa with blatant homosexual tendencies?...” Even though MF Doom and Kamackeris have the best solo tracks, they are allvery well done.
While “Escape From Monsta Island” is truly a very cool and very grimy album, the LP does have some minor problems. There is one song that drags the LP down a little bit. “Comin At You” was produced by King Ghidra and has Angela Workman singing the hook. The beat is the same beat Freddie Foxxx used for the title track “Konexion”. Workman sings: “Monsta Island!” over a very synth-plastic sounding beat. The song just does not fit with the angry and dirty feel of the album. It is completely out of place. Jet Jaguar (aka MF Grimm) is greatly missed. He is the creator of the project and he is absent. It’s a shame. MF Doom (aka Ghidra) is also spread thin. There should have been much more production and more emcee-ing from Ghidra. Doom did just release a solo King Ghidra album so, we’ll have to accept that. Other little problems include the repetition of the styles of the emcees and the production. While it takes a while to tell them apart, most of the songs and emcees sound the same at first. Besides abundant posse cuts, the myriad of skits and some other minor problems, the LP does work very well.
“Escape From Monsta Island!” is a true underground, hardcore hip-hop album. It forces the listener to truly try and keep up with the lightning lyrics and the many emcees who are not too well known. While King Ghidra (Doom), Kamackeris, Kong, and King Ceasar, and Rodan all rock the mic, many of the emcees begin to sound the same. Due to the abundant amount of posse cuts and some songs without hooks, many the songs begin to sound similar too. Still, after a couple of deep listens, each emcee begins to shine and a majority of the songs truly stand out. It is a tragedy that MF Grimm (aka Jet Jaguar) was not available for this album. Also, Doom is not on the album enough! Even though all the emcees are extremely hungry and possess unique and strong flows and lyrics, Doom (Ghidra) and Kamackeris steal the show. While Kamackeris does sound like Kool G Rap, his style, lyrics, and delivery are so unique compared to the other emcees. He truly stands out. MF Doom (aka King Ghidra) stands out too for 2 reasons. First, he is the most well known out of all the emcees. This gives a feeling of familiarity to the LP. Second, his voice, flow, and lyrics are incredibly unique. There are 9 emcees in Monsta Island Czars (M.I.C.) and the album does sound crowded. But, if gigantic pre-historic mutant monsters were attacking your city, things would feel very crowded, wouldn’t it? This LP truly is an attack. It attacks the senses, the ears, the hip-hop industry, and much more. X-Ray and Ghidra’s production varies from mind-blowing to decent. While a majority of it is impeccably original, some of it feels repetitious during the first couple of listens. 20 tracks deep, “Escape From Monsta Island!” is an LP that you can listen to over and over again and find something new in it every time. It overflows with beats, lyrics, ideas, and energy. The concept is extremely original and none of the producers or emcees stray away from the project’s intention. If you like your hip-hop underground and dirty with hunger and extreme force, this album is for you. The bass lines assault your senses as they pound into your ears. The drum tracks pound hard. The beauty of the production is that it is loose and tight at the same time. While some of it sounds sloppy and chaotic, it still moves you. “Escape From Monsta Island!” is a group concept album that is not only original, but very thick. Their attack on hip-hop is much needed. The Monsta Island Czars are attacking and this is one album underground hardcore hip-hop fans would love to be pulverized with.
8.5 out of 10
Written by Todd E. Jones aka The New Jeru Poet
[email protected]
yeah he did he did it on stage when DOOM had his mask on lolQuote:
Originally Posted by sungod
Surprised to see hate on here from some for MIC. I thought the album was quality and the beats were pretty much all sick.
They aint all left either. The new line-up still includes Jet Jaguar, Megalon and Kong, and possibly Rodan, Kamaceris and X-Ray/King Cesar. Add to that Lord Scotch/Lord Smog and Kurious and you still got a great crew.
Here's another review (from Urban Smarts):
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!'
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. Lyrics 37/40
Beats - 37/40
Originality - 16/20
Overall - 90/100
Really great album. I love the unrelenting styles of MIC. After hearing American Hunger, Meccagodzilla's mixtape, and Raylong's mixtape, I am really looking forward to the next MIC album.
What's the MeccaGodzilla mixtape? His remix of Nas was dope as hell.
The MIC album is starting to look more and more doubtful. Like I said in my post in the Hip-Hop Shop section, all news has dried up, it was due nearly a year ago and their MySpace page has gone. Not sure Ravage even really mentions MIC on his page now either.
Dope Album!
Much Props To Grimm!
I cant find their CD anywhere!
good luck finding it, its on Amazon but the cheapest its listed their is $75.00Quote:
Originally Posted by Khem The Decepticon
super dope!
lyrics AHOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rodan aka the 3rd guy from KMD is the best.
then again, i haven't given M.I.C. play in like 5 years
Wow ive got this CD, original pressing, i just checked ebay and theres only one copy of it on ebay, in vinyl going for $90 !!!Quote:
Originally Posted by sdeblasi
Anyone wanna make me any offers??
Kong just dropped an album haven't heard it yet. Him and spiega been rockin with billywoodz they onthe Reavers-terror firma lp classic shit right there. As far as Escape from monsta island shits a classic raw ass sound the mastering complaments the album I got king ghidora lp, jet jaguar lp, rodan, and magalons lps and they all bang hard, Rodan is a beast peep his solo shit on theorys as well penny for. Your thought by megalon album came with an actual penny lol. Peace
Ps its hilarious to think that Fat Man Scoop used to part of this crew as a hype man