http://www.avemcs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13657
"This mixtape's not to be slept on...oh, and no disrespect to Sleeps."- Pennywyze.
Konnichiwa watashi-desu Pennywyze-san. (Hello, I'm Pennywyze)
First and foremost, I'd like to thank everyone who follows my reviews. Your comments are both welcomed and appreciated. Once I get a new mic, I should be doing reviews in audio, which would be different. Now...onto the review of this lengthy and amazing mixtape.
Lengthy it is, spanning a whopping 34 tracks of amazing lyricism and top notch quality production. This one easily chews an hour out and asks for seconds. But don't let the length of it turn you off, because Noble Scity's delivered in such a manner that makes me want to peep the entire mixtape again.
The way this mixtape begins starts in a void of eerie instrumentals and ends in a blast that would leave one wondering how the hell these guys pulled this off. I mean, lyrically speaking, they're on another level altogether. I'd even go as far to say that I haven't heard something like this since Wu-tang.
Anyone expecting to hear something commercial or something to dance to; look elsewhere. The production is dark and grimey as is the lyricism and the delivery's on point as well.
I'll be honest though, I'm not too familar with Sleeps audios, although I've seen him around, and this mixtape only makes me want to peep more of him and Noble Scity heads.
I felt that this mixtape took a different direction altogether, and rather than tackle the obvious issues or toss in hype that the semi commercial heads are used to, the Noble Scity mixtape topically ranged in a variable manner. Everything from police brutality, love, sex, drugs, religion, politics, self representation and abstract hype was delivered on this mixtape.
I for one couldn't get enough of the lyrics in this and soon found that I replayed some songs just to hear how such topics are delivered. Also, the way everyone worked on these tracks were nothing short of amazing. The emcees actually seemed to have chemistry with one another, a nice touch of charisma and variable flow schemes rather than matching flow schemes or the usual.
One emcee had a flow that included extended pauses, while another spit fast and consistent and so on.
In a way, I couldn't help but get this Underground Wu-tang feeling that drew me in. Infact, if anyone's peeped groups of the past like Blaque Spurm or Wu-tang would probably agree that there's some similarites when it comes to style, and the production of this, while done in a mixtape manner complete with scratching and transitional track to track finishings seemed almost like the "dark Rza sound" I've heard on some of his lesser known Wu-tang albums to date. (I'm not sure what it's called, but it had the song "Rushing elephants" on it)
Still, the way this mixtape's delivered is unheard of in this day and age, and gives hip hop something it hasn't had in a while- "Boom Bap".
In addition to the excellent lyricism on this mixtape, there's also the instrumentals, and for the most part while I thought the instrumentals were different and tasteful; I also took note that almost all of them were sampled instrumentals.
Think "9th wonder meets Rza". Indeed, these aren't dance tunes or anything that you'd party to, these instrumentals are dark and better to blaze an L to.
Songs like "One", "Tears" and "Harsh Winds" featured soulful sampling while others such as "Dr Manhattan", "So hard" and "First shot of the night" had that hard sound that screams "old school underground". Still, I will say that some beats were weird in a creepy way.
With all that being said, there's always a negative point or gripe in any album, though in this one, I'd say it's very minor.
I'd have to say that most heads into semi commercial music or into pop sensations like Drake, Lady Gaga or the whole "music I can dance to or bump at a party" would not take kindly to this mixtape at all.
Noble Scity mixtape is dark and filled with vivid and harsh lyricism that tackles a much more realistic approach to underground hip hop rather than draw a crowd of heads who are more concerned about "how the music sounds" rather than "what they've heard".
This will inevitably be one of those underrated gems to hit the busy summer, and it's almost a crime not to peep this.
Infact, I'd love to have a record contract for all of these heads, have them sign it and take a gigantic shit on the industry.
I feel that Sleeps and NSc went in hard on this mixtape and spared us the bullshit. There was no watering down a topic to appeal, there were no blingy sounding beats or commercial lyricism in this whatsoever. In short, this mixtape was nothing short of amazing.
The Good.
Harsh Winds song kicked major ass, nice production, dope prescence, nice chemistry with everyone and charisma as well, dark instrumentals, lengthy mixtape adds longevity. Excellent lyricism.
The Bad.
May not appeal to everyone because of it's dark sound.
Overall.
Listen to this without a shred of doubt. This mixtape will not disappoint you and lyrically speaking, this material was on another level. (lots of Godbody talk)
Songs like "First shot of the night", "Chest pocket designs", "Harsh Winds" and such were excellent.
I felt this mixtape contained lots of aspects that are long forgotten and overlooked in today's rap game. Also, the way this mixtape was put together and the overall quality of it coupled with the way everyone flowed on it made me think that these guys have been signed a while now. An amazingly dope effort by Sleeps and Noble Scity.
Score- 9.5/10
Reason- About 3-4 instrumentals I didn't care for too much.
Noble Scity & DJ Modesty "Noble Scity Mixtape"
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