Ill Poetic - The World Is Ours
Ill Poetic - The World Is Ours
Get some Ali Shaheed Muhammed (of Tribe) influenced production, a Supastition kind of flow, a Mid West swagger and just a tiny pinch of Eminem and your end result is the Cincinnati, Ohio hailing MC, Ill Poetic who comes forth with intimidating goal of creating a Mid Western Illmatic and getting cats everywhere hooked on the Cinci state of mind.
"Home," the opening track, is somewhat reminiscent of Atmosphere's 2003 anthem for Minnesota, "Say Shhh". The boom bap tinged track is a cautionary one even though it has a jump off appeal. Poetic reminds listeners that they're better off at "Home sweet home" than places where "the grass ain't green and the kids are getting meaner". "Cincilluminati" has a jazzy composition with hook attributed to Nas' "Who's World Is This". The story telling in this specific track is based around what it's like to be a Cincinnatian painting pictures almost as vividly as in Nas' "New York State of Mind". Although the story telling is, for the most part, on point the Illmatic influenced hook uses Poetic's own voice rather than a sample from the original song and just seems...well lame which can be attributed to the fact that the single line is such a trademark of the original song that it's impossible to re-create it yet this is redeemed by a hidden track on the same track. Again Poetic attempts to re-create some classic hip-hop lines, yet this time successfully. In "Soul Electric", poetic re-uses A Tribe Called Quests hip hop quotable, "Hey sucka nigga, wherever you are, wherever you are" to shout out Cincinnati, "Hey Cincinnati wherever you are, wherever you are". Blueprint of Soul Position (with RJD2) makes a guest appearance on "Common Knowledge" in which he sheds light on the reason he's considered to be a Backpacker...his uzi ways a ton, how else could he carry it? Blueprint, however; isn't the only cat to shine in the song as Poetic spits, "Ya'll fools rappin, and I'm an illusion/rap wolverine Hugh Jackman, I jack humans." "The Beautiful" and "So Good" are easy listening joints with down tempo jazzy feels. "One More" featuring Wordsworth & Young Zone as well as " City of God" featuring Young Zone are both brilliantly produced tracks with equally exceptional lyricism in which Poetic flows like an orgasm. Both songs catch Poetic at his grimiest and both can be taken as making subliminal shots at Young Jeezy, 50 cent, Slum Village and even cats who only started paying J.Dilla attention after he was deceased. Beef or no beef the tracks are both solid. The final track "Inside Lookin' Out" starts off with a sample stating "It's getting close to the end". Instead of being an ominous track as the sample suggest the track turns towards a bubbly, powerful one as Poetic looks at his hometown and how everything is simply beautiful and simply good.
Every track on the album (aside from "Sugar Shack" which is just a bunch of bullshit) has exceptional production, Ill Poetic proves himself as an Ill Poet time and time again and although the album will be putting Cinci on the map anytime soon the album is a definite must listen.
7/10
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