Esau the Anti-Emcee

Sure, Esau speaks on many topics that have been abused throughout the last few years in the underground hip-hop scene, but somehow he adds an element of freshness. While underground artists are proclaiming their allegiance with their subterranean brethren in vain attempts to garner attention in this new era of the underground label, Esau breaks down what it really means on "Underground?" which leaves you with the impression that there isn't an underground artist in the game. "Underground?" also touches on a subject further detailed on "Independents" and "Merry Go Round": a realistic view of the difficulties of being an unsigned artist. And of course there's the list of wack MCs, fans and labels that get named on "You Ain't Fly." With "I'm Going to Hell" and "First," Esau drops some knowledge on his religious beliefs, which includes his interpretation of the Book of Genesis, using the ideology that the gods were aliens ("First"), and then has a conversation with Jesus, Allah, Vishnu, and Buddha in which he is accused of offending everyone ("I'm Going to Hell"). However, where Esau really shines is when he leaves the preaching behind and goes for the jugular. On "Esau vs BlackMel," the two MCs go head to head in a faux battle where many dope lines are dropped. And if you want plenty of bang for your buck, check "2 Many Emcees" which features the Nobodies, Yaggfu Front, Danja Mowf, Apathy and BlackMel. When the album does fail (surprisingly, only on "Me & My Baby" and "U.R. Destine") it is because the beats don't really hold up to the lyrics. In the case of "Me & My Baby," a story of spurned love is no excuse for a cheesy beat, and on "U.R. Destine" the beat is spacy (as it should be) but comes off kind of soft. Still, the bonus track should help increase everyone's vocabulary. Fun and educational! What more can you ask for?