Review Summary: Putting the soul back into your ear hole.
Many people argue that the genre of Hip-Hop is a genre of decaying quality. Most rappers who once had greatness have since lost the critical and commercial success that they once had (think Jay-Z). With the airwaves once ruled by the likes of Biggie Smalls and Tupac now replaced with the presence of Lil Wayne and Drake, it's hard to say whether or not Hip-Hop has any of the credibility it used to. Backtrack to the year 2008; unknown Detroit Mc known as Ridout is doing a collaboration with Ohio science teacher (who serves as producer on this record) Terry Cole. While on paper this sounds like the output would sound something along the lines of a corny garage band project, the results are magnificent.
You see, Rideout and Terry Cole share a common trait of wanting to "put the soul back into your ear hole (which is his independent record labels "Colemine Records" slogan). Most of the songs on "The City" show influences of old school hip-hop, jazz, and soul. Terry Cole is the sole producer, and his production is loud and clear letting every instrument serve its purpose. He also plays bass, alongside his funk/soul band "Soundscape" who provide the live instruments for nearly every song). Rideout is not your average Mc, trading in the cliché "money and fame" lyrics for topics covering poverty, life in the city, what "good music" is, and becoming something in the world.
"The City" opens up similarly to Nas's "Illmatic" with sounds of what seems like a nearby subway and the band coming in slowly. This short intro leads into the album’s title track. "The City" starts with a drumbeat next to a police siren in the background. Ridout raps over a soulful organ with lines such as "the city doesn't sleep/it just takes naps" and "freestyles ain't free" no more. The song is almost a perfect summarization of what "The City" is all about, the revival of Hip-Hop.
Every song here brings something meaningful and original to the table. Ridout dreams of finding "a woman who is actually suitable" on tracks "Love Would Come" and "Giving Love, the albums only love songs which are based on soul samples. Songs such as "A Live Exhibition', Talk To 'Em, "World Has Turned On Me" and "We Got To Live Together" are all extended jams by Soundscape which sometimes just provide as backgrounds for samples of motivational speakers ("World Has Turned On Me" features no lyrics and instead has a jam over a Martin Luther King Jr. speech). The heaviest songs instrumentally are "Let Me Live" which is a narrative of Rideout meeting god himself, and "Ways to Lose Detroit" which is Rideout’s' shout out to his hometown.
While all the songs shine lyrically, two songs in mind outperform the others altogether. "Can't Understand" has Rideout questioning why Hip-Hop has lost track of its roots as he goes over a beat consisting of some jazz horns. He speaks of his distaste of current artist with lines such as "How we talk to people and pump evil into the veins of the public/some of these rappers make me sick to my stomach". Just before the two minute mark, Ridout disappears and you are treated to a spoken word by a Cincinnati college professor about the direction Hip-Hop is taking nowadays. She finishes her speech with some genius final last words and the song fades. The other standout track is "How Many Tears?" which tells the story of a woman who grows up to an abusive father, eventually becoming impregnated and left by a man, leading to her suicide.
Unlike many Hip-Hop albums of the 2000's, "The City" explores the optimism that one day someone will come to bring Hip-Hop back to its roots. It's ultimately better than anything any rapper in 2011 will produce, but sadly will remain unheard by the public ear. I can't stress enough just how important this album is, "The City" has a vision of peace and love, and most people won't be able to comprehend how powerful this album really is.
"Yeah, Nas is right. Hip-Hop is dead, and we killed it"
