L*Roneous – Lgorithms (2012)

Artist: L*Roneous

Album: Lgorithms

Source: Artist

Tracklisting:

1. Lgorithms (Intro)
2. Tell A Vision
3. Clear vision
4. Sound Clash
5. Formulated Methods
6. The Get Down
7. Sunrays Midtro
8. 1984
9. The Method
10. The Unusual
11. Feelin’
12. Man’s World
13. Static
14. Dante
15. Black Cloud (Outro)

Note:

L*Roneous is back at it again.  That is he is back at twisting the english language for the listener’s amusement or amazement (which ever comes first).  I make no secret about the artists that I like and the reasons that I like them, but L*Roneous appeal should be universal.   It shouldn’t take more than a couple of listens to recognize his immense talent.

Sound Clash is a gem that L*Roneous drops early on in the album.  The production is incredible.  It captivates the listener.  The vocal sample when paired with the guitar strum give the track a very surreal effect and when the drums hit you are locked into the rhythm.   L*Roneous seizes on the opportunity of the captive audience with a flow as such:

As the world stood still, my world kept spinning  / I was trapped in my position / Found freedom through the rhythm / I could lead them / I could give them / I could take it back to wisdom / I could back it with tradition / Plus the crew is a militia…

The Unusual is fitting tribute from L*Roneous to his friend Mike Francisco (King Dream).  Mike Francisco is a very well respected artist and community activist from the Bay Area who was tragically murdered over a decade ago.   L*Roneous details his come up with Francisco through a fitting hip hop narrative.  He discusses their pursuit of hip hop together and how his friend help create his path to where he is now.  It’s not what I would call an emotional track, but maybe the word passionate is more appropriate.  L*Roneous rips mics in part to his history with Francisco and what better way to honor a friend then to do just that.  This track is loaded with hip hop flavor from the trumpets to the scratches.

One of the more unique tracks off of the album is the joint, Dante.  If you are familiar Dante Alighieri’s, Dante’s Inferno, this L*Roneous take on the classic with a hip hop twist.   The production is similar to a dark symphony which suits the storyline perfectly.  At the end you also get lyrics from The Alkaholiks, Only When I’m Drunk, scratched in to round the song out perfectly.  But let me give you a sneak peak of L*roneous’ first verse:

Good Friday on the lower side of no where / ‘Abandon All Hope’ says the signs of the thorofare / Half way there as the time of my life ticks / Lost in an  alley near a Cabaret of hoes and tricks / Hip hop! The stench is in the air / And the sound equals death and I can feel it getting  near / Ill contra ‘postle as I step in to the rear / Sounds like the Gospel and that’s  heaven to my ears / Yeah, a killer and a thief plus a pimp want to bother me / They don’t know the weight of the burden that’s a part of me / Sickly for the art of me  I say and I verify it plain / As I say my fuckin’ name….they call me Dante!

I am going to sound redundant as I sing this album’s praises, just like I have done with previous works from L*Roneous.   But the fact of the matter is this:  L*Roneous is light years ahead of most when it comes to mastering the craft of emceeing.  He switches cadence, tempo, and rhyme scheme on a whim.  I can’t think of ten emcees currently rocking mics that are as capable.  As for the album,  I like this album slightly more than I like Notes Of The Righteous Outlaw.  Lgorithm’s production seems more well rounded, as L*Roneous continues to construct dope verse after dope verse.

Hip hop music such as Lgorithms is hard to come by.  While other artists cater to trends and the sway of the public, L*Roneous remains true to the craft while expanding horizons.  Purchase this album…