Hieroglyphics
Third Eye Vision
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Oakland's Hieroglyphics are a nine-man rap conglomerate – Del the Funky Homosapien, Souls of Mischief (A-Plus, Opio, Tajai, Phesto), Casual, Domino and the Prose (Pep Love and Jaybiz) – that crystallized as an indie unit after their members' individual major-label deals went sour. This corporate rhyme merger represents another slice of Northern California's wildly fertile underground hip-hop scene. But where their Bay Area neighbors (Latyrx, Invisibl Skratch Piklz and DJ Shadow) are coming on a more abstract tip, the Hieroglyphics are seasoned battle rhymers, MCs who bounce doper-than-thou lyrics off microphones like martial artists pummeling sandbags. On Third Eye Vision,
Read More their self-released collective debut, Hieroglyphics conjure the buzz of live rap-to-rap combat over beefy tracks that were produced by various members of the group. Unlike that other rap big band, the Wu-Tang Clan, Hieroglyphics are more about tradition than innovation, and while they lack stylists as distinctive as, say, Method Man or Ol' Dirty Bastard, there are no weak links here. On tracks like "The Who" and "Mics of the Round Table" ("Hobnobbin' with hobgoblins/Drinkin' blood out of golden goblets/Waitin' for us to throw the gauntlet"), they stretch the boundaries of old-school rapping. They might want to consider extending their subject matter a bit beyond issues of rhyme skill. But with their unflagging team spirit and a love of hip-hop that is obviously miles deep, Hieroglyphics make Third Eye Vision hum with a power greater than the sum of its already formidable parts. (RS 782) WILL HERMES |
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