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Review
from REBIRTHMAG.com:
ROUNDTABLE
MC's - SD Chargers EP / Neck Exersize / Music Type: Hip Hop
/ Artist Origin: San Diego, CA
Straight
up, I have no clue who these guys are. They're obviously from
San Diego, and they came to drop some solid hip-hop for you
on this EP. While it's a whole twelve tracks, we only hear four
vocal tracks, a few "scratch" interludes, and a lot of instrumentals.
Who cares, right? Just as long as it's good music, length doesn't
matter - in a general sense. So as we delve into the latest
of few groups coming out of San D, think about the last truly
dope gear you've heard. Now then, turn on the first song, "SD
Chargers." How long did it take you to forget about that song
I asked you to think about? Took me about ten seconds, give
or take a few. Nice keyboard and horn samples bring you into
the premier joint, and the group spits the chorus in unison
to start it off. Then comes the lyricism. Taking turns burning
the microphone in front of them, they rip it mad style. The
Roundtable MC's remind me a lot of Hieroglyphics, with good
chemistry and knowledgeable lyrics. It's evident that the song
will use the metaphor of football (see the title?), and they
do a great job of coming off with some high class hip-hop for
your domepiece. "Voice booms break decibels / leaving welts
/ from six-nineteen to Orion's belt." Hells yeah, represent
your home, "From El Cajon west to Mission Bay." After a little
DJ mission on "Scratch #1," we move on to "Sight Through Sound."
Here the Roundtable cats bring us a dope guitar beat, and once
again come with the chorus all together. Switching back and
forth between turns on the mic; they bring it nice with a slower,
yet hardcore style that truly is off the hook. They really work
together as a team, and it shows why they bring it like the
Chargers. As they say, "Your ears become your eyes" on this
one. Following is "Mad Mad World," one of the best joints on
the EP. The cool electric guitar in the back, coupled with the
bass/snare combo, makes for a powerful punch. Once again, it's
all about teamwork here. They make a nice change by flipping
up the beat a little bit on different verses. Nice versatility.
It might be a mad, mad world, but the flavor that these guys
drop will definitely make you forget about all that nonsense
out there. True hip-hop. A short "Scratch #2" comes up next,
and then goes into some more instrumentals from the San D crew.
One of the instrumentals that does not have a vocal version
on the album is "Lobe Optics," which is, well, ill like all
the others. It's more of an interlude though, at a short forty-two
seconds. The last full vocal on the EP is "Planet Panic." The
apocalyptic beat reminded me automatically of Chicago crew Rubberoom
the first time I heard the song. The symphonic sounds of the
synth, and the interesting drum combination bring out the dark
side of this cut. It seems that only one of the Roundtable crew
raps on this track as far as I can tell. The title says it all
though; it's mad creepy and will remind you of movies like Apocalypse
Now. But the MC lets you know that he's not having all this
negative bull, but he will "Choose to stand tall / for righteousness
will never ever fall." Now that's some of that good isht, kids.
Rounding out the EP is another instrumental. "Arctic Battles"
showcases some great music, stuff you can bump even without
any lyrics. So after knocking out a few interludes, several
vocal songs, and several instrumentals, we have come to the
end of the SD Chargers EP. And at the end, I'm honestly reminded
that it is true - hip-hop has not failed. When crews can get
together, rap positively, and find true coherence in both music
and in the group itself, you really know that the revolution
is alive. Roundtable MC's really do deliver on this EP, bringing
great hip-hop from a land that was once known only for it's
guns, drugs, and gangsters. To the Roundtable MC's: Keep it
up. To the listener: Why are you still sitting here reading?
Go out and get this EP now. Oh, and if you know anything about
these cats, please let us in on it. Ê Copyright mBa grafixz
and 23 degrees media
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