Souls of Mischief - Montezuma’s Revenge
Souls of Mischief, made up of rappers Opio, Tajai, A-Plus, and Phesto and members of the legendary Hieroglyphics crew, haven’t blessed the hip-hop world with an album since 2000’s Trilogy: Conflict, Resolution, Resolution and are a good 16 years removed from their classic release 93 ‘Til Infinity. When you factor in that Hieroglyphics haven’t released an album since 2003, the sound of these four MCs together again is most welcome, especially for the new-material starved Hiero fans, a rabid, passionate fan base that continues to pack the house wherever Hiero goes. With their new release Montezuma’s Revenge, the crew recruits legendary producer Prince Paul to bring the heat (and his trademark skits) on the boards, and longtime Hiero producer Domino and SOM members Opio and A-Plus contribute to the album’s production as well.
The album is vintage Souls of Mischief, with the added bonus of cohesion that Prince Paul brings on his projects. Although this isn’t strictly a Prince Paul-produced album, his fingerprints are all over it. “Proper Aim” and “For Real Ya’ll” are two of his best beats that appear on the album. A testament to Paul’s skill is his ability to cater his sound to SOM’s strengths, which he did for a number of beats on this album. The chemistry is undeniable, as “For Real Ya’ll” sounds like it could be found on earlier Hieroglyphics albums. As a matter of fact, most of the beats from the album, with the exception of “Won!” sound like they could be found on Third Eye Vision. “Tour Stories” by Domino is undeniably a tribute to the classic Hieroglyphics sound, a sound that he helped create. The album’s producers manage to stick to a formula that has worked very well for SOM in the past, and they adeptly stuck with it without sounding like they’re still stuck in the 90’s.
Thanks to very strong production, the MCs have the necessary foundation upon which to spit nice rhymes over, in turn making the album that much more enjoyable. Opio’s flow has been one of hip-hop’s best kept secrets, and it’s on full display on Montezuma’s Revenge. Fresh off of his solo album, 2008’s Vulture’s Wisdom, Vol 1, Opio is arguably the sharpest rapper in the crew. Not to be outdone, the rest of SOM doesn’t slouch, as they all go in on “Proper Aim.” “Fourmation” is a lot of fun, as it takes the concepts behind Jay-Z’s “22 Two’s” and “44 Four’s” and Common’s “Communism” by applying “four/for/fore/” in as many ways possible throughout the song.
With the beats and lyrics on point, there’s not a whole lot to hate with this album. There are a few slipups, such as “Poets“ and “Lickity Split.” “Poets” does incorporate influences from older Hiero production, but the sampled hook is a miss. “Lickity Split” kind of brings the album down as SOM each detail how fed up they are with their current significant others. A breakup song on this album is out of place, and the hook of “I’m sick of this b****” isn’t enjoyable. Luckily, these two holes are nowhere near big enough to sink this ship. Despite the scattered, inconsistent, under-promoted works that have come out of the Hieroglyphics Imperium over the last few years, Montezuma’s Revenge sticks out for all the right reasons, as Souls of Mischief picks up right where they left off on their acclaimed earlier works without missing a beat. It’s definitely a Souls of Mischief album lyrically and sonically, with a Prince Paul twist that works wonderfully and begs for future collaborations.
4 out of 5 hearts
Standout tracks:
Proper Aim
Tour Stories
For Real Ya’ll
By: Freddie C.
You can purchase the Souls Of Mischief's, Montezuma Revenge here .
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