Each individual emcee in C.O.R.E. can be compared to another established and well-respected emcee, but as a group, you might call them a slightly diluted mixture of Canibus and Jedi Mind Tricks. This four-track promo gives only a slight taste of what C.O.R.E.’s goals are in regards to revolutionizing hip-hop, as well as trashing your Eskimo stereotypes of Alaska. Even with good intentions to bring a true artistic meaning to their music (that is almost never grasped by the listener), a bad apple can and will always ruin the entire bunch–that’s just the reality in all music groups.
The promo truly consists of three original tracks, one being a live performance while the remaining two are studio-recorded. C.O.R.E.’s finest, Amin and Rasputin, keep the innovation flowing on “Roman Olympics”, the second cut on the tracklist. Just imagine Royce Da 5’9″ and a quick-spitting RZA collaborating over a beat with amazing samples by Emphasys. However, it’s not as mind-blowing as the text reads. The song seems as if it was recorded in the earlier days of C.O.R.E., as both emcees lack a chunk of the skill that they now have today, which is a solid, traditional flow. This joint comes to an end with an amazingly appropriate sample from the movie, Gladiator.
Rhyming and production step to a new level on “Savage Sapiens”, a joint filled with so much good and bad things it’s amazing and irritating simultaneously. Verbal Kent of the C.O.R.E. Alliance spits first, with a dope flow, but mediocre lyrics. Nonetheless, he’s a good asset to the group. He’s followed by D.I., a definite, mediocre emcee, then Amin with some mind-boggling lyrics and the Royce Da 5’9″ flow that has your jaw on the floor. Next up to bat is Ravenous, who makes the listener think he’s going to murder the track in the first third of his verse, but he somewhat “deteriorates” after that. The lines are rushed because he’s trying to pack too many syllables in at once. Lastly, is Rasputin, who has those lyrics that make you rewind the song to make sure you heard him right. While getting intellectually deep, he spits damaging punches like, “I stole the tongues of Jesus and Satan/ replaced them with organs and spoke through body language” and “kids worship me east-to-west like a dyslexic Buddhist” and lastly, “my IQ makes the smartest look retarded/ when I step on stage, emcees become escape artists”. As amazing or mediocre as each verse can be, they’re linked together by an embarrassing chorus that you’d expect to hear in a live performance due to how unrehearsed it sounded. It came across as several guys just screaming on the mic at once. Maybe that could have been better organized.
Personally, I would have tossed the live performances due to the poor quality, or added two more studio tracks. But if you decide to take a listen, you’ll see that the chorus on “Save Sapiens” (Live Performance Pt. 1) is appropriate, and the whole track sounds live enough to get a crowd hyped. Nevertheless, it was a good first attempt at something official, and will keep the attention of any underground head who’s looking for more unique hip-hop from a new spot in the US.
Reviewed By RhymeLife.Com for HipHopHotSpot.Com
