Coming out of Oakland, the Hieroglyphics collective includes Del tha Funkee Homosapian, Pep Love, Domino, Casual, Souls of Mischief, Extra Prolific and Jay Biz. Each of these members enjoyed solo success throughout the 1990s and came together in 1998 to record the group album, Third Eye Vision. They also formed Hiero Imperium in 1997, an outlet for their various musical and ancillary products. With their latest opus, Over Time, Hiero Imperium compiles some of the most sought after, hard to find material in the groups back catalog and gives it up in a simple 14 track package. With six of the tracks showcasing the talents of Ice Cube's cousin, Del, the project is a bit lopsided for a crew vehicle. Nonetheless, Over Time entertains and gives a glimpse of the crew's stellar career as Hiero Imperium enters its 10th year.
"You'll Never Know," was the standout track of Third Eye Vision, and once again, as Over Time's opener, the song captivates. The Domino helmed remix showcases the whole crew over a sparse baseline driven beat. The song remains a manifesto of sorts. Each member has their chance to discuss their love of hip-hop, what their involvement with the culture means and the travel it has afforded them. It makes clear a simple fact: the Hieroglyphics don't follow the typical hip-hop world view.
Many of the albums highlights come from Del tha Funkee Homosapian. "If You Must," remixed by Dan the Automator, has Del explaining a simple life lesson: practice good hygiene. The song is a brilliant showcase of Del's ability to stretch a minute element of life and body odor and translate that into a really amusing an engaging song. Who else would spit a verse about the smelly kids in class throwing off your concentration? The "Phoney Phranchise" remix by Domino is another gem. With a quick burst of guitar hits highlighted with the occasional high key play and a bit of harmonica flare, "Phoney Phranchise," follows Hiero's true school hip-hop ethos.
The rest of the crew's offerings are also strong. Souls of Mischief's "Unseen Hand" rolls over an infectiously-dark beat. The lyrics of Pep Love's "Fight Club (RMX)" are as fitting today as they were when the song released on his album, Ascension, in 2001. Delivering a battle track with subtle social consciousness, Pep kicks, "the seriousness of this gets me furious / when I hear ignorance spit by my peers / I guess that's why I'm here / to change up this strange stuff in the coming years / my plan's to put hands on my people in the trance / so they can understand what really makes a man strong / convictions, with no restrictions I inflict them / to the beat of a kick drum." These lines are indicative of the Hiero clan's positive outlook on the potential of rap to uplift and to promote and provoke thought. Given the recent jabs directed at hip hop's influence, lyrics like these remind us of the efforts that many rappers take to present it in a different light. Solo joints by Casual and A-Plus help round out the set.
This winning selection of songs is an excellent addition to any Hiero fans collection. If you are unfamiliar with the crew, the tracks presented here give a flavor of the voices, opinions and styles covered by the group. The only downfall is that each of the charismatic rappers does not get equal chance to shine.
Features Slim (of 112): Hi Haters What else do you want from Slim? His prolific group 112 has sold over 20 million records worldwide, and with a bevy ... full story
Editorials & Columns Scouting Report: Bambu You can refer to Bambu with various terms: rebel, revolutionist, Filipino, thug, artist. From the outside looking in, ... full story
Beyond Hip-Hop Game Review: Far Cry 2 Gone are Jack Carver, his Hawaiian shirt, and the trigens from the first installment of "Far Cry," but in comes spine ... full story
Video Bambu: Like Us (Music Video) We recently featured Filipino rapper, Bambu, in our Scouting Report column, and now, he's just dropped a new video. ... full story
Digg It
Del.icio.us
