I stumbled upon Hprizm when his label, Don Giovanni Records, sent me an e-mail that more or less said, “We thought you might like this.” It turns out that I did, as Hprizm’s Magnetic Memory is one of the most intriguing rap records I’ve heard in a long while.
Combining slick beats with electro bleeps, def(t) sampling, and assured vocals, the album covers topics ranging from waking up from illusions to economic inequality. The opening track, “Keep Pushing,” reveals Hprizm’s MC skills in ways that will leave you dumbfounded. Lion roars and slightly industrial synths loop throughout “Infusion” as Hprizm mentions “America’s nightmare, us waking up.” “Resuscitate” mixes jazz saxophone and frantic, choppy beats with Hprizm unloading fierce rhymes you can barely follow because they rush by you like a speeding car. They barely slow down on “Waking Them Up,” in which he speaks of using prayer, fasting, and meditation to move beyond his earthly trappings and how he had to cut out negative people in his life to spiritually grow.
“G11 Forever” has a ghostly tone that I like, and the message of “Break the Body Down” (how fear, depression, and hate ultimately will destroy you) is even better. “Up from the Flames” boosts this message, bringing to mind a phoenix rising from the ashes, and the flute solo on it is outstanding. “F08 Soul” is a psychedelic shout-out to black Americans to remember their history and to all of us non-black folks to face our history and own up to it.
The horror movie-lie organs of “Asia (Adrenaline)” give way to snap-crackle-pop beats and rave whistles and Hprizm warns against those who “put fame over skill.” “What’s Worth What” is a quick sample track that flows into “And Bet” – a track that will get your head nodding and toes tapping. “And still I’m standing’ after the storm,” Hprizm declares at the beginning of “After the Storm.” “Strap it, ’cause it’s a wild ride,” he says. It’s a fitting bit of advice for the entire album, not just this song. The closer, “Electric Ladyland,” has the distorted guitar riffs you’d expect, but lots of choppy beats and mentions of “talking heads talkin’ to the walking dead.” It, and the album, ends with backward-looped guitar chords fading into a sharp drop.
This is a great record full of stuff that will take you months, if not years, to discover all of it.
Keep your mind open.
[I’d get an adrenaline boost if you subscribed.]
