Spins: Album reviews

D.Black – Ali’Yah

Artist: D.Black
Title: Ali’Yah
Label: Sportn’ Life Records/MYX Music
Genre: Hip-Hop/Soul

Seattle’s D.Black is to hip-hop what Obama is to politics. A true rarity among hip-hop artists, Black uses razor sharp lyricism to force the listener to look inward and make some positive changes within themselves. On his sophomore album Ali’Yah, D.Black creates hip-hop that aims straight for the gut with luscious head-nodding production from beatmakers such as Jake One and Vitamin D, and compelling lyrics that speak with truth and clarity. This is hip-hop as it is meant to be: crafted with intelligence to move the body, mind and soul.

Ali’Yah works on several levels. On first listen, the beats will grab your attention. Each track bumps with gritty funk and soul such as on the irresistible “Yah Have Mercy”, or the menacing “The Return.” But much like fellow Seattle native Choklate (who shows up on standout track “I Believe”) Black is more interested in finding the right balance between banging beats and meaningful lyrics. “Keep On Going” feels like one of Obama’s campaign speeches, with Black turning his precise tounge towards the actions of the black community. “What have we done?/we kill each other one by one/And it isn’t even caused by a gun/it’s caused by what we’ve become – young” Black professes over the accessible groove. Yet he balances out the finger pointing sermon by offering words of motivation. “We gotta keep on pushing/we gotta keep on going/you know we can’t stop moving/you know we can’t stop growing.” Black never places himself above the wrongdoers, including himself always as both a part of the problem and a part of the solution, and as such the album never becomes preachy or sentimental. Loaded with stories of heartache and pain, triumph and struggle, D.Black calls to mind MCs of days past but his sound and flavor are truly modern. The track “Yesterday” even warns about dwelling on the past and to instead look forward, making choices that push us all into the future. D. Black’s delivery remains nimble throughout the album, keeping the sound rooted in hip-hop, despite the flourishes of soul that swirl around it.

For his use of gritty Dilla-esqe hip-hop and truly meaningful social commentary in his lyrics, D.Black has seemingly come out of nowhere to drop one of the best records of the year. Lovers of good music with a message behind the groove, take note. D.Black has brought some much needed depth back to hip-hop.

- Norman Mayers

www.myspace.com/dblackmuzik
www.myxmusiclabel.com/

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