Check out the homie Two Feathers’ opinions on the recently released album effort by AceWonda and Cymarshall Law, ‘Crossroads’, which Law produced himself. You can then check the project at the end of the review and form your own opinion.
Indie Hip-Hop the way God intended
New Jersey MCs Cymarshall Law & AceWonda come together for a solid effort on their new collaborative project appropriately entitled, ‘Crossroads’. I want to start by addressing the fact that both of these guys have very distinct voices and deliveries. These sound like polished emcees. I promise we will get to the good stuff, but it needs to be said up front, these dudes can rhyme. Cymarshall Law has an infectious tone and a distinct rasp that at times sounds reminiscent of Talib Kweli to his benefit. His cadences are fluid and original and his ability to glide effortlessly between imaginative staccato raps and memorable harmonies is applaudable to say the least. Lyrically he shines throughout as well, with a keen attention to detail and the constant creation of strong visual narratives. Fellow Jersey MC AceWonda has a more reserved approach but it is no less effective. His calm and focused delivery is smooth as glass, each word accentuated and fully pronounced in a way that adds depth to the song. Ace shines with a quiet lyricism. Word pictures painted with not a word wasted. His clean lines alongside the abstract explorative efforts of Law’s voice and cadence creates a fun listening experience in that aspect alone.
The production of the project is as varied and creative as the MCs rhyming over it though the bulk of the project is the traditional pairing of thoughtful samples and hard beats. At times the production, in both beats, rhymes and tone overall reminds me of artists like Last Emperor and Hieroglyphics but I mean that in the absolutely best way possible as I am a huge fan of both. The sample choices are very unique on tracks like, “Hero”, which chops minimal drums over a subtle banjo sample to great effect. The soulfully sang hook really helps drive the very personal song about two boys’ struggle through adolescence and the saving grace of a parent figure. The haunting strings sampled over the minimal drums on, “Selfish”, creates another stand out experience on the project. Cymarshall Law harmonizes through the memorable hook complete with his signature rasp on the self-conscious ballad of self-love, creating introspective lines like “Sometimes I gotta be selfish, cause everybody don’t deserve a part of me/self-love is the best love, they tried harmin’ me, I’m tryna live in harmony”. The topics range from club records to battle bars but between those and the ones I have mentioned other memorable songs come along that include the racially charged, “They Lied”, in which the MC reflects on the plight of African Americans in America. Memorable lines include “It ain’t fair, we was born to be winners, but when they see us, murderous thugs and killers/I won’t waste my life, not today, cause you could be innocent and still be locked away”.
The Crossroads is a solid collaborative effort from both MCs. The bars and cadences are creative and insightful, the beats are unique and engaging, the themes and concepts are well done and effective and it is just plain fun to listen to. If I had any critiques, I would say that I wish there were a couple more complete songs with hooks and fully fleshed out concepts. There are too many free verses added together without any hook or concept for my personal taste but I will say that all of the verses are solid and it’s still fun to listen to as is, I would just say in the future I would like to see the project a little more developed. I also hope the next project uses a better sound engineer because the mixing and mastering was less than optimal and at times it does distract from the overall dopeness. Other than those few small comments, I really think it makes a great addition to any indie Hip-Hop fan’s collection and I myself have played it in its entirety three or four times!!
