"Oasis" really, really grew on me i must admit. i've been banging this front-to-back on an almost daily basis since i received it in the mail on the release date, and it gets better on each spin. definitely got a real DITC vibe to it for the most part and this is actually one of the illest DI albums in this millenium if you ask me. lyrically this shit is fucking impeccable, OC & AG are still two of my favorite MC's of all time and they are two of the very few rappers who haven't fallen off after all these years. They really balances off eachother well, very good chemistry almost in the same vein as Rae and Ghost or Mobb Deep and alot of the topics on here ranges from personal lyrics about suicidal thoughts and deep pain amongst other things as well as classic braggadocio, cash and hoes.
The production is aiming for a '90s vibe filled with obscure samples, heavy drums and tight basslines. Especially Show is going for a very minimalistic old-school sound, bringing back the '80s boom-bap for the new millenium. Ill as hell, the best tracks come from Show ("Two For The Money", "Supreme Squad") and Finesse ("Alpha Males", "Give It Back") but Erick Blaze is definitely standing on his own with joints like "Think About It", "Gods Gift" and "Pain" to mention a few, and every single track on here, while not masterpieces, are definitely good.
My only minor "complaint" is that it would have been great with a few guestspots from the rest of the DI crew on here. Since Lord Finesse made some sort of rapping "comeback" last week when he dropped a verse on Sheek Louch's single, it would have been incredible to hear him rip one or two joints with O & A here. A verse and a beat from Diamond D would also been great since it seems he's outside the inner circle of the group these days (sadly, since he's one of my top-5 producers of all time). Not much to complain about though, i'm happy with the project as it is and hopefully they'll make another collaboration album in the future; i guess this is the closest we ever gonna get to a new Crates LP.
4.25/5
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