Hell Razah
Heaven Razah

Written by Dominick. Published: Tuesday, October 19, 2010.

As underground Hip-Hop continues to move into a realm that explores much further the human condition and the broader questions that are posed toward our civilization, few emcees are talented enough to maintain an entire LP worth of music that can encompass so many of these new ideas. Sunz Of Man member and righteous solo artist in his own regard, Hell Razah is one such artist who DOES posess the skill and know how to do so. With his new album Heaven Razah, the Brooklyn bred lyricist gives the underground and Hip-Hop world at large a huge dosage of his unique brand of 5% mysticism, conspiracy-driven suppositions and quasi-religious inflections.

Things commence powerfully as “The Arrival” kick starts this excursion beautifully. Within the first 60 seconds alone Razah flexes more historic and deistic wisdom than you probably have heard in the past year combined. His densely packed verses are a constant throughout and while many of them might strike you purely as propaganda and/or scriptual speculation, I found quite a bit of his material is in fact rooted in lessons that ring true. “Negro Angelitos” follows the stirring intro and keeps the ecclesiastical and islamic references going strong, not to mention boasts a great soundscape courtesy of Dev 1; a somewhat unfamiliar production name, but one that you’ll be sure to remember after hearing his output here.

Most of Heaven Razah is indeed an in-depth meditation on other worldly occurances and the role of the the African American plight as it applies cosmically and historically. You’ll hear all the creation theories you can bear, none more brilliantly worked together than on the highly conscionable “Book Of Hell Razah”. On this aural treat we find our protagonist masterfully weaving together tons of profoundly spiritual barbs and metaphors, set to a wonderfully affecting beat from Rainmayqha. I find Razah’s ponderings of existence and prophecy the most interesting because there is no hesitation in his assertions. He delivers his proverbs with the same self assuredness and confidence as a street preacher for the Nation Of Islam in the 1930′s.

Although Razah dedicates most of his time on “Heaven Razah” to dictating and breaking down the science of many things social and dealing with the possibilities of our origin, he doesn’t get all the way removed from the classic traits that many Hip-Hop classics also contain. Littered throughout are sorted blaxploitation samples and citations, culminating on the aptly branded “Cinematic”, a joint that basically finds Razah dishing out as many of the long faded 70′s film genre’s title’s as he can.

“Kids In The Street” and “A Brooklyn Tale” also are examples of more tradtional hardcore rap fodder, composed of Razah’s vivid street imagery and pulp stories of Brooklyn boulevard’s and project lore. Riddled with genuine pain, “A Brooklyn Tale” resonates and quite possibly is the most sobering look at life within the hood I’ve heard in some time. Razah’s dramatic pennings wholeheartedly encapsulate much of what the struggle can be. Admirable work, but I’m afraid it left me yearning a lil’ bit for more of that good ole, timb and hoodie type of approach as Razah switched gears back into his decrying of the heavily shallow state of Hip-Hop.

Of course I can’t omit the fantastic guest spot that occurred on Heaven Razah when Hip-Hop’s resident wild (and wildly talented) man, R.A. The Rugged Man, drops in for a blisteringly technical verse on “Return Of The Renaissance”. Razah does a good job of just coasting along in his lane here and doesn’t attempt to challenge R.A.’s lyrical acrobatics much…kind of a disappointing move, but one I understand totally. I;m afraid that symptom did somewhat infect a few other instances on the album as well however, making Razah sound a tad bit un-inspired at some turns.

Things come to a close as boisterously and mythologically as they began as Razah takes us out on the solid ride that is “Armageddon”. He reiterates most of his principal themes over an adequately laced Havoc construction and throws out some menacing verses about the nature of evil within the world and it’s history, possibly hinting at where he thinks things are headed as well.

One of the reasons you should appreciate Hell Razah as an artist is because he’s not one to shy away from bearing his unique knowledge to others. He’s absolutely fearless in his direction, not a trait that many emcees embroiled in the hardcore scene have. Even if you found his oratory on Heaven Razah to be un-plausible or in conflict with your own belief systems in some way, you must respect the manner in which he presented his own. I might be in the minority, but I feel like this album is right on time in terms of what it’s main focal points were and the times we live in. Well, who am I kidding, lol, the conspiracy theorists and history buffs will probably be the primary listeners enticed with this, but Razah does do an admirable job of trying to reel in “average” heads in some spots. You won’t find any sunny repartee on this offering and that’s most likely by design..anyone who cannot contemplate their existence here in this plane, maybe this really won’t be your bag. Anyone else who wishes to explore the known and unknown, the divine, the omnipresent and perhaps the frightening side of humanity I would urge you to give this a shot. This Wu affiliate has combined the theistic with the artistic and come up wth something that is both aurally on time and largely cerebral….

$16.99 out of $20.00

-Dominick “”BIG D O” Ledezma

Category: Reviews