Artist: Hell RazahTitle: Renaissance ChildRating: 3 1/2 StarsReviewed by: Adam Thomas
What do you get when you mix an experienced street sound with a political voice? Hip-Hop’s version of the political pundit, and contrary to what the mainstream would tell you, there are many that use their music to get their thoughts out about the US. Hell Razah, of the Wu-affiliated group, Sunz of Man, drops a solo effort that surely gets his voice out. Renaissance Child (Nature Sounds) is an album that provides a social outlook combined with some solid rhymes.
One of the songs that will immediately grab your attention is “Project Jazz” which features Talib Kweli and Viktor Vaughn. This piece, produced by MF Doom, is one of those songs that take you for a ride and refuses to let go. Hell Razah comes correct, dropping a diatribe of lyrics (“I seen an oo-wop when I was like ten, excited by sin//I got my first gold front from Ben/’89 I was into Rakim, for dropping gems “) and fluents a flow that created a mic presence that can only be given by an experienced MC in the game. On the opposite of that, you have “Runaway S####”, where Razah drops a political vision of the world he sees. His flow seems awkward at first, but it just jumps on the song and you then begin to appreciate it.
This album is crisp, clean, and has good direction. Hell Razah’s mic presence is his strongest suit, as it shows in tracks like “Renaissance” featuring R.A The Rugged Man, Timbo King and Tragedy, “Musical Murdah” with Rass Kass and “Chain Gang.: For those who say Hip-Hop has nothing to say, point them in this album’s direction. Consider it ammo for those who try slander the culture.
