The First Degree

In the first year of my website launch I dedicated myself to cover all of the -Penlordz albums from -Fam Ross -Arsinel -Audio Messiah! And the more I did the more I felt I was repeating myself and didn’t want to give subpar reviews so I stopped my every release reviews! But I can tell you as much as I love the collective I still remember the hype over Audio’s debut drop (The Mic Ronin) and now we are back with a new record with producer I have more then familiar history with! So let’s get into it! This is the brand new album by MC/Penlord -Audio Messiah and Producer -Ice Fang and this album contains the usual features of -Fam Ross and -Arsinel and with this brings back nostalgic times of last year for me when they were at the center of my website! So, may as well start with the production side of things because damn Ice Fang really is the perfect fusion for the Penlordz. I’ve been rolling with his music for I’d say either late last year or early this year? Either way I’ve seen so many different sides of him and this one is his most grand, fluent and beautifully structured we’ve gotten yet! Because when it comes to these rappers they don’t deal with just any music, only the most spiritual and creative and this soundtrack fits both criteria’s! I love how at its core the instrumentals are stripped back and minimal. But when you zoom out you understand the power and dynamics surrounding the music. For example on tracks like -Build-Destroy Thoughts as we hear that combo of that lush/subtle vocal loop snippet that’s accompanied by those light piano keys, tuned strings and incredibly delicate atmosphere that makes for a truly engaging listening experience! There’s tracks such as -The First Degree which has an outer worldly meaning to it! From that larger than life/tribal perspective vocal snippets combined with that echoing chord and mesmerising drum work that makes it feel like a spiritual soul awakening! Immersive as all hell The song -Slang Editorial had that funky groove to it! Is it a wrong example to say it reminded me of ‘New Edition?’ I don’t know what or why but especially the intro that’s all I thought of! Anyway this track might be the grooviest on the whole album! You’ve got that gorgeous introduction chord progressions that later evolve into these looping layers of experiential, skittish notes that makes you feel like you’ve attended a concert on acid! A glitchy, hip hop fusion that forced me to bop my head the entire journey through! It’s never been a question about the lyrical matters because Audio Messiah (and the rest of the Penlordz) are some of the strongest lyricists in the game period. They are true to who they are as people, to their core believes and principles and what makes their music so unique is that they preach that to the world! From talking about diets and bad foods or alcohol and cigarettes to spirituality and meditation and everything in between. They even advocated that the term ‘boy’ was degrading to them and so I never used it again in my reviews because that’s the kind of people they are! Full of conviction in and out of the studio and this album is that just more so! Audio man, it’s as if a skilled book writer is continuously writing new stories, situations and ideas for the listeners. Every song he makes it feels like features a new way to look at things or a fresh way to see the world around you that’s combined with the mastery of vocabulary and the hip hop fundamentals. He’s got equally smooth and commanding wordplay with a riveting sense of rhythm with his flows! Pair that with an incredible thirst for knowledge and an almost preacher like performance style and you have a one of one MC! If you’ve been on their wave for a minute it would come as no surprise that the features are just the other Penlordz. They’ve been on each other’s shit for now years and they aren’t gonna stop. It’s a brotherhood like early Wu Tang Clan and it’s something I can’t help but respect! All in all, another solid album by Audio Messiah and The Penlordz. Ice Fang does his thing and creates a powerful soundscape for the brothers to go off on! Definitely make sure you check this one out!