Education is not unfound in hip-hop music and emcee Asheru is one of hip-hop’s great teachers. Many will recognize the name either as the emcee behind The Boondocks theme song or from the highly-regarded debut album he created alongside brother Blue Black back in 2001. Since the creation of both aforementioned musical products, the emcee has been teaching arts and literacy across the United States, yet has managed to find the time to craft the album before you today: Sleepless In Soweto.
Asheru’s poise is unwavering across all boards; from intellect to vocal delivery to subject matter and beyond, Asheru’s intelligence breaches every bar and strives to educate every listener. On Sleepless In Soweto, Asheru focuses on the subject of Pan-Africanism, or unity amongst all Africans worldwide (as one united nation). Inspired by years in South Africa and general African history, culture and knowledge, the philanthropic emcee touches on the importance of values, African unity, the preponderance of knowledgeable citizens, individuality and much more.
Sonically, the album bears a similar cultivation of African themes as Asheru brings forth production engaging Afro-beat rhythms, instruments and cadences. Additionally, some of the featured artists – primarily Hip-Hop Pantsula and Wayna – hail from the African continent and HHP even raps in Zulu and Setswana. Notwithstanding, there is a heavy American hip-hop sound on the album that really takes center stage through un-syncopated drums, funky sampled rhythms and slick cuts.
The idea that this album is like a lecture is unwarranted as Asheru knows how to spit a rhyme like most other great rappers. Plus, the production isn’t all over the place our out of the realm of comfort that would make it odd sounding; in fact, the production is right on point and offers the perfect compliment to Asheru’s words of wisdom. Together, the beats and the rhymes go hand in hand and help the album sound whole.
Sleepless In Soweto finds Asheru returning to the mic doing what he does best and that is spitting with more purpose than just spitting fire. Messages are scripted in the lines of these raps and emotion is put into the instrumentals as Asheru hopes to open up listeners’ minds and explore a new schema about things. While I wouldn’t say there is anything that new heard on this record as compared to past projects by the emcee, there is definitely an altruistic mindset set forth to uplift the youth and others who need it. Also, the heavy African influence ties the whole album together in a commonality that is neither hidden or over-exposed. Asheru’s Sleepless In Soweto is just the right dose of head-nodding hip-hop and conscious, provocative poetic education.
7/10
Tracklisting:
1) Simphiwe’s Theme
2) Do U (feat. Hip Hop Pantsula, Omar Hunter & Teepee)
3) Funky D.C. (feat. Funk Ark & Sitali)
4) Clay Davis
5) Make Magic
6) Life After the Show (feat. Pro’verb, Kaygee & Hip Hop Pantsula)
7) Sleepless (feat. Heron Gibran, Dimes & Omar Hunter)
8) Last Days (feat. Hip Hop Pantsula & Kingpen Slim)
9) Love On the Go (feat. Omar Hunter & Hip Hop Pantsula)
10) Gauteng [Land of Gold] (feat. Raheem Devaughn)
11) It Ain’t Hard To Tell
12) No Matter Where You Go (feat. Wayna)
13) So Amazing (feat. Hip Hop Pantsula, Omar Hunter & Harrison Crump)
***Notable Mentions:
AB & 14KT: Saturn Return
Denmark Vessey & Scud One: Cult Classic
Marco Polo: PA2: The Director’s Cut
