EQ
Out The Ashtray Of L.A.

Written by Dominick. Published: Saturday, November 13, 2010.

The Hip-Hop climate of L.A. has always been alluring…In the 90′s and the aughties many an artist lavished their video’s with imagery adorned in the excess that pervades the southland en masse. Beautiful women of every flavor, palm trees, sun washed beaches and people from all over the world were about as everyday as the smog and gridlocked traffic. There was and still is another side of L.A. however, as all of us that watch the news know full well. That underbelly that exists but often is ignored or minimized now has a formal soundtrack to go along with it in the music of emcee EQ. His new album, the adroitly titled Out The Ashtray Of L.A. is a type of retroactive shunning of his city’s glossy veneer and a fitting first foot in the door that you simply shouldn’t miss.

Los Angeles’ underground scene has always been a strong one and it’s filled with many, very willing artists that I’m sure would’ve loved to be apart of this project. That’s why it’s somewhat interesting that the majority of the guest spots on Out The Ashtray Of L.A. are retained by emcees from back east. The overall sound of the album is also pretty drenched in the typical boom bap aural resonance that one would usually associate with the tri-state as well. It’s almost like you’d expect EQ to be from somewhere in the northeast after listening to the production he selected, but no, in fact he is a son of the city of angels and honestly I don’t think I’ve heard a better west coast take on a traditionally east coast standard since the days of when guys like DJ Muggs was lacing those first couple of Cypress Hill albums.

The album embarks upon it’s journey with an absolutely laced Intro that features Apathy performing a nice lil’ drop and EQ giving us a first helping of what would be a 24 course meal of his rather abstruse rhyming style. Within the first several bars it didn’t seem much like he was going to outright be dazzling, but as his verse progressed his talent became a bit more apparent. As we move into “Let It Speak For Itself” and “This Ain’t New To Me” our protagonist’s formula grows more outward…his production ear is strong and biased toward harder drums and minimalist sample sources, while his rhymes spare no bluntness or relatable barbs concerning the plight of an all around underdog.

By now we’ve been primed for the album’s first tantilizing tracklisting blip; “Shits On Lock”, that combines EQ’s distaste for all things “crunk” and “jiggy”. Over a rolling, string laden and neck snapping Deaf Switch/Toon Kurtis-produced joint EQ goes one verse for one verse with Philly’s heir apparent to Beanie Siegel and Vinnie Paz, the brutally up to snuff, Reef The Lost Cauze. Here EQ slid a tad in my book…that may be due simply to the fact that most emcees don’t exactly come off sounding like Kool G Rap next to Reef, but then again it could be something else too. That type of puzzling absence of the “it” factor does tend to peak out in sorted moments. I experienced it more so on tracks like “Coast To Coast”, “Boomdock Saints” and “Henny And Jack Don’t Mix”. Not really too sure what I could pinpoint as the exact defect with these, but I will say that sometimes it seems like when EQ trys to wear his voice a lil’ too much and/or get too ambitious with his subject juggling it does not translate all that well.

Sure there were some sorta un-polished junctures, but as advertised, for the most part, if your seeking a very well produced and engineered effort “Out The Ashtray Of L.A.” will be spot on for your money. I also can wholeheartedly say that there were some really great solo lyrical performances that EQ turned in that stand out decidedly. “Bring Back Raw” is a scathing charge lobbed squarely at the consciousness of half assed emcees and rap outfits. Moreover, the harrowing genesis-tale “My Life”, with it’s affecting narrative of EQ’s embattled past coupled with a perfectly somber vocal sample also is a very worthy, unaided piece. EQ seems very capable in large pockets and “It Just Ain’t The Same” again flexes that same, somber type of finesse that he applies very well.

My highlight moment of the entire jaunt is sort of a sleeper. No, it’s not the action packed and star studded “Check The Perspective” or the sincerely bumpable “Gutter”, but in truth rather, the reflective and genuinely real “Back In The Days”. This feel good, airy composition produced by The Hitfarmers and featuring Visionaries members Zen and Dannu is a knockout ‘get your reminisce on with ya boys’ kind of swing. Bittersweet and rich in expression the trials of all three artists are recited with captivating precision while they look hopefully to the future, providing a very real template for all of us in the process.

EQ has to be thoroughly satisfied with his first outing as a part of the L.A. Hip-Hop landscape. He’s put forth a presentable debut that not only contains a pretty proper slew of professional guest talent, conjointly he managed not to lose his voice throughout the canter. Out The Ashtray Of L.A. isn’t an album that contains the more and more familiar fun in the sun, beach cruisin’ music that’s appropriate for iPod’s on Rodeo Drive or clubbing downtown. In stark contrast to what many might derive from a Kardashian crazed, gang culture celebrating land of part-time actors and full-time hard cases, EQ has supplemented the values of true blue hardcore Hip-Hop complete with rugged, unapologetically indurated beats and rhymes onto a musical locality that is hungry for a new voice. Out The Ashtray Of L.A. overachieves in that familiar way that most indie, out of nowhere gems do, but the main difference is the varnish it contains. It’s mixed and mastered properly, the vocals are all recorded very well and that lil’ bit of extra studio magic isn’t over done…it’s just right. That extra eye for detail along with an adequate enough penchant for rhyme pushes this endeavor over the top.

$17.00 out of $20.00

-Dominick “BIG D O” Ledezma

Category: Reviews