Artist: Nejma Nefertiti x Double A.B. x Dub Sonata x Tone Spliff
Album: Animal Barz
Tracklisting:
- Dog
- Pigeon
- Rats (ft. Napoleon Da Legend)
- Elephants
- Mosquitos
Review:
Why did I choose to review this release out of all the many that I come across on a weekly basis? Two words come to mind my friends, collaborative innovation. Before you stands an unheralded yet very accomplished and talented group. Dub Sonata and Double A.B. have been looooong time collaborators with individual discographies that really showcase a high level of skill. Tone Spliff?…well Tone Spliff’s name has only been associated with quite literally hundreds of dope records in the last two or three years alone. He is the consummate professional. He might be your favorite DJ’s…favorite DJ. Which leaves us with Nejma Nefertiti. I had heard her on a few Napoleon Da Legend records so I was familiar with the name, but not necessarily the talent. So I studied up. I went back and listened. I raided her social media. What did I learn? Verbal arsonist. There’s polish, intelligence, and sophistication in her pen game that you just don’t see enough of these days in other artists. I was impressed. And you will also be impressed with what this union of talent did on Animal Barz.
This is a concept album in its truest sense, where each emcee tackles a perspective of a particular animal on each song. On this project we have Dogs, Pigeons, Rats, Elephants, and Mosquitos being personified and elaborated on. Pigeons was the first single that dropped a few weeks ago and was a really dope entrance into what the project was about but with that being said I am going to jump right into the joint Rats.
Dub Sonata hits us with some snapping drums that are shrouded in a vocal sample while Tone Spliff bridges the bars of Double A.B., Nejma Nefertiti, and Napoleon Da Legend with those precise scratches forging a dope chorus that fits perfectly. To get a taste of how the emcees approach their topic, here’s a piece of Nefertiti’s verse and check the parallels she’s making:
…Grit and dopeness / I pity opponents / When a long tail appears on the streets it’s the shittiest omen / Nobody likes a big mouth loose lipped showman / The kind of be like “oh well when in Rome do like the Romans” / Explosions couldn’t take the rat race out of motion
Nejma Nefrtiti – Rats
On Elephants, Dub Sonata gets busy with the horns, and the pace of the track even harkens to what you think an elephant might move at. There’s a very regal treatment giving to the sound of this track. Again, Tone Spliff executes a perfectly scratched in chorus that proves perfectly relevant as each emcee showcases attributes to elephants in the wild.
Last but not least, we have my favorite track from the project, Mosquitos. Dub Sonata outdid himself with this beat and vocal sample. It almost sounds like a 50’s Quartet backing the emcees as they speak upon which is undeniably our least favorite species. This is also where I think both emcees provide their best verses. Let’s peep Double A.B.’s articulation of the subject matter.
With so many deadly creatures in the kingdom of nature / It’s hard to pick one to hate more / But which creature is the most lethal / As in which one killed the most people / The lion? No you lying, it’s the mosquito / Damn flying tiny little vampire / Sucking up your blood while your lying by the campfire / Even scarier / There like baby little air mail carriers / with same day delivery malaria
Double A.B. – Mosquitos
This is a collective experience. It wouldn’t have been as dope if just one artist tried to do this themselves. It takes the exchange of verses between Double A.B. and Nejma Neferiti to keep the listener’s interest piqued and attuned. It takes Dub Sonata’s use of particular sounds and BPMs to give each track the vibe of the animal being referenced. And lastly Tone Spliff, drives the points and purposes home with perfect samples for each chorus. You have to listen with all the elements at play and in mind to truly appreciate what is being accomplished. Don’t miss, because this is when talent pushes the envelope just a little further than you are used to.
Hip Hop Dependency 