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ABiCA takes hip hop music in a new direction.

Rap. I never really considered it to be music of much substance. I enjoy a rap song or two, but I never really considered it much more than music girls can shake their butts too. That was until I encountered the band ABiCA fr om Dekalb. At first, I was reluctant to give them a try as I was not a big fan of rap and I had thrown them in to carbon copy pile. My buddy convinced me to give them a chance I was definitely pleasantly surprised.

The album Numb (prelude) star ts of the catchy and memorable anthem entitled “My Kind”. The lyrics of the song are dead on, and set the tone for the album. You understand immediately where ABiCA stands; they make music for the average person. This is almost unheard of in modern hip hop. Lyrics like “another chapter gone and you know what I have written. So I speak to the other kind that don’t listen. I speak for the last resort of just wishin’ I speak for the things that are lost or went missin'” give the listener too much to comprehend in just one play through. Other songs like “Breakdown” What I’ve Become” and “How Much Can You Take” show the bands more rock/industrial style with strong distinct vocals over powerful distorted guitars and pulsating drums. The Trent Reznor inspired “When I Died” takes you into the mind of Hash as he tries to come to grips with his past, quite possibly a failed relationship.

The Highlights of the album I found were the more somber and slow paced entries. These tracks force the listener to slow down and listen to every word sang because they are delivered with such intensity. “HopeE2 I found to be particularly interesting song because the way the group compares sexual exploitation to drug addiction. It’s not often that a rap song makes me hit repeat so I can try to figure out what the duo is trying to communicate. The other memorable song was There It goes”, a narrative about losing something so important and watching it just slip away. You know that feeling when you listen to a song and it just clicks and you get chills running down your spine? That song did it for me, and it was powerful because I had a very similar experience.

Numb prelude is not an album for everybody, although there are a few more radio friendly songs, the vast majority of the album is much more musically and lyrically complex. The album superbly delivers to people who are looking for something more than straightforward, conventional rap, but people looking for something to put on repeat at a party may be disappointed.

Websites

MySpace.com/ABiCA

Release Date:

• 08/03/2009

Reviewer:

• Chris Golten