I’m checking out some hip-hop tonight and I came across this rather valuable gleaming sonic stone.
Gems is the latest LP from Vancouver MC
Emotionz. I hadn’t heard of this guy before, and I’m a little off-put by how hard a guy from THAT far north seems to lean into an old school, southern hip-hop and RnB style, but after giving it a few spins, I have to admit that this dude to be pretty charming.
Gems is all about laying down easy vibes. Case in point “Vibe Tonight” which is a leaning party jam with an Andre 3000-esque flow. “Complications” picks up the beat a bit with fat and funky bassline, dance-floor clopping beat, handclaps, and a lush disco revival vibe that features a sexy duet with sultry fellow Vancouverian NaRai. “Request Line” layers on more sex appeal with its rippling reverb, soft-focus bass, and languid crawling flow, over which Emotionz trades bars with fellow MC Dafug about how much ugly they slay. The highlights for me are really backloaded, though. Title track “Gems” barrows Ghostface like exploitation funk to let Emotionz show off his street-hardened side with a duck-and-weave flow. “Pink Haze” has a dreamy, fuzzy feel with a bouncy, elastic beat, and cool, shimmery melody. “The One That Got Away” is a charming street shimmy about love found and love lost and lessons learned through heartache. Lastly, “The Essence” is pulled along by a skyward gazing melody while it strolls through a light jazz accompaniment and a deep bass undertow. All together it’s not a bad package. Don’t sleep on this hidden… jewel?
Grab a copy from Beast Van,
here.
