The Taste of Rain...Why Kneel

This project, partly recorded on June 26 1998, is at the origin of Anticon. Not bad, then. Alias, Dose, Slug and Sole team up to form what has got to be the most complementary combination of MCs. But we all already knew that. I just can't seem to get enough of that album, and I seem to discover new stuff each time I listen to it. Those familiar with Anticon lyrics know precisely what I'm talking about. I'll simply take the example of The Candle, one of the more accessible songs lyrics-wise. In that song, each MC takes the place of a candle, and once you've understood the metaphors, you feel oh so special. Plus, the beat, provided by Moodswing 9 (his sole contribution, which is frankly a pity), will get your head rocking, even if you don't feel like listening closely to the lyrics. There's also I am Hip Hop, already present on the Rain Men 12", where each MC tells the same story, but from different point of views. I haven't really uncovered the entire depth of the lyrics yet, and I guess that is why you call it poetry: everybody has his own interpretation of them. One thing is for sure: it's refreshing to listen to stuff that doesn't insult your intelligence.

Now, the strength of this LP comes from the different style of each MC, as I said at the beginning of this review. Not one comes out weak, which is pretty amazing, and each track is a wonderful balance of deliveries and ideas. Plus, you have to add to this an absolutely incredible production, which means that you have good lyrics AND production, which isn't far from forming dope cuts. Then again, I'm not very good at maths (but I'm good at figuring out if I like something or not). The most amazing production comes yet again from Jel: June 26th, 1998; I am Hip Hop; heavy ceiling and mothers of invention stand out as particularly good. But the other producers, namely Abilities, Mayo, Alias, Ant and as I said before oodswing 9 come out strong too. There's a real constancy in the production, which means you don't really have the impression that there are 6 different people behind the boards. All in all, you'll simply hear yourself whispering damn, damn, and damn again. That's how tight this LP is. It finishes on one of the best cuts, Mothers of Invention, part of the June 26^th 1999 quatuor, and trust me, that's precisely when, once you've come back down to earth, you wish the album was longer. Then again, considering how rich this LP is, it's as if it were 60 minutes multiplied by the times you listen to it long.