Roads? Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads...

Strange Journey Volume 2 (SJV2) has the same stylistic qualities as #1, but is much more specific, and much more introspective. By ‘specific’, I mean each song fulfills its genre much more so than equivalent songs on #1. Let me back up and explain what I mean by ‘genre’.

There are three genres in Hip-Hop; collages, stories and essays. Most work are collages. Tracks with no goal (other than to sound good), but are just an odd arrangement of brags, boasts, shout-outs, put-downs and gibberish, fall into this category. Most rap, in fact, falls into this category. Good examples are the mixtape song 'Anthem' and as mentioned before, anything put out by Jus Allah.

The 2nd genre, stories, are just that; a frequently chronological retelling of events, possessing both a protagonist and a plot. Great examples include ‘The Harbor is Yours’ off “None Shall Pass” by Aesop Rock and ‘Like Today’ by Atmosphere.

An essay has a point (a thesis, even). That point is usually basic- the language of hip-hop is intrinsically emotional, and the lyrical elements unsuited to the specificity required for an ordinary ontological argument. That said, topics both mundane and sublime are attempted, from ‘drugs are bad’ to ‘drugs are good’ to ‘While 9/11 was a tragedy, the reaction to it by the media, government and military-industrial complex is nothing short of disgusting’.

Note- These are my definitions. Outside the context of this blog, no one will care or recognize these terms. Fair warning to those who also frequent allhiphop.com’s forums.

SJV2’s collages are more bangin’, its essays more pointed, its stories more developed.

Ordinarily, I’d quote snatches of song to prove my point, but, trying to put brackets around the awesome parts of the most well-crafted examples is a lot like trying to find the part of The Odyssey that makes it an epic- a herculean task. So I’ll link to them, and provide some commentary, trusting that you’ll blare good jams through your workplace to follow along with what I’m saying.

‘The WWKYA Tour’ is a damn good story (collection of stories, actually) around the plot of some kid mouthing off to the band and the band utterly destroying him (because girls only mouth off to De La Soul, apparently). The story is so cohesive that the digressions add a richness to the story instead of distractions, like how Tonedeff (I think it’s Tonedeff) orders a drink at the beginning of his flow and picks it up at the end, after going through a wrestling match with an offender. Or how in the same flow, he points out the irony of the image he held of the offender, and the one he found on facebook.

‘To Be for Real’ contrasts the emotional appeal of success with it’s often not-so-hidden underbelly. The imagery of conjuring ‘debts from assets’ really appealed to the accountant in me, not going to lie. So too does the closing couplet of the song (not as an accountant... you know what I mean).

‘Tear Tracks’ fully embraces its genre, making a point about the tragedy of a battered woman. I feel it leaves out a necessary element of scorn for women who keep going back to an abusive spouse, and I also didn’t like the fact that there’s no conclusion, just ‘oh, she’s still getting beat’ by the songs end. The fact that the thesis is elucidated clearly enough to critique suggests it deserves some hefty props, though.

The rest of the album isn’t really a step behind these songs- these are just the ones that touched me, that I felt I could critique meaningfully. On the whole, Volume 2 is more introspective than Volume 1, but I’d halt and look both ways before calling one better than the other.

I haven’t mentioned the production work yet: It’s solid. I don’t have enough space to elucidate more on its stylistic influence, but it neither overshadows the performers nor underwhelms the listener.

On a scale of one to eleventy-billion, I give this album a high-five ('cuz bros like high-fives), a big bag of props (see above) and a tearful goodbye, because it's going to be another couple of months until I review a cd I've liked this much. Next week I'll be tackling Scarface's 'The World is Yours'; so if you've ever accidentally confused Al Pacino and this guy, show up and find out how not to ever again.