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Zion I - The Take Over
| Vibe |
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This much we know: Zion I’s formula for crafting indelible underground hits for the past decade has cemented emcee Zumbi and DJ/ producer AmpLive—collectively Zion I—as elder statesmen in Bay Area hip hop. Zumbi’s raw poetics back dropped to AmpLive’s pounding, jazz-electro soulscapes are noted up and down the entire coast. Zion I’s sixth studio album, The Take Over (Gold Dust), however, teeters between political rap and pop, underground and mainstream. Translation: The Take Over is an industry experiment in sonic fusion, and by album’s end Zion I create a sound all its own—progressive power-pop. Musically, Amp draws from everywhere—merging Afrika Bamabaataa-esque, electro-rap break beats (“DJ DJ”) and pounding afro-rhythms with steel drums (“Geek To The Beat”). Zumbi’s rhymes are equally diverse. His topics are simultaneously serious and frivolous, discussing problems and pleasures both spiritual and worldly. On “The Taking,” Zumbi declares, “This system does not work for us, so we must take this system over and make it work for us.” Setting the socio-political tone of the album is typical Zion I, but this time around there’s more to the group’s musical catalog. The album is also entertaining—a testament to their electrifying live shows. The signature thought-provoking message isn't lost in the theatrics of the The Take Over, but neither is the fun subdued in its place. It’s a careful, calculated sonic two-step, perfectly executed by rap vets....full text |
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| Rapreviews |
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Zion I have been around a good while now, and have built up a dependable following. Conscious rhymes sit comfortably alongside fun throwback anthems; soulful horns intermingle with futuristic synths; in other words, it is one big party and everyone is invited... Backpackers, technorati, clubbers, philosophers... And their new album, "The Takeover," is even more diverse and relaxed than usual. I think. I say "think" because, to be honest, I haven't got much of a clue about the LP. The advance copy that the label sent over contains the intro (which is about seven seconds long), four full tracks, and one-minute snippets of the TEN remaining songs. Without wishing to veer into "pissed-off critic" mode, this makes it very difficult to accurately review an album. It is also frustrating, since those four full-length songs contain a couple of stunning tracks. When you are trying to review the rest of the album, however, it is akin to trying to make out how good an album is by listening to the preview snippets on iTunes - very difficult. Whilst I am fully in support of labels protecting their intellectual property, this is anti-piracy gone mad. More than that, it is a real shame - "The Takeover" was clearly shaping up to be a good album, but it feels wrong to give a false impression to our loyal RR readers....full text |
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| Spin |
| On their sixth album, this Oakland duo (plus guests Devin the Dude and Brother Ali) explicitly address an urban audience unbowed by class warfare and street crime. Unabashedly upbeat, MC Zumbi compares ghetto life to being a "caged bird," but even when he dismisses haters ("Burning incense, yeah, they tried to call us yoga"), he sounds optimistic. Mad-scientist producer Amplive -- whose Radiohead and MGMT remixes created a buzz last year -- blends jazz-influenced, melodic orchestrations with stark electro-bass rhythms, and on "Country Baked Yams," devises a unique Southern sci-fi vibe, mixing eight-bit blips with psychedelic soul....full text |
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