Ellay Khule
Holy Scriptures


4.5
superb

Review

by LambsBread USER (32 Reviews)
October 21st, 2014 | 41 replies


Release Date: 2011 | Tracklist

Review Summary: I represent the underground, that's where I get busy.

Ellay Khule, aka Rifleman, is an underground, Los Angeles based, emcee. Having rapped since 1988, and with over twenty solo albums, Khule is a veteran emcee who has mastered his craft. His raps are stylistically diverse and lyrically consistent; he would best be described as combining the meaning of 2pac and the perfect delivery of Kendrick Lamar. What is even more impressive is that on his recent album Holy Scriptures, Khule finds a way to make his production as impressive as his flawless raps. Holy Scriptures is an underground masterpiece. It features fifteen tracks of pure hip hop that are all cleverly-conceived, each track with a message of its own. I discovered Ellay Khule after hearing him rap on Eligh’s track “A Different Way” and was blown away by his combination of clever rhyming, a substantial message and a perfect, aggressive, flow. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he was able to succeed with this formula for an entire album.

The lyrics on Holy Scriptures are thought provoking, meaningful, down to earth, mature, clever and feature a plethora of witty rhymes. Khule is quick to point out that life isn’t something that will be handed to you, and is critical of people making excuses for their bad situations in life. Yet while he has a lot to say, he is able to come across as motivational rather than preachy. His style has a unique prose that overloads the listeners brain with imagery: “The sun shines every time the moon fail/ but I’m a G, and I got more stripes than a racoon’s tail.” Every single line on this album features clever rhyming that is similar in quality to legendary rhymers like MF DOOM (who has produced a number of tracks for Khule in the past).

The sound of this album is reminiscent of hardcore 90s hip hop production, but is also fresh and innovative. The production is jazzy, but also hardcore, something like De La Soul. It is rarely inconsistent and never bad or boring. Each beat has its own role to play, sometimes being the focus of the song, and sometimes being secondary. The beat on the track “Still Coming Up” is an electronic multi-layered masterpiece. The beat is perfectly synchronized with the lyrics, both in timing and volume. Combine all of this with the flow of Ellay Khule and featured artist The Riddlore?, and the result is an obvious masterpiece. Khule kills the track as usual, but The Riddlore? comes in with a brilliant verse that is reminiscent of AZ’s feature on Nas’ Illmatic. Using an extreme overemphasis on his rhymes, The Riddlore? crafts an impeccable flow and is able to drop a sixteen bar verse with brilliant rhymes on every beat:

“I come from a coast where bangin is the number one occupation
but that’s not my operation I gave it up for rockin’ stages
when I rock you sway with the *** I’m saying like it’s contagious
why would I go back to the block with rocks and gages
where niggas get shot, or knocked and locked in cages
for wages , the casualty count is outrageous

The beats in general, created by Ellay Khule himself, are outstanding. By effortlessly switching between low and high tempos, Khule is able to achieve stimulating beats that also have an aura of tranquility. Tracks like “The Leader” alternate between low bass lines and periodic keyboard notes. Khule does a perfect job of combining clever lyricism and a smooth flow, to make this an immensely enjoyable and relaxing track. “A Clear Thought” is perhaps the best track on the album, it uses a flute and an electric guitar to masterfully alternate between a low and high tempo between the hook and verses. Khule's flow on these beats comes across as immaculate. Always keeping his buttery rhymes on pace, so that the periodic keyboard notes strike right after each of his rhymes.

A huge number of rap albums feature solid raps and beats, but what makes this album flawless overall is the excellent hooks. "A Clear Thought" shows this, but the best example is “Go Gettas” where Khule emphatically repeats the following phrase four times “Theres a whole world out there, you gotta go get it, what every you wanna do, homeboy im wit it.” The rapid pace at which he sings the course, the emphasis on his voice, and the sheer repetition of the phrase combine to create a very motivational track. It’s as if he is repeating this phrase so that it sticks on your mind, egging you on, becoming more meaningful with every repetition.

In short, this album is underground gold and has few downfalls. The only significant flaw in this album is it starts a little slow, with the early tracks “Califormula” and “On My Way” being the weakest on the album. This makes this album slightly inaccessible at first, but after hearing this album daily for almost two months, it has gotten better with every single listen and is becoming close to a classic in my mind. Holy Scriptures is an album by a veteran emcee that finds a way to make a fun record that is also enlightening and introspective a good amount of the time. He does this without coming off as preachy, without sacrificing the sound of his music, and without neglecting the quality of his delivery. People tend to take for granted what they have, while constantly focusing on the negative aspects of life, especially in massive fast-paced cities like LA. Music like this helps the listener acknowledge the bad aspects of life and learn to grow from them, while never forgetting that life is all about having fun.



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user ratings (5)
4.2
excellent

Comments:Add a Comment 
LambsBread
October 21st 2014


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Check out this track if you're hesitant about listening to the entire album



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgEEYp8CvEM

SharkTooth
October 22nd 2014


14937 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

this guy is dope but damn is it hard to find a stream to this

Lord(e)Po)))ts
October 22nd 2014


70256 Comments


yeah it sure is. couldnt find it on soulseek either

LambsBread
October 22nd 2014


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

This album is on spotify, search 'Holy Scriptures' (it comes up under "various artists")



Lord(e)Po)))ts
October 22nd 2014


70256 Comments


found it

LambsBread
October 24th 2014


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

what do you guys think of this rating wise?

LambsBread
November 6th 2014


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

im starting to think this might be the best album of the decade

SharkTooth
November 6th 2014


14937 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Still have yet to check it (thing is I hate Spotify)

LambsBread
November 7th 2014


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

whats wrong with spotify? lol



you gotta listen to this bra

SharkTooth
November 7th 2014


14937 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

the ads are annoying af

oh-oh-oh, O'reeeeeiiillleyyyy

LambsBread
November 7th 2014


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

lol



three ads or so is worth getting a free album though, especially for this

LambsBread
November 8th 2014


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

ill as this rap can get

immaculate

im stackin hits like a drunk driver

im phat like a stack of pancakes

plump

from Aunt Jemima

LambsBread
November 11th 2014


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

you checked this out yet Shark? if not you really should get on it, its stupidly good and has a ridiculous amount of playback value. Been listening to this 1-2 times daily after discovering it two months ago or so.

LambsBread
December 17th 2014


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

album of the decade

Hurricanslash
January 7th 2015


1831 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

Daaaaaaaaamn, finally listened to this in-depth. Shit, your hype around this is absolutely justified.

LambsBread
January 7th 2015


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

that comment made me so happy lol



my work here is done



not really though, this review sucks i think i should redo it



yeah man this album has three songs in my top 25 most played and i've only known of it for 3 months lol... so dope

SharkTooth
January 8th 2015


14937 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

I second Hurricanslash, this really is as good as you make it to be

LambsBread
January 8th 2015


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

better peep these vocals, got the game in a chokehold

Hurricanslash
January 8th 2015


1831 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

I think it's kinda fascinating. The beats he uses somehow sound kinda dated, but at the same time absolutely timeless. And damn, Ellay really spits his ass off, while still being inspirational. I rarely ever felt such an intense respect for an artist.

LambsBread
January 9th 2015


6522 Comments

Album Rating: 5.0

agreed his beats are so simple but so dope



you should eventually check out his 2014 album Street Symphonies under his alias Rifleman



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