| Why this man hasn't received more recognition in the hip-hop/beat producer world is a mystery. He's as hard and funky as Mr. Oizo and as light and subliminal as Shadow or Spooky. The craftsmanship here is that of a master basement beat pioneer. Multi-tiered polyrhythms with abstract overtones make his beats luminous and perfectly compliment the appearing emcees; from spoken-word boss Hymnal, to Slug, Aceyalone, and super-sped Spoon (of Iodine). The standout vocal track is Buck 65's "Double Header" - an absolute apex for the producer and emcee alike, where feelings of loneliness, boredom, and frailty are hashed out over mutated baseball park melodies in a sample-heavy way. Buck 65 rattles off, "Atrophy's settin' in / Now I'm feelin' lonely mostly / Bells on Sunday got me feelin' holy ghostly / Who's drinkin' the booze? / Who's singin' the blues? / Hangman's messenger is bringin' the news," in his trademark ashy and tired vocal nonchalance. The diversity mustn't be overlooked, it's a crucial factor which sets Omid apart from everyone else. Besides his magical beat construction, this is where Omid deserves the most respect. It's as if he must've been planning these beats his whole life and the divine intervened to form one helluva pickup. Beat junkies, poets, emcees, and sorcerers alike will all find something here to groove to. Not enough can be said about Omid, really, except that with time he'd find his way into the upper echelons of beat making. This album is not only a great comp with an admirable selection of emcees rhyming over such delicately plotted instrumentals, but it's a revival for a genre growing quite stagnant; it's a statement that the underground independent hip-hop scene is thriving in undiscovered talent, which Omid couldn't state more boldly. - 30 Music |
2XLP/Out Of Print