Artist: Swave Sevah
Album: Wordz 2 Live By
Source: Team Homi
Tracklisting:
1. Words 2 Live By Intro
2. Such A Feelin’
3. I Ain’t The One
4. Stab Wounds
5. Comparing Bars Skit
6. Raise Da Bar
7. On Ya Own Two
8. Down (ft. Probe Rok)
9. Step Aside (ft. Killer Mike)
10. Self Defense
11. Cross Hairs (ft. Team Homi)
Note:
Brutal. That is how I would describe Swave Sevah’s style. It’s hard to gauge whether Sevah brings his warrior’s mentality from battling to his music or vice versa. But no one can argue with how dope the end result is. He obliterates bars for his musical efforts and his opponents.
Swave Sevah’s style is commanding in every facet. He never sounds out of his element on a track. The reasons that make him a fan favorite on the battle circuit, are the same reasons people can get behind the music he makes. The man bends language at will. Swave has been making music for a long time, and that sometimes gets lost on the newer generation, but his style and skill been honed and sharpened over the years. He is a member of the storied Stronghold crew, Cvees, and Team Homi. His dues have been paid ten fold and his rhymes have been refined through his efforts.
Words 2 Live By, is a hodge podge of older records and some newer material.. I actually showcased two of the records (Stab Wounds and Cross Hairs) last year but that doesn’t mean they are any less dope now. They are still standout gems on this short mix.
I Ain’t The One is the first song that got my attention. This beat, with the scratching, provide a banging, yet sinister soundscape for Swave Sevah to spit his venom over. The drums and bass knock almost as hard as Swave does with his lyrics. As he states:
Trust me it ain’t hard to handle you n*&%as / I got a Brooklyn girl that’ll Charles Hamilton n#%^as
and
Been gangsta since I was a rug rat / You little whippa snappas wouldn’t last if my era was to come back
But it doesn’t end there. Rather it is just beginning. On Stab Wounds, Swave rides a plodding track, but adds so much ferocity to the joint with his sick wordplay. This song just builds momentum as it continues to play. It really is impressive how he changes his cadence and rhyme patterns throughout.
The track to me that knocks the hardest is the storytelling track, Self Defense. It involves Swave meeting a lady, finding out that she was somebody elses girl, an apology, and him firing back in self defense. Hence the title. The second verse of the track is a narration of Swave telling the judge how the situation went down:
It was self defense, he shot first, I shot last / His shot missed me, so I popped his ass / No disrespect your Honor, but lets tell it like it is / I’m getting punished because my aim was better than his / That was a near death experience, yo, I had to drill em’ / His slug whistled passed my face, should be glad I didn’t kill him / Word up, let’s not forget that I ain’t the one who start it / I’m the victim, the initial target…
The man is just a cutthroat when it comes to the battle rap game and it really plays well, unlike some, into his own music. As a listener I found myself time and time again rewinding the track back just so I could appreciate his rhymes. Some guys have it and others do not. Swave Sevah definitely has it. His quick wit is cuts like a sharp blad and he is blessed with a discernible voice in a world of copy cat artists. Be sure to give Words 2 Live By a listen, and hope he drops his album sooner, rather than later.
Hip Hop Dependency 