Canibus
C Of Tranquility

Written by Dominick. Published: Saturday, October 23, 2010.

There’s a lot of redemption that goes down on this album and that’s a great thing. Canibus has languished for years with the stigma that he’s not living up to the hype assigned to him as a budding young mega lyricist all those years ago. Having had various project’s succumb to wayward directives and of course, yeah there was that whole joining the army thing, he’s probably most fondly remembered as the cat that brought it something fierce to Uncle L, hung out with Iron Mike, beefed with Wyclef and then made up with Wycelf. Overall there’s always a certain luster missing from Bis’s career. His new album “C Of Tranquility”, is perhaps the starting point for the latter half of Bis’ revival.

The main thing that sets “C Of Tranquility” apart from Germaine’s past contributions is the fact that it doesn’t seem like he just ran through the crib of every random producer he knew and grabbed up the beats they didn’t mind giving away for free. On the contrary, the production lineup on this LP is the best that Canibus has EVER had. Yup, better than “Can-I-Bus” and better than the wonderfully-produced “Rip The Jacker” from 8 years ago. I know many Stoupe fans will undoubtedly differ, but before they do, they’d be well advised to peep the array of legendary talent that was involved in this aural excursion. From longtime legends like Premier, Domingo and D.R. Period to the current ruling class of beat masters like Jake One, Scram Jones and J-Zone, there’s little doubt that indeed Bis took some careful consideration over the sound of this album and as one that’s been there to see some of his other works get wrecked by the lack of a comfy sound bed, I appreciate the extra do diligence in the selection process and conversely these big wig’s willingness to shore up a veteran in the game.

No Canibus album is complete without his trademark pin pointedly abstruse delivery and that again shows up here. Proof in the pudding no doubt are tracks like the intensely worded “Lunar Deluge” and “Cingularity Point”; a guitar blessed joint that Bis actually carries to a height far above it’s somewhat one-dimensional construction. There are frequently moments when I got chills listening. The Domingo laced “Pine Cone Poem” is when everything came together and Bis was able to weave his wordplay wonderment at maximum levels while accompanied by an infectiously good banger that is sure to contaminate your body with the urge to move. Another dazzling highlight chases right after that intensity, as we get the philosophically challenging “Good Equals Evil”; a sequence in which our individual conceptions of right and wrong are cosmically challenged by Bis’s uniquely unbiased outlook over a splendidly melancholy type of beat from one of this album’s newer beatmaking name’s; Martin.

The marquee cut you’ll find here is one that all of the Ron G and DJ Clue fanatics have been waiting on and anticipating since the time they first heard Bis bless the mixtape circuit back in the 90’s. Teamed with one of the most, if not thee most celebrated drum machine fondlers ever in DJ Premier, Canibus ejects historical, bruising and technically apt Hip-Hop vernacular with acute precision. Maybe he wears his voice a bit too gruffly here, but other than that, I can’t see anything even remotely not ill about “Golden Terra Of Rap”. It’s something that I feel will have a good deal of lasting power as the years progress, a signature cut amongst a pile of really good music that Bis composed for us.

There aren’t any “bad” joints whatsoever and the man’s supporters can wholeheartedly hype this. He’s operating on a higher level nowadays, putting together complex streams of rhyme scheme at a rate that even his former on-point self would probably give a nod of approval to. “Merchant Of Metaphors” has it all…the right tone, perfect flow, an enthralling abstract story and a beat that fits flawlessly. Subject matter for this album is another laudable aspect. Bis is fearless in the direction’s he’s willing to still take lyrically and while he does seem to do up the conspiracy and cryptic driven lines with the greatest competence, he’ll touch on subjects that are far more common once in awhile and catch you before you fall into a daze. Still, when he delves into intricately diagrammed performances like “Title 17 USMC” the nerd in me totally perks up, recognizing the true mastery in what I’m hearing.

As good as “C Of Tranquility” is as a whole, and that’s really friggin’ good, it wasn’t perfect. Bis’ got sidetracked late in the mix, and “Right Now”, to me just doesn’t keep the product’s total sound intact. I’m not entirely sure why he chose to integrate that into the tracklisting, but to me it didn’t work itself into the fray over time and took away from the album as a whole. Aside from that single arrangement qualm, on the technical tip Bis performed exceedingly well, as expected, but one thorn in my side throughout was the variation in his voice from track to track. He would sound like the Canibus of 98’ in one spot, then morph into an inaudible, gruff sounding twin two tracks later. Certainly it’s not a make or break infraction by any means, but it is noticeable. I’m sure it’ll irk some more than others, personally my irritation was minimal.

Undoubtedly Canibus has truly lived up to his vaunted potential here and we might just be witnessing him jumping on the turnpike, preparing to re-enter NYC here. “C Of Tranquility” is inventive; You know you thought that phone-in interlude that begins with J-Zone saying “I’m Not Mike Tyson..” was bananas, intellectual; spitting rhymes about a theory like intelligent design and still coming off as down as ever, and possibly most importantly musically right; the beat assembly was by far one of the strongest put together on any LP dropped this year. We haven’t always been lucky enough to have Bis around in this culture with the utmost frequency, which is disappointing because he brings so much to the table just by being him. Notwithstanding, I am pleased to see that his heart hasn’t strayed too far from his roots. This LP is undeniably a hallmark in his career and congruently is also a real signal of hope for true heads that artists still can make a deeply wordy album and lace it with great beats and not lose any respective ‘crowd’ in the process. “C Of Tranquility” harkens back to when Hip-Hop seemed so much more boundless and MC’s could and would highlight their strengths as writers with wisely chosen production avenues. Bis didn’t have to re-invent anything about himself, he just needed to bring back his original brand.

$17.50 out of $20.00

-Dominick “Big D O” Ledezma

Category: Reviews