ALBUM REVIEW: Beats, Weed, & Coffee EP - Rhyme Crusaders

              If you don't know who the Rhyme Crusaders are, all you need to know is that it is basically Rythmatical and friends. Him, Illoquence, and Lorisoul teamed up to make a sick EP! This is a very short work, and the project feels very focused, and doesn't stray to far between the tracks. All are very relaxed beats, ha do I really need to say keys? Lorisoul and Illoquence bring us some smooth deliveries. The vibe is very much: beats, weed, & coffee. All sorta fall into the category of relaxing/waking up. While I am not a coffee  drinker, I do love starting my day to some "jazz-hop", if you will. You can't feel bad listening to this.

The album covers themes of:

•  Falling in love, and what we may tend to do in those situations.
•  Finding your path in life, learning to survive, and more philosophy that inspires us to be greater.
•  Appreciating our friends, and all the times shared with them.
• A lot of references to weed, supporting the relaxing aura that is emitted from this EP.
• Typical rap themes of course: keeping it real, how they have grown with their styles, and so on.

I'll just break down the tracks quickly.

1. We Burn - Starts the EP off lightly, perfect! Lorisoul and Illoquence drop knowledge of life, and they ponder some of life's common mysteries. Each do a good job to get you thinking and think about what to appreciate. And of course, why do they smoke? Well just listen to the chorus when you get to it, should be explained quite well. It is an escape, supporting their dreams as they go on.

2. Man With A Plan - 1st and only vocal sample on the album. Used to good affect. The duo give us the advice they were once given, and how to get through life. After all, how will life run, if you don't have plan. What if you aren't, "buckled and fastened"? Illoquence says the way to go is to just ignore those that put you down, and a lot of it is really in your mind set. Confidence kids! Confidence!

3. Stinky Whores - Okay, the title is really ironic in some ways, when compared to the beat, as the title has negative aspects, but the beat is classy! Mind you it is certainly relevant to the lyrics, because Lorisoul hates his exes. This is a song about a woman he meets, and how this relationship progresses. And when she got to know him, Lorisoul's real side; as he mentions, they didn't meet eye to eye. A very thought provoking track, stirs up a lot of memories for me.

4. Litto Elf Boy - Interlude - This is my favorite track on the EP. Yet it isn't even a song. When I first heard it I didn't know what to expect, but it is so uplifting. The beat is very playful when meshed with the keys. Then you get a bunch of guys dicking around. And my god do I love it. When I listen to this, every time I feel just enlightened, as if I have been given some great opportunity and I leave the track feeling refreshed. Then you just picture the events as they are spoken by these kids. It brings a smile to my face, because you become immersed in the track. The more listens I give it, the more you learn about the story, and what is actually happening. While the context may never be fully understood, it is certainly a joy to listen to these guys have a great time. This one is also the longest on the EP, and it provides a long break before the last track brings it all together. Listening to these guys are just hilarious I'd explain the story, but hey just listen up and have some fun to that track. It is truly delightful.

5. What The Fuck Do We Name This - A nice closing track, with more of that chill jazz-hop. They part with their final words. Listen up, smart messages given!

Tired of reading this post, start listening now! And be sure to check out the other projects on the BC page. All dope masterpieces!
http://rythmatical.bandcamp.com/album/beats-weed-coffee

I highly recommend downloading this, as it is free and too good to pass up in my eyes. It is awesome, I have had it for months, and it is too sick!

Get to Know: Revolutionary Rhythm

           After Fellowship I started exploring the producers work, and Rythmatical really led me in many directions. From the works of Lorisoul, to Rhyme Crusaders, as well as the cast of Behind the People. Revolutionary Rhythm was one of those featured on the BtP project. And the opening track of the album, "1 Step Ahead" really got my attention once I became familiar with the album. So I watched there video on YouTube, and what do you know! They possessed a Bandcamp page, and kept checking out there work, till I was convinced to download "Just Listen" there big mixtape. I have really loved it, so now they I have explained how I discovered them, let me give you a little of what they are about.

         Being part of the underground these two MCs, out of Cali, they make one hell of a duo. Using the tight production that Rhythmatical used to spark my interest in all these artists, I already knew I would be digging the style of R2. Several things I love about these guys. They really pay respect to the golden age of hip-hop, and are representers of that old-school style. But keeping it unique at the same time. There are tracks like, "Only a Song" where they just master a deep track that is very smooth. Another track, "Burning Tongue", showcases Pre-Dom's skills and his flexibility in styles, where he came hard on a raw beat, classic old style! The rap was reminiscent of say, Jaz-o and Jay-z back when they were both starting out. When it was just that rush of words comin' at yeah. While not only referencing these old school folks, "we listenin' to Tribe and some Gang Starr", but they bring something totally unique. These guys are quite modest and are very respectful of women, which is always nice when bumpin' shit with a lady friend. But they really do make those good love tracks, without any corny or otherwise disrespectful lyrics. Certainly you will see this on tracks like, "There She Goes Again", "Smooth" and funkier tracks like, "She Said". Just good tracks where they just spill there soul about girls, not bad at all. And when you wanna play a track to your friends and impress them, you can blast jams like "Return" and "Raw Rhythm", the latter showcasing there skills to just bounce off one another ripping up a beat. Also using great techniques in production: sampling movies/songs, and bringing the scratches back. Then there is just smooth tracks. My favorite being "Los Angeles Times". Mind you, I have just this one mixtape, and I only hope they make more. And of course I'll be doing some in-depth reviews of the tracks as well.

There bandcamp page:
http://revolutionaryrhythm.bandcamp.com/
Here you can get all there music. Only so much now, but Kid Abstrakt has released his own album just a month back. So I have hopes of more music in the near future.

Also Rhythmatical's Bandcamp:
http://rythmatical.bandcamp.com/
Start where all my exploration began, pretty soon you will be listening to like 8 other artists. Here Lorisoul's work is hosted, as well as Fellowship, and some other projects. Remember City Lights Beat Tape 12/24/11.

Happy music hunting!