REVIEW: Sixo’s “Free Floating Rationales”
The term “alternative hip-hop” has been floating around since the early 90′s to describe the type of rap music that may not be hip or part of the current mainstream. Me’Shell NdegeOcello proudly said in the booklet of her 1993 debut album that “the alternative to hip-hop is silence”. It may sound big headed to think that, but while I know and understand the different variations of the music, sometimes all that is needed is simplification of what is heard, which may bring more people into hearing what is being presented. As Sixo, Scotty Trimble is someone who has done things differently in his career, although one has to wonder if it’s the music they’re listening to or the different MC’s that come across his tracks. Free Floating Rationales (Fake Four Inc.) is a mixture of tight instrumentals and vocalized tracks. On the vocal size, if you like the works from the Anticon crew, cLOUDDEAD, Reaching Quiet, Wordburglar, or Jesse Dangerously, these tracks will definitely be pleasing to you as they are funky, quirky, and nerdy when they have to be. Ceschi and Hologram Dagger contribute to “Blind Coats” and the sound could have easily been something from the Latryx catalog. The superfresh LEIF (kolt) gets deep and dope with the very nice “Rocker John” and as for the Anticon influnce, my online godfather Sole supplies some words of wisdom in “Government Bonds”, continuing on fighting the good fight he has done over the years to let people know about the deceit being passed to the general public as being “for the people”. Moka Only delivers a bag with some unknown substances to Sixo and comes up with “Paper Pathway”, and anyone who has been a Moka fan will not be let down by this track. The instrumentals here could… no, should be taken by many of today’s top notch MC’s and turned into some great music. Just make sure Sixo gets paid for it, okay?
Sixo: one of my favorite producers out now, teaming up with MC’s who are some of my favorite rappers of the last few years. This may very well be your hip-hop dream lineup and if it isn’t, reconsider your agenda. This is just damn good music, and while the hip-hop Illuminati might cry blasphemy because they feel this style of music is Illuminati to hip-hop, all I can say is fuck them. This album is far better than the constipated shit that’s stuck up the industry’s anus and being passed off as the real shit. Yeah, it’s shit alright, but not this.
What do you think?