It has been right around 8 months since Short Fuze & Nasa released "Lobotomy Music" one of my favorite albums of 2010 (you can check out my review here.) So how do they follow that up? Quite simply, they release an EP that is part Remix and part new tracks. But don't think this is just a rehash to grab some extra money. No this is a full fledged release, the new tracks are much more big picture than the self realization of "Lobotomy Music" and the remixes offer a different view of the tracks. But enough of my generalization I know you want the details, so here it goes.
The album begins with "Toxicology" featuring a beat that is unmistakeably Nasa's with heavy bassline, hard hitting drums, and some twisted sound muddled in the background. Short Fuze enters shortly there after and picks up right where he left off on "Lobotomy Music" in fact he might have stepped his game up, at least his "rap" game, this time around it is not Fuze pouring his life out, instead he is going after all that he sees as problems in the world, whether it be political (actually human rights might be more accurate) issues "fuck BP and FEMA," or his own critics, "it was once said I talked about God a little too much, but who do you run to in the perennial clutch." Not to be outdone Nasa's alter ego, Adam Warlock, picks up the mic to handle the second verse. While at Warlock goes off the beaten path at first, with references to Spiderman and spaceships, he ends with rather the rather straight forward gem "that's Short Fuze and Adam Warlock for those taking names, we on the subway pass the collection plate, but keep it we do this for the fame, like a bomber 1973, we Barry like Obama 1973."
"In Your Hands Now" features Fuze and Warlock over a familiar beat. In one verse Short Fuze is able to capture the Obama presidency beautifully from the total elation of his election night victory that separated most of us from reality, before "a dose of reality turned to a malice scene, toppling the balance beam, exposing the face of interracial hate" to the recession and the appearance of so many people turning on Obama. Fuze ends his verse with a line we all need to think long and hard about "So America I ask now, the balls in your hands now, how will you allow this generation to pass down?" After the scene has been set (in case you some how forgot what has happened in the past 3 years) Adam Warlock addresses two main topics: the racism that exists in this country, especially the use of racial slurs and a reminder of Dubya's legacy. For the first topic, just listen to the track he handles it masterfully as for the second part let me offer this simple line "Bush is the cure and life's the disease."
Taiyamo Denku joins the party on "Wrecking Ball" (which is the perfect way to describe the beat, imagine a wrecking ball swinging back forth from a crane and you have this beat.) Denku kicks things off with the track with "there is a few things, I'm likely annoyed, that I'd like to destroy as a wrecking ball toy" and that right there captures the concept of the song, what would you destroy in this society if you could. While Denku goes more for the detailed list, Fuze counters with what has transformed hims into the person who wants to himself of society's obstacles. Adam Warlock finishes off the track informing us of what gives him the right to be the wrecking ball and why we need to rid ourselves of certain things, "Cops can't be trusted they trough dunkin' donuts, sniff like Homer and go nuts" (as always I will quote a reference to "The Simpsons.")
We then come face to face with the first remix of the album and who is it by? None other than...Nasa. Yes that's right, Nasa offers up a reinterpretation of "Master Peace" and in doing so provides a different feeling to the track. Where the original was a rather gloom filled beat, the remix is much more hopefully mainly due to the presence of a wood flute that reminds me of a zen garden. The track still hits hard and Fuze still "acts as the master peace of the world, in other words, what you believe" but now lets us search inside ourselves a bit more without feeling as rushed.
The piercing sound of the sun's rays (and its heartbeat) puncturing the Earth are captured in the beat co-produced by Nasa and Agartha Audio for "Sun Crusher" which features the whole W.A.S.T.E.L.A.N.D.S. crew (Short Fuze, Taiyamo Denku and Augury) as well as Adam Warlock. Once the vocals start, so do the synths, creating an even more disorienting and cosmic feeling. While each MC kills their verse, Denku wins for my favorite line on the track with "impregnate my girl with hip hop because she stopped taking the pill" There is so much more that should be said about this track but I really cannot find the right words, but certainly a stand out track.
Willie Green offers his remix of "Poison Makes Me Pretty" the incredibly introspective track by Fuze. At first the beat seems very relaxed and groove filled, that is until the screaming and frantic piano comes into play just before the vocals hit. Green's beat really highlight the pain and torture of the track as Short Fuze discusses his attempted suicide, the addiction of his best friend, and other agonizing memories. Half way through the beat changes, and becomes even more haunting as the screams increase and Green uses some sounds that sound like a full blown horror movie. But at the end he offers a glimpse of hope as the beat becomes minimal for the final chorus "One Way or Another we'll all get taken out, the time that's in between is what life's about, just take the end from the start and hope for that amount so just breathe in and breathe out with no doubt" but to make sure we do not forget the struggle, another gut wrenching scream is added.
The lead single off "Lobotomy Music" is the next track to get the remix treatment, this time as Megabusive takes a break from his 365 songs in 365 days project to tackle "Don't Feed The Machine." The track still "has just about everything you could want in a song: great beats, killer lyrics, incredible scratches by DJ Shortrock, and some Johnny Cash" but with a much more machine factory sound, as if the machine is preparing for the upcoming battle, if not already marching at us. But there is some humanity remaining, the heartbeat of us all, pulsating throughout the track.
The album concludes with a remix of "Bully Rappers" on my original write up I described it as "the album's posse track, but unlike many posse tracks that sound flat and act as album filler, Eleven, Passive 65ive, Karniege, and Short Fuze each put serious thought and lyrics into their verses, while Nasa gives us one of the more spaced out beats on the album." This all remains true, except that instead of Nasa handling the production, Lou Cypher steps up and shows what a really "spaced out" beat sounds like, we are talking Gallifrey spaced out and even adds some quality scratches at the end to finish the track off.
Once again Short Fuze and Nasa put together a fully realized album, while this time it is 8 tracks long and half remixes it still captures the essence of an album, all the tracks work together and create a whole image. The duo is shaping up to be that sort of rare MC/producer team that you want more and more albums from and on each album they exceed your expectations. But until that next album comes out, they have provided us with a solid chunk of music to digest between "Lobotomy Music" and "Toxicology Music" so sit back press play and enjoy the quality hip hop. Once you are done with that, press play again and enjoy.
You can stream and download the album here
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