| To some “Displacement” may seem similar to a mannequin in a clothing store window; lifeless, cold and inanimate. To me, it comes off like a nuclear power plant. Its sound is so powerful, dirty, grimy, industrial and very apocalyptic. There’s a fantastic balance of crashing drum patterns mixed with minimal type sounds that make this 15 track LP complete. Following in the same vein as Company Flow’s “Funcrusher Plus,” “Displacement” is a complex magnum opus of beats and rhymes and sets the hip-hop bar higher than ever. Sleeper, who provides the production, creates damaged soundscapes that are incredibly evocative and meticulously designed. He then minimally obscures them with overdriven bass lines and distorted drum loops. Sleepers’ style of production is very heavy and passionate, expressing a level of individualism sorely missing in hip-hop today. On the lyrical side of things, iD is a straightforward emcee. What I mean is, he does flow but you are not going to hear a forced style or gimmick when hearing ID. When he spits, it’s straight for the jugular vein and more about substance rather than style. Each word he spews employs a distinct type of wordplay and conviction few MCs can match like on the track “Entropy”: “This came to me like a blister, On calloused hands, After so much work the skin cracks, That’s when I get my chance for payback”. With determined verses like this, iD gathers your attention and does more of this on “Balance”. Here he briefly describe how changing ones “ID” (no pun intended) makes no sense; in other words, be yourself: “I could have been a million people on this beat, But why not breathe and be just me? I’m done with speaking up and trying to teach you love, I just talk at you as I’m walking away, And merging with alternate ways, To earn my hits page by page.” Now after this hefty serving of rhymes, you won’t be full yet. You’ll still have room for dessert in the track “Hungry.” It starts off spacey and has an ethereal vibe that remains persistent throughout the track. It lays the foundation for iD to spit tight rhymes with relative ease and skill. Check out these lyrics: “I sit in my room, Thoughts consumed, Try not to worry about personal things, Now, but stay in tune, I’m in no hurry to work the scheme out, Right and full proof I perfect the swing.” This joint hands down is the tightest cut on the album. In the end, you’ll know you’ve just heard some good music. The lyrical complexity of iD coupled with the incredible production beginning to end by Sleeper, blend to create a fine piece of hip hop music. It’s industrialized beauty. - Insomniac |
1XLP/Out Of Print