First and foremost, hip hop has never been my favorite scene. The hip hop scene I have been exposed to (which probably is not the best of hip hop scene) is the popular hip hop that you listen through the radio and I have to say I am not a big fan. I have always felt that the scene is another source for womanizing females, underestimating them by making them the object of men's desires. Physically and emotionally. Another reason is that probably I am used to the conventional idea that songs are supposed to be sung. Songs that are rapped therefore, fall short on me.

The Rhymeweaver's Music From and Inspired from Classic Literature however, manages to impose a different impression on the hip hop scene to me. A little introduction, The Rhymeweaver is an unsigned rapper who is currently studying in the University of Auckland. Since I have not heard the best of rap songs, I will review this album independent of other rap songs.

What I particularly like about this album is because it is about reading. Reading has always been my hobby. Listening to the songs is like reading critical analysis about the work of literature. The choice of literature too is brilliant, namely Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth, Dahl's Genesis and Catastrophe, Lovecraft's The Shadows of Innsmouth, Ganjavi's The Story of Layla and Majnun and Spiegelman's Maus . These work are beautifully written and has been read for generations, particularly referring to the famous The Tragedy of Macbeth and The Story of Layla and Majnun. These songs have shifted my paradigm on the hip hop scene, which I in my partiality had disapproved of. Finally I thought, here's the rap song that do not talk about jiggly women in their hot pants and giggling in the club. This is the originality I would like to see in any music, hip hop in particular, but as I have said earlier, my knowledge of the hip hop scene itself is inadequate.

The music is pleasant and suited to what each song is supposed to convey, very much to my liking. Side effects namely howling sound and eerie music are cleverly included in some songs to give the the vibes of the song. Having listened to The Rhymeweaver before, I can hear an improvement in his breathing and pronunciation while rapping. Words are clearer and better enunciated. Few choppy breaths in between lines, as compared to his earlier songs, which is pleasant to hear because suffocation is not what you want to hear in a song. I also think that it is creative that The Rhymeweaver included lines from the literature in his songs. For example, Ambition as a Rider, features lines from the play Macbeth and Of Mice and Men, features Adolf Hitler's 1939 speech to the Reichstag. The latter also features a verse contributed by a British rapper, Blitzer. The different accent in the verses is noticeable in the collaboration, which underlines a historical significance as The Rhymeweaver had intended. It gives another point of view in the song, which features a Caucasian (what Adolf Hitler would categorize as the Aryan) who opposes the gruesome annihilation of the Jewish during the Holocaust. That gives an interesting juxtaposition to the song.

Of Mice and Men is in my opinion, the best songs in the album but my favorite is The Eye of the World for depicting a love legend that not many young people care enough to know.It is sufficient to see that The Rhymeweaver had spent a huge deal of effort in creating the song and album as a whole.

However, as brilliant as the album is, I still have some difficulty in understanding some of the songs. I needed the lyrics for some songs in order to grasp what The Rhymeweaver raps. The rapping is what I thought rather similar and monotonous in all songs.

Nevertheless, the album has somewhat changed my perception of the Hip Hop scene. If you like reading too and are looking for a different kind of rap, this could be what you need.

Labels: album review

Tajam pisau kerana diasah 12:32 PM  

3 orang cakap-cakap:

Pada 10:32 PM, October 24, 2008,  The Rhymeweaver ..; uish ada plak review kat sini, tak sangka I nyah awwwww. most people dont like The Eye of the World coz of its beat, but to each his/her own. i'll feature this review in my bloggy blog awwwright. next mixtape: songs about jiggly women in their hot pants and giggling in the club. that's where the money's at yaw hawhawha trimas kerana memilih saya sebagai saluran rap anda selama 88 tahun berturut-turut okbyez RW   Pada 9:11 PM, October 25, 2008,  shark syafawati shukri ..; no problemo. dulu aku ingat nk review first cd ko but asyik put on hold.dah kua yg baru takkan nk review yg lama lg kot kan? ha i like The Eye of the World cos of its beat.but different people has different liking. hope some of my readers (probably only 10 of them ;p) will like it too :)   Pada 9:21 PM, October 25, 2008,  shark syafawati shukri ..; i mean to the only 10 ppl who read my blog. cheerio!

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Absolution is my favorite Muse album of all. It reminds me of good times and growing up, and gives me the courage to face rainy days. Yes, Muse is my umbrella and I will stand under my umbrella. :)

Now reading the second volume of the Essez County Trilogy and Tariq Ramadhan's The Messenger in between.