I'm a bit of an idiot and I'll tell you why. No matter how much of an effort I make to approach everything differently and on its own terms, I end up eating it from time to time and Jon Briggz fed me with the biggest ladle I've ever seen.
NO NO... I'll admit defeat!
The result is a roller coaster ride of an emotions through an a release with its well-earned voice, because while the presence of Jon Briggz is all over this thing, he's the head of the movement that is We R The Lost who contribute as much talent as you can get out of a individual, with the right amount of space for every creator to present their talent. Their release is Still Lost, a collection of 10 tracks that document a wide berth of emotions and situations reflective of Jon Briggz' life... or not, as we can all relate to these situations in one form or another anyway.
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Since I'm all about being linear where many compelling artists present their work the same way -- I'll start with the first track I'm Spotted, which sets a Roots-like tone using piano, drums and keyboards for atmosphere before switching gears on the second track New Black which is more 'abrasively street' than what we started out with.
I think I've gotten to the point in my life where my use of bad language isn't necessary. When I do use it however, it cuts pretty deep. It's used to express the relevance of whatever I'm saying or otherwise, it cheapens everything it for me. Actually, I tend to tune out when it's used too much.
But if you listen closely and get past the derogatory and the foul, you get more than just talk about money or pussy. I mean, both of those things are great when you can get them, and I totally understand filling up a entire album to brag about how much you're getting, but we all know what it's like when you've got neither and that's where this album is sentimental. *sniff.
These are scary moments for me where during the more "abrasive" tracks, I feel like I'm out of place with a pit in my stomach where I can't relate to what's going on and the music feels like a menacing backdrop to Briggz' poetry.
And that's another important element in this entire work. Usually, Hip Hop albums aren't as fascinating as this. Most of them are all surface, no substance cash-grabs. This mix of collaborative creatives have a passionate interest in creating real music that pulls in many different directions in order to get the message out.
The track Influence is a bold chapter in this story book, where the lyrics stand out like a lost soul in the rain. The beat is sparse, the track is moody where it gives the vocals enough room to worm its way into your psyche. There isn't one track on here that can't stand on it's own terms and to add, two tracks that grab your ear and likely that of a major label is Say The Word, which has a solid chorus that stays with you blending neo-soul.
By the way, what the hell ever happened to Glenn Lewis!?
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jft93cEcRM[/embed]
Then we come to the single pulled out called The Times, which is another appropriately timed track which is powerful for all of its truth-telling. We can debate all we like about Ferguson, Baltimore, Charleston and racism in this country but in the meantime, the keyboard organ against a Martin Luther King recording is moving enough to feed a revolution for at least three minutes and five seconds.
Being that this is Incendiary American, what's more incendiary than to say that I agree with Briggz in the last track when he says, "Thank God for the shooter." Because the point he makes is very clear without the set up, which is that it took black people getting shot and killed for society to turn a page. It changed things and while you might think I'm drifting off the subject of this
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Since this album was released, Briggz came out with another track via soundcloud posted above, just to make sure we're up to date on all of this.
Overall, I like this album because it demands to be relevant and whether it's scary or not, the truth is always relevant. Now, do yourself a favor and check out their:
SoundCloud,
Twitter,
YouTube,
Facebook,
iTunes,
and their official site too!