I'll keep this short and sweet. It's amazing that there are so many talented cats in hip-hop who are always forgotten, even by me. I won't pretend to be the guy who's heard all, or even half, of the talented artists and poets that this genre has to offer. One guy whom I did stumble upon who really impressed me is North Carolina's own Supastition. Being from the south, I figured it'd be hard to find an actual emcee from there who wasn't flashing ice and getting krunk, even if it is Ric Flair country. What I found from listening to Deadline was an emcee who had a lot of charisma and passion for keeping hip-hop alive with it's roots. Even though this is his second album, it's certainly a proper introduction to this guy.
"Boombox" is ill, simple as that. Supastition spits for the heads here, so if you're into club tracks you probably won't find much to love. Supa's relentless flow and sickening punchlines are his strengths, as well as his inventive rhyming. His weaknesses stem from pretty much not having anything truly inspirational to say that hasn't been said before. The fact remains, for every commercial rapper ordering hordes of females to shake their booties, there's an underground emcee claiming "keeping it real" and bitching about not having money. I've learned that regardless of which side you prefer, if something is played, it is. Either way, this shouldn't get in the way of the sheer talent, and the production fits it nicely. A blend of organs and percussion samples bring back nostalgic feelings of Pete Rock's brilliance in the mid-90s. Supastition himself, is fucking killer:
"Now I respect a few rappers but I know there's no equal,
my flow is so lethal it gags and chokes people,
whether legend or has-been, the best get floored,
stomp you, your producer, on the web and press record"
Supastition loves the old school hip-hop flavor, and who can blame him? The dream of going back to the era where substance was far more important than style is quite simply... just a dream, or at least it seems that way. Either way, Supa pays his respect with "Fountain of Youth" and "I Remember". Both songs are throwbacks to the golden era of rap and not really much more than that. The songs are solid lyrically and production-wise, but lack that umph needed to be stellar.
I may get some flack for this, but honestly, "Homecoming" is an Illmatic equivalent track. For real. Remember the brilliance of "Memory Lane (Sittin' on Da Porch)"? Remember how Nas would virtually describe every section of his neighborhood as detailed as possible? That's exactly what this is. Supa spends half the time talking about the lifestyle and the other half painting the picture of the place that he "calls home". But as always, with good lyrics has to come good production to smooth everything out. The production here is superb. An incredibly soothing xylophone melody draws you in as the focal point of the beat, while the rough bassline, old-school samples, drum loop and snare even out the texture. Thank producer M-Phazes for this sick beat, and I hope we'll see more of him.
If "Homecoming" is my favorite song on the album, then "Soul Searching" is a close second. The song is exactly as the title implies, with Supa doing a bit of soul searching with reflective poetry to express the emotions and thoughts bouncing around in his head. This song comes off as a therapy for Supa, expressing not only his knowledge, but his regrets and everything he has been with. He goes so far as to confesses his sins, and that subject matter in itself is compelling enough to earn multiple listens. But hell, it doesn't stop there. A truly mesmerizing piano loop and synth-keys set the tone, while the actual writing talent sticks out. This is the kind of mature subject matter that one can thrive on for days. It makes you think.
After a handful of superb braggadocio tracks, "Adrenaline" is a worthy closer. The subject matter here is a blend of bragging and battling, using hard-hitting punchlines to essentially carry the tracks (i.e. Big L). Supa injects humor into the battle rapping, and with an incredibly seductive piano melody and snare in the background, this acts as yet another highlight. With hot lines like "You cant touch the unorthodox flow // you better off buyin' coke on the streets wearing cop clothes", you WILL be entertained. Supa is ridiculous here, spitting: "I spit like I never have a second chance // to the streets, I'm about to leak like cheap breast implants" which is flaming, as well as telling us just how ill he really is: "ya'll lamers don't perform nowhere // I spin the globe, on the place it stops I'll do a show there". Then, there's my favorite which I call "Chino XL equivalent": "now some claim to be the greatest, but can you back those words? // I think you a thing of the past like black chauffers".
In closing, Deadline is pretty much a tight album. I'm not too sure if this is an EP or not since the title doesn't imply that, but it could be. Either way, while the CD is a bit short, for those few moments you listen to it, you will be entertained. This album is really a blend of numerous old-school styles. You've got your punchline rapping with some self reflection, introspection, and bragging; all backed by some great beats. Some of the weaknesses only stem from repetitiveness and perhaps a lack of true creativity. Nothing really singles Supastition out from the rest of the pack. Pretty much a typical rap record from a hungry underground artist. Supa is definitely out there though, and do yourself a favor a support your local indie artists, as well as this one.
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