This man right here is a man who I’ve had on my radar since I heard his work on ‘Dusty Souls’ alongside Y.N.X. 716, two men who have impressed me more than most, and today it’s the day of Aaqil Ali and producer Cheff Carter for this sequel that as always exceeds expectations!
So, this is a whopping 18-track project with features from the likes of
-Jamal Gasol
-Cheena Black
-Shakir
-Ian J
-Weedie The God
-Bigboy Jones
-Raquel
-Gems
-MoneySignHines
-Bdaylight X Vocero
And most importantly -mum and surprisingly -Mike Epps!
Either way, for such a huge project, I guess you need a group to help maintain it, and these features do a fantastic job at keeping the atmosphere and aura alive that Aaqil worked hard to achieve and bring to the table!
What’s always interesting and exciting about hearing either a feature verse or a full-length project by Aaqil is his level of quality and larger-than-life persona he brings to every single song he’s on. He makes every word sound cinematic and important. He’s a motivational speaker turned MC where you hang on every bar, verse, and song he puts down on principle alone because he’s just that damn fluent.
Some people just have the ‘gift.’ I know my dad has it, where you just walk into a room and speak, and everyone listens. Aaqil has the exact same gift, and even though I expect that from him, every new project I’m just left in awe at this level of passion and execution of lyrical ability that very few people in the culture have!
Pairing up with Cheff Carter, the man understood the assignment and helped create this masterful soundscape of smooth, soulful, and elegant sonic designs with various instrumentation and production. With every new instrumental, the more soothing and beautiful the album becomes. It’s as if he reads the mind of Ali and creates the atmospheric equivalent to his rapping, which I can only describe as laying across a star-studded sky without a care in the world, just letting your mind wander and dream.
It’s ambient in presence and it’s also one thing I love about Ali, he generally chooses such lush and delicate beats that tend to go against the grain to normal underground music and I absolutely love that. It’s different but also stands out in the best way possible!
The overall feel of this album is that it’s yet another phenomenal masterpiece by Aaqil who hasn’t made a dud yet. The pairing of him and Cheff Carter is a combination that can’t fail and including the helpful and talented features laid out on this thing you have a gem that I hope is properly appreciated over the year and years to come!
https://aaqilali.bandcamp.com/album/cheff-carter-presentz-sky-walker-chroniclez-vol-2
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