Jul 28, 2010
Rakaa
Crown of Thorns
Decon
Rakaa Iriscience: a man whose solid flow, diligence and entire demeanour behind a microphone has earned him due respect in many hip-hop circles. Hailing from Southern California, the Los Angeles native has spent the best part of 20 years carving out a prominent legacy alongside his crew Dilated Peoples. Whether it’s on enjoyable boarder-line mainstream joints like ‘This Way,’ ‘Worst Comes To Worst’ or the equally enjoyable, gritty, underground nature of cuts like ‘Triple Optics’ or the Lootpack-assisted ‘Long Awaited’ – Rakaa, along with Evidence and Babu, has maintained authority as an ambassador of hip-hop culture, upholding messages of peace, unity and a natural sense of fun through his music. It is this passion and spirited sentiment, reminiscent of the core ethos of Afrika Bambaataa’s Zulu Nation, that lays much of the foundation for Rakaa’s solo debut ‘Crown of Thorns’. An album that is rife with explosive creativity, lyrical flare, blistering production and a host of excellent collaborations.
The album does get off to somewhat of a slow start, with the first three tracks struggling to hold attention. But, the bogies are swept away early into the album. For me the truly rewarding experience of ‘Crown of Thorns’ does not begin until the Exile-produced ‘Human Nature’ comes into play. There’s an infinitely catchy beat in which Rakaa recruits the lyrical genius of the legendary KRS-One, allowing the two emcees to converge in a deft exchange of rhymes, addressing issues of spirituality, well-being and uncovering the many mysteries of life through self-reflection. The wonderful soulful tones and precise vocal samplings on the DJ Babu-produced ‘C.T.D’ see Rakaa begin to enter his element before we go into hyper-drive and things really get interesting on the warped electro delights of the Oh No-produced ‘Assault & Battery’. An electric thrill-ride with an acidic funk, killer breaks, masterful cuts and a rollicking drum track. From this point on the album seems to go from strength to strength, with the mighty roar of ‘Ambassador Slang’ signalling an improbable display of verbal wizardry as 12 high calibre emcees pass the mic in a cypher to the backdrop of DJ Honda’s pounding beat.
Embracing the summery vibes and the Latin spirit on tracks ‘Mezcal’ and ‘Rosetta Stone Grove’, Rakaa expresses great range and aptitude, switching up flows and channelling a spirited energy to express his thoughts and emotions over two solid instrumentals. However, the album’s show-stealer comes in the form of the El-P-produced, Chali 2na-assisted ‘Mean Streak’ – an emphatic concoction of gritty, discordant, electronic sound clashes, complimented by a vicious flow from the triple optician and a commanding hook from 2na. Make no mistake, this is the track that will send crowds into an absolute frenzy when Rakaa decides to takes ‘Crown of Thorns’ on the road.
With an extensive period of collaborative projects, often appearing as a featured emcee, Rakaa’s first foray as a solo artist is a bold and memorable one. Rhyming with conviction and integrity over a captivating and diverse spectrum of beats (and spawning some incredible collaborations in the process), ‘Crown of Thorns’ is the album Rakaa needed to make. And it was most definitely worth the wait.
Crown of Thorns is out now on Decon
