Thanks to Majafiggaz, whose review made me buy this album. Also, this review's short because, well, the album is, too.
The South has been the continued subject of hate for the past few years, as acts like Lil Jon, T.I., and Lil Wayne came to dominate the music landscape as the region vied to grab the torch Outkast had dropped in the midst of the unofficial split/hiatus. In the underground scene, emcees began to reach the light as well; shortly after Little Brother's debut The Listening, another North Carolina emcee named Supastition tried his hand at his sophomore effort after his debut, Seven Years Bad Luck, largely fell on deaf ears. Perhaps seeking to rectify the productions issues this album was criticized for, he got a new production crew and went back into the studio for this EP. Would his new beatsmiths do the trick and elevate him beyond the underground scene?
Track Listing and Ratings:
Deadline Intro (4 Stars)
Boombox (4 1/2 Stars)
Fountain of Youth (4 1/2 Stars)
I Remember (5 Stars)
Homecoming (5 Stars)
Soul Searching (5 Stars)
If I Knew (5 Stars)
Nowhere to Run Ft. Madwreck and Sycorax (4 1/2 Stars)
Step It Up (4 Stars)
Adrenaline (4 1/2 Stars)
After a largely ignored debut, it's clear here that Supastition's pulling no punches this time around; he's focused, irritated, and eager to showcase his skills. After talking for a few seconds, he gets down to business on the "Deadline Intro", which sees him spitting about joining his new label and his struggles to make it as a rapper. Though it's short, it provides a listener with a glimpse of what's to come. He continues along a similar vein on "Fountain of Youth", as he provides his thoughts on the rap game now and compares it to hip-hop's golden age. "I don’t know, nowadays there’s no motivation/I find myself mostly listening to the oldies station," he admits in the track's opening bars. Beyond music, he also uses this song to show how his perspective on life in general has changed from when he was younger; now he's older and more mature, using his experiences as cautionary tales against spending money on frivolous possessions and chasing the wrong girl. "I Remember" carries on this trend, though he narrows his focus to the rap landscape on this track; his frustration is evident throughout, as he talks about the evil aspects of the industry, warning up and coming emcees about shady A&Rs and the politics involved in the music. Both are interesting listens, with the latter faring better due to slightly better production.
However, the album doesn't hit its peak until "Homecoming" pumps through the speakers; here, Supa recalls his childhood and growing up in his neighborhood, giving the listener a detailed account of everything around him, from having barbecues, to talking in the barbershop. Despite the fact that the subject matter's been done to death by everyone from Nas to Jim Jones, the light-hearted beat and lyrics put this one over the top and make it work. Following this is the album’s centerpiece in "Soul Searching", which features this effort's best production and lyrics. Over a beautiful piano loop, the North Carolina native digs deep and talks about avoiding temptation and trying to become a better person, as well as trying to find a purpose for himself. He even speaks openly about his faith throughout, his religious beliefs clearly driving his desires to improve himself. The captivating production along with the heartfelt lyrics make this the most personal track of the EP. "If I Knew" follows, and while it isn’t as good as "Soul Searching", it's still a highlight as Supa stays along the reflective route; this time around, he raps about overcoming the death of his grandfather as well as his struggles with trying to appeal to mainstream audiences with high-priced producers ("Six grand a beat? I can’t afford a signature sound!" he exclaims during the song). These three tracks are the best of this short effort, and show that he does his best work when he gets introspective.
Despite The Deadline's overall enjoyability, there are two primary flaws that prevent it from being even better. One is the lack of cohesion in the production; each track sounds so different from one another that it almost seems as though this was a compilation album of some sort. The album begins with the bass heavy "Deadline Intro", only for Ill Mind to flip the script on the next track for the soul-tinged "Boombox", which is then followed by a pair of laid back joints in "Fountain of Youth" and "I Remember". The disjointed sound continues throughout the course of the album, finally concluding with the boom-bap of "Adrenaline". None of this is to say that the production on each song is bad; in fact, there's not one bad beat on the entire album. However, because of the difference in production (6 producers handle the 10 track EP), it ultimately makes for a disjointed listen. Another problem with this effort is that there isn't anything groundbreaking here; there are battle-oriented tracks ("Adrenaline" and "Boombox"), surveys of the rap industry ("I Remember" and "Fountain of Youth"), and introspective moments ("If I Knew" and "Soul Searching"). Supa executes all of these tracks well, the topical diversity is there, and to his credit, he displays a maturity and growth that's sorely lacking in many mainstream artists. However, his problem isn't that he isn't distinguishable from those emcees, it's that he has trouble setting himself apart from other underground acts. There's nothing here that really pushes the envelope, nothing that makes him stand out from the seemingly-endless slew of hungry underground emcees who are trying to gain the ear of wider audiences. The end result is that the listener ends up with a "Hey, I’ve heard this somewhere before" feeling when the CD stops spinning, despite Supastition's good performances throughout. As much as he and his production crew try, this record ends up being slightly less than the sum of its parts.
Despite its drawbacks, The Deadline is an enjoyable listen that features a hungry emcee showcasing his skills in hopes of achieving bigger things. He's obviously got more than enough skill to be a very good, consistent emcee, and he's backed by some excellent producers like Ill Mind and M-Phazes. Unfortunately, it'll probably take more than this effort for him to finally receive his time in the sunshine.
Final Rating: 4.25 Stars
Standout Tracks: Homecoming, Soul Searching, If I Knew, I Remember
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