Modern Review: Emergency Raps Vol. 4

Score: 4/5 | Released: January 25th, 2019

Written By: Anthony Seaman 

      

 Virgina, North Carolina, DC and Maryland have a history in hip-hop that’s time and again overlooked. They’re not fly over states, but rather drive throughs as people escape New England winters to vacation in Florida, or as Southerns take summer road trips north to experience big cities like NYC, Philly and the cleaned up historical novels of DC. Appreciation for the mountains, thick morning fogs, and scenic national parks remind you of the hidden beauty the stolen land we live upon holds. The R&B, jazz and pop music that has come from this forested corner of America is overpowering; Thelonious Monk, Jodeci, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Johnny Gill, Frank Zappa, the list goes on. Its hip-hop importance is easily forgotten if not for the biggest stars of the last 2 decades (Missy Elliott, Pharrell, Timbaland) being as much of stars in other genres as they are rap. J. Cole, Logic, Wale and DaBaby have become contemporary rap representatives, but the underground blueprint  for them to get to these Billboard chart heights was forged by early internet adopters Little Brother, Nickelus F, Oddisee and The Clipse. Pete Rock, Wu-Tang Clan, the Soulquarians and Camp Lo hold a place within the area's DNA creating a petri dish of East Coast Golden Era bar focused verses with the soulful thump of Southern beatmakers past. Lute, Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon, Rapsody, and redveil are the modern day inheritors of the land, constantly adding their own spice to the family recipe. Mutant Academy, a Richmond based collective of rappers, has had the most bountiful collection of music of the aforementioned bunch, expanding what it means to be ultra-skilled in this region. The MC’s are distinct from one another, each playing a role in a greater team setting, while the producers have either perfect or experimented with samples and live instruments farther than anyone before them. At the head of the crew is co-founder Fly Anakin, leading by example with the most focused discography and consistent output of his cohorts.

        As a continuation of his Emergency Raps series, Mutant Academy producer Tuamie gets Fly Anakin solo for the first time. Tuamie is a loop master, creating beats that feel like reclining in a planetarium. So spacious it feels like you can look up and see the waves of sound envelop you, detailed with twinkling hi end percussion filling the sky with a sea of constellations. Dilla-esk bass tones and back shattering kicks create a solid ground for a rapper to hold on to, but Anakin has always been above the clouds in his own wizardry. The hypnosis these instrumentals put you under can lull you into your own mind, losing focus on the words spoken, but making the times you focus on them more rewarding. The dexterity of his delivery is up there with the Eminem’s and Snoop Dogg’s of the world, no pocket is too small or too off meter for him to attack. His bersagliere level accuracy in word placement can be heard across “Gold Accord (Veronica)” fitting phrases in the little space Tuamie’s piano chords provide. Tonally he’s screeching into layers of sound, every breath between bars is left in like a purposeful adlib. Songwriting has been what separates him the most from his Mutant brethren, structuring classic rap hooks in between his head spinning verses.

         “Karl Kani” has become the perfect entry point into new underground fans, fitting as a minimalistic dive into Fly’s abilities while your head bobs along to the mid-tempo groove. A blacked out bedroom with hypnotic LED projections overlay Fly in the songs video, giving the perfect tutorial on how to enjoy an Anakin classic; good weed, cozy seating, and time alone to let the art flow over you. “Murray’s” is a 2 minute long ode alongside Skyzoo about youthful efforts to get waves in their hair, doubling as a reminder to the importance of consistency in life. “Travolta IV” is a continuation of Mutant Academy cyphers, this time over a cramped choir loop that forces the crew (sans a recently departed for solo work Koncept Jack$on) to speed over one another like the final stretch of a NASCAR race. Henny builds upon his own lore as a vivid scene painter, Anakin’s vocal dexterity is slid up to 10, and Kahuna remains unbothered by the tempo and power waltz’s with updates on his day-to-day life. For Tuamie and Anakin both “Splinters” is a darker adventure the is more Cold Vein than “Cooley High”, bringing in Al.Divino and Ankhlejohn for a sub zero bar fest. As 2019 unfolded you saw Mach-Hommy, Roc Marciano, Westside Gunn and Billy Woods remind the world who earned faces on the Underground Mt. Rushmore for this generation, but Fly alone with this album and the Kahuna collab Holly Water showed he could write, curate and perform alongside any of them. If it weren't for Your Old Droog having the year of his life, Fly would have cemented his own name into the Top 5 Alive conversation that year next to Woods, Gibbs, DaBaby and Young Thug.

        It’s been nearly 5 years since its release, and much has shifted in the crews universe. Everyone in the collective still collaborates, just more in sub-sects than as a family. Other rappers that were once ancillary extended family have risen to their own success (cc: Monday Night, Nitty Blanco, and 3WaySlim) while producers have leaned heavily into beats tapes and outside placements. Fly Anakin has risen in popularity the fastest, gaining co-signs from staples Madlib and Evidence, now focusing on releasing music on Lex Records instead of independently and touring across the world. In a stellar catalog this record lies near the top, though too short to truly top the psychedelic hysteria of Backyard Boogie or the worldly Pink Siffu extravaganza FlySiifu’s (Deluxe Version). To be blunt, it’s a simple suite of Anakin songs that straddles the twitchy acid dripped collages and red eyed smoker grooves that make up Fly’s catalog. An album like this works as an introduction into a more complex system of conversational roots, afterwards begging the answer to same question Phonte asked 2 decades ago on “Not Enough” from the crew's 2nd underground classic The Minstrel Show; “dope beats dope rhymes what more yall want?”

Best Beat: “Katomate”

Best Song: “Karl Kani”

Best Moments: “SDCCAMtro” / Monday Night destroying everything on “Lost Feelings” / the background vocal layering on “Murray’s” / Fly’s verse on “Travolta Pt. IV” / “I see the future cause i’m part of that shit” / “Splinters”, just every element of it is a shock to the system