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┌────────┐ ██▀▀
────┤ Info ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
└────────┘
Artist | Elzhi & Will Sessions
Title | Elmatic
Genre | Hip-Hop Format | Album
Source | CD Time | 46:36
Label | The Jae.B Group Store | 2011
Catalog | n/a Rip | 2021
Bitrate | 810 kbps Size | 285.95 MB
Freq | 44.1 kHz Encoder | FLAC 1.3.1
┌────────┐
────┤ Tracks ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
└────────┘
01. The Genesis 2:36
02. Detroit State Of Mind 4:45
03. Halftime 2:11
04. Memory Lane 3:47
05. The World Is Yours 6:16
06. Represent 3:09
07. Life's A Bitch (Feat. Royce Da 5'9 & Stokley Williams of 5:53
Mint Condition)
08. One Love 7:21
09. It Ain't Hard To Tell 3:48
10. Pete Rock Shout Out / Verbal Intercourse, Pt. 2 / Detroit 6:50
State Of Mind, Pt. 2
┌────────┐
────┤ Notes ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
└────────┘
Remixing what a vast majority of Hip Hop fans call a ôclassicö album is
dangerous. Even attempting to put a spin on something slightly lower on the
hierarchy of epic music (on say, the ônotableö level of musical quality) is
a gamble. Many have tried, and few managed to live up to the original that
they chose to confront. Achieving a rare feat, Detroit-based emcee Elzhi
seems to have tackled one of the most esteemed LPÆs rap has seen to date,
and turned it into his own. And for once, the end result sounds damn good.
NasÆ Illmatic showcased the Queens spitter at arguably his rawest. His
delivery and flow seemed effortless as he spun a tale of gritty New York
City living, with an incredible production lineup only positively
accentuating the project. There was little, if any, room for improvement on
Nasir JonesÆ LP, thus leaving Elzhi with quite a challenge when he chose to
recreate the 1994 standout album and turn it into his own ELmatic. But this
is where Elzhi got it right û rather than try to improve upon the original,
itÆs rather obvious that he merely personalized it. Elzhi does not try to
outshine Nas, rather he reinterprets the tales of the Queensbridge Houses
and tells them from a Detroit point of view. He channels NasÆ lyrical style
û from his delivery and flow to the actual bars from Illmatic û and pulls
it off so successfully that one would think he was born rapping that way.
ôNew York State of Mindö merely turns into ôDetroit State of Mind,ö with
ElzhiÆs gangster dreams being fueled by bottles of Rose┤, minus the Tec-9
weaponry. ôRepresentö shares NasÆ ôstraight up, shit is realö sentiment,
yet Elzhi strays from NasÆ formula on cuts like ôIt AinÆt Hard to Tell,ö
which doesnÆt boast Elzhi excelling and prevailing. The balance is key.
Elzhi isnÆt completely jacking NasÆ style, but he utilizes the similarities
between the two emceesÆ viewpoints to tell his own tale.
Perhaps the most noticeable difference between Illmatic and ELmatic lies
within the instrumentals. Produced by DetroitÆs Will Sessions band, ELmatic
takes the beats that Nas fans have grown to love, and enhances them with
live instrumentation. The original samples still remain front and center,
never losing the basic essence of the sound that fueled Illmatic, yet the
sound is different enough to be refreshing and have it feel like Elzhi
didnÆt simply rhyme over recycled beats. Combined with his impressive
lyricism, the overall sonic feel of ELmatic is worthy of multiple replays.
The once member of Slum Village not only made Illmatic his own, but more
importantly honored the original and did it justice. In the process, the
similarities between NasÆ upbringing in Queens and ElzhiÆs life in Detroit
become evident, and it is this common ground of experiences that bridges
the gap between New York CityÆs past and DetroitÆs present. Sure, ôOne Time
For Your Mindö may be missing, and the sequence of the tracks doesnÆt match
up between the two approaches, but itÆs just another example of Elzhi
reaching that balance between the original and his take on it. The bottom
line is that Elzhi took on an intimidating task and managed to prove that
he can stand up to classic material.
Track 10 is a hidden track and contains 1:02 of silence after Pete Rock
does a shout out before another two songs start.
Produced by Will Sessions. Associate producer, DJ House Shoes.
┌────────┐
────┤░░░░░░░░├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
└────────┘