Hmm.. Immortal Technique. I won’t pretend like I know much about him, since I don’t. His family originates from Peru, making him the first Hispanic MC I have heard a full album of. He grew up in Harlem, and has had some trouble with the law, but managed to go to college and Major in Political Science, which is quite an accomplishment. A couple years ago, Technique released his debut album, titled Revolutionary Vol. 1. I personally have never heard of it and it was overlooked by pretty much everyone. And this brings us to 2003, a year filled with high-quality underground releases.. one of them being Immortal Technique’s very own Revolutionary Vol. 2..

A couple tracks in, we are hit with one of the many highlights of the album. Peruvian Cocaine is one hell of a crew track, showing off the story telling skills of Immortal Technique and his friends. Featuring C-Rayz Walz, Pumpkinhead, Lou Cipher, Tonedeff, Diabolic, Poison Pen, the song outlines the entire cocaine industry from Peruvian Cocaine Workers to American Undercover cops. Each emcee takes the role of a different character in the story, with Immortal Technique and Pumpkinhead kicking it off as the Cocaine field worker and Boss, respectively. After going through the Peruvian leader, American drug distributor, drug dealer, and undercover police cop, C-Rayz Walz closes it off with his verse as a prison inmate, rapping about the life of an addict. The beat is very simple here, and it does more to highlight the lyrics of the song.

Harlem Streets is next, and as you can probably tell, it is pure street poetry about the life in Harlem. As he does throughout the album, Technique throws shots at the people in charge, namely the cops and the government. The production is very fitting here, something you would hear off of a Cormega album, slightly depressing string loops. The second verse is more political, as he spits lines like ”The sound of conservative politicians on television/People in the hood are blind so they tell us to listen/They vote for us to go to war instantly/But none of their kids serving the infantry/The odds are stacked against us like a casino/Think about it, most of the army is black and latino.” Obnoxious, where Technique takes shots at random things, from blatant disses at George Bush to subtle stabs at 50 Cent and R. Kelly. The majority of listeners will not notice the 50 Cent mention, where he takes a line from Wanksta and manipulates it slightly. Basically he just goes crazy on this song attacking anything and everything he feels like.

Immortal Technique throughout the album takes a strong, I-don’t-give-a-damn-if-you-are-offended stance on politics. The 4th branch is the Dead Prez-style of questioning the government’s legitimacy and motives on certain issues. Here he accuses the government of its hatred towards Muslims and its immoral, unnecessary actions in the Middle East. Lines like “They bombed innocent people, tryin' to murder Saddam/When you gave him those chemical weapons to go to war with Iran” show his stance on the war in Iraq, which he is obviously against. In a more harsh anti-conservative/republican way, Technique blasts the government in 3 powerful verses on Cause of Death, where he does not hold back on his accusations and problems with the government. He accuses George Bush of being part of the “same seven-headed dragon” as Osama Bin Laden, and calls the conservatives racists who like to invade a person’s privacy. From calling out Dick Cheney’s motives in Iraq (namely oil) to blaming Donald Rumsfeld for taking advantage of 9/11 to get a military budget of “world conquest proportions,” Immortal Technique rocks the mic hard and powerfully, and will leave you thinking and questioning the government as well.

Near the end of the album, Technique hits you with the most emotional track, showing that he isn’t just a crazed anti-government figure. You Never Know features Jean Grae on the hook. Here he raps a lengthy 7-plus minutes, featuring for in-depth verses about a relationship with a woman, and intelligent woman at that. He first goes into detail about how she made all the other women jealous and how she wouldn’t let any man get with her, until he goes to the second verse, which discusses their relationship. At the end of the song, he and Jean Grae rap together as he “reads” a letter the girl wrote to him. This is definitely an emotional track for someone who just spent most of the album harshly bashing society and politics.

And thus, my review comes to a close. This is definitely one of hip-hop’s greatest albums of 2003.. Immortal Technique lashes out against conservatives and republicans, and the leaders of our country in general. He also adds in a couple story-telling tracks, to diversify the feel of the album. The songs I discussed above are not the only good tracks, as in fact there are several more that are great, or even better. From start to finish, this is an outstanding album that you do not want to miss.

4.9 Stars

Recommended: Yes