It seems that the year 2001 is the year of which a number of hip-hop bands hit the big time with a style and sound really unlike anything heard before. Spooks are one of these bands. Spooks are 4 MCs who all hail from the Eastern half of the US, (Mr Booka-T aka Bookaso, Water Water aka Aqua Dinero, Hypno, J.D. aka Vengeance) one vocalist(Ming-Xia) and a live band on a lyrical and musical mission to boldly take hip hop where it damn well oughta be by now. “On stage and on cd, Spooks come armed with intelligence, insight, inspiration and the desire to shake the status quo up with a sound and a fury that is unmistakably their own.” If I was to try to describe Spooks style it would be like combining the lyrics and attitude of the west coast mixed with the sound and rhythm of Massive Attack or Enigma, which obviously sets the standard for some chilled out hip-hop beats (However you cant help but feel the obvious trip-hop influences)! The Spooks have a permanent vocalist. Wow.
S.I.O.S.I.S Vol 1 is the debut album from the Spooks, it is expected that you will only have heard of one track from the album, the highly successful ‘Things Ive Seen’ but trust me, this is only a sample of the greatness that reeks from this album. The eerie sound of The Spooks adds to the originality of each track, haunting your ears with ghostly and spooky chants which will send shivers down your spine. ‘Thing’s I’ve Seen’ is a grand demonstration of the talents that the Spooks possess, cunning, clever and this time with a fairly easy going, mellowed beat. It presents some fantastic beats and lyrics which will have those of you who seek sounds that are fresher than the average hip hop number jumping for joy…Even acclaimed actor Laurence Fishburne has rejected other more favourable artists for the Spooks to provide a number of tunes for his upcoming movie ‘Once In A Life’ of which ‘Things I’ve Seen’ will play a massive part in the soundtrack.
However, you will instantly fall in love with a number of the other tracks from the album, especially if like me you bought the album purely on the strength of ‘Thing’s Ive Seen.’ ‘Karma Hotel’ is a classic in its self which again moves away from the stereotypical hip-hop to a more chilled vibe, and will make for a number of late night listens. ‘Swindleys Maracas’ has a more Latino feel to it as it combines millennium hip-hop with old style Spanish folk tunes. ‘I Got U’ is quite an up-beat joint yet still holds that eerie Spooks style that after listening to the album you will come to love and respect. The Skits alone are worth a listen in which all the group are head-hunted to separate their talents (Trust me…Just listen!) The Spooks will shake you up with their eerie sounds and spooky rhyming styles.
Overall if you want a change from your average hip-hop to something more chilled yet still pushing hip-hop roots then Spooks are a group for you. ‘SIOSIS‘ mixes a number of different style (Something that I haven’t heard since The Fugee’s Refugee Camp Album!) and yet still manages to keep all the tracks in sync with their own special Spooky feel. If this is any indication of where hip-hop is headed then this reviewer is definitely going to be onboard till the final destination! 2001 – SIOSOS Stands for “Spooks is on some other script” and there’s nothing but truth in that.
Track Listing:
1. Other Script
2. The Mission
3. Things I’ve Seen
4. They Don’t Know
5. I Got U
6. Flesh Not Bone
7. Sweet Revenge
8. Deep Cutz
9. Karma Hotel
10. Safe House
11. Something Fresh
12. Swindley’s Maracas
13. B**** Blood
14. Murder
Reviewed By Hip Hop Network for HipHopHotSpot.Com
