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(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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Looking at the exceptional artwork for the new Blestenation album, mBugout City, I was subjected to some foreshadowing of the hard/psychedelic themes on this record. We’ll Die seems to be a perfect opener for the album. Usually I expect an album intro, but I never like intros as they detract from the listening experience of a hip hop record. These guys get right into the business, with rock infused hip hop unlike most I am familiar with. I tried to do a little background googling of these newcomers to the big indie label Suburban Noize Records. They seem to be hard to find, not appearing on wikipedia, no photos or write up on myspace, and that leaves me with the impression that there is plenty more to learn about Blestenation as they just got signed. I managed to discover they are MCs Werdplay & Various, with Fafu on the 1s & 2s as well as record production.

My first impression of the record is that Blestenation would be extremely fun to see live. You never know until you see what kind of theatrics are in store for you, but regardless, the record seems to be full of energetic party tracks, even when the lyrical subject matter indicates a different vibe. The rock-rap fusion that they seem to have made their own brand leaves much to the imagination for live shows. Lots of distortion and guitar riffs to rap to for the fellas here. By track 3 you get angry to the extent that they present some fight music. Beat Em Up is no doubt a great song. The following track, Witness, is more my style. This one is still hard hitting like the previous several tracks, but it has a more chill vibe and the focus is more on the lyrics. They bring an aggressive, but no too overpowering confidence to the indie-rap game. Once the album reaches around the fifth track, Blackout, it chills out quite a bit and gets to a comfortable, collected mood in which they begin to drop serious knowledge. It’s in my opinion that when you rap you can either prove yourself to be brilliant or tough, and at times the guys display the traits of both. You can tell they have probably released a few albums under their belt from the professional aura the album has. Great production value always goes a long way.

Never See Em Crack calms down even further. This album was arranged in such a great manner, bringing you from the most aggressive track and slowly winding down to the less hyphy, more serious business. The subject matter is no less party material than the previous songs, but the tempo of the music slows down considerably. Just Walking By picks up slightly with the more cocky attitudes and distortion coming back in a little. If I were to expose any more of the details of the album, it would be a spoiler. I think any fan of hip hop should be convinced that by this point in the listening experience it is apparent that this is a dope well-kept secret of hip hop gold. With catchy, but not poppy vibes and hooks, Blestenation solidifies their place in my memory as a band to look for tickets to go see this summer. Let’s hope they tour this year!

Ghosts happens to have one of my favorite samples of the year thus far. The beats on this record are top notch, and the lyrics match the caliber of talent found in the production. Ghosts definitely has a different vibe overall from the previous tracks on the record, with a much slower roll than so far and a more serious attitude present here.

They’re Coming For You reminds me of a harder hitting Grayskul track. The darkness envelopes you while you listen to this cut, and the panning they use on the vocals is a trip. The drums hit so hard and make you feel as if they are trying to break shit. Apparently the lone banger at the center of this audio journey, the following couple songs have a similar darker overtone but the songs are still chilled out and not so in your fasce as the first part of the album. Sally is a very confusing song. The hook is unlike that of any other song I have ever heard, as they sing and diss tweekers on this cut. The orchestral samples in this beat as well as the cross fading evident at the end of the song makes this song memorable to me. It starts off odd and just gets interesting.

Around track 13 of 16, mBugout City begins to wrap up. Never Let Your Guard Down shows that the album has no intent to continue calming down. This song has some of the best lyrics on the entire disc, and that is a hell of a statement. I am typically hard to impress when I find that a new group has been introduced in my corner of underground culture, but they seem to have found a place to fit with a new style brought to the table. As we continue picking apart each track, you will find that the song Like It Or Not is truly rugged. The rock samples all over this record have still not gotten old, and the album still seems fresh and exciting at this point. In a Hurry seems to have a classic hip hop style beat and verbal delivery to it. I enjoy this song for what it is: hip hop. Abandoning the electric guitar samples that fill the rest of the album, this one just goes down as a normal ass hip hop slapper, and it is a really good track. The thing I noticed and enjoyed about this album that stood out, is that this album lacks an intro, outro, skits, interludes, etc. Just plain old music, exactly how albums are supposed to be. Permanent Scar is a cool, collected song. Excellent vocals, catchy beat loops, and just the wrap up you would expect for a typical hip hop album. Overall, Blestenation has made a mark on the Suburban Noize roster. I am making it a mission to tell my friends about this record, and that is not for any reason other than I just want them to be able to enjoy this cd. mBugout City, whatever that means, is a good record. I have no idea if it is their first, third, or sixth album to date, but keep an eye on Blestenation and hope they tour this summer.

Websites

MBCDigitalMusic.com
MySpace.com/Blestenation
SuburbanNoizeRecords.com

Record Label:

• Suburban Noize Records

Release Date:

• 04/13/2010

Reviewer:

• Buckeye Fresh