Even though this project was released last year, it’s officially 2013 now and what a better way to start off the new year than with some fresh new underground hip hop? Enter the world of the Bedlam Brethren and their first full length album, Black Feather Messengers.
This New York/New Zealand based hip hop trio, consisting of emcees Udi the Erratic Assassin, Cheating Deathand and producer Spearman, come swinging out the gate with 14 tracks of the Brethren’s own unique The Roots-meets-Cypress Hill sound. Dope rhyme schemes and clever wordplay flow freely over the dark & mysterious, yet soulfully optimistic beats of Spearman.
The third track “Zip Gun” starts out with a nice soul sample segueing into a minor, creepy vibe; but at 37 seconds it switches to an uplifting, more optimistic feel. I gotta give props to Spearman on this track and the entire project as a whole. Black Feather Messengers retains a cryptic and mysterious theme but some light and hope still manages to shine through.
You’ve got to hand it to Udi the Erratic Assassin and Cheating Deathand on the consistency of concept on this album, as well. Religious undertones such as Adam and Eve, the forbidden fruit and the serpent are subtly dropped in, giving the listener the impression that every track is inextricably linked to some greater theme much bigger than ourselves. It plays with your emotions – happy, then sad; hopeful, then scared; funny, then serious.
On “A Murder of Crows,” two separate stories are told and keep you captivated while Spearman holds it down with a simple drum track and an eery reverb-laden piano sample. “Purgatory Article” is another fine example of retaining the vibe of the album while delivering some killer lyrics that had me listening right until the very end.
“…find my underground sound in a bottle of crown Royal, struck all ya with my earth gave birth to turmoil…”
“…this rap Armageddon is not a marketing trend, so I’m arguing when will rappers be artists again…”
So as a new year is upon us, let us all take a cue from the Bedlam Brethren and their album, Black Feather Messengers and be cognizant of the fact that real hip hop is most certainly not dead, it just appears that way because it’s all buried underground. I personally am grabbing a shovel.
8/10
