Masked MC Säge, The 64th Wonder returned after a short hiatus earlier this year with an EP titled The Gods Here Are Stupid, and now follows it up with a second release in 2021, titled, Hierophant. Säge, who also performs under the names Lunxch and Shintendo64, is an adherent to the wisdoms of rap's "golden age." This is something that should be apparent from his choosy selection of boom-bap beats, deft selection of nimble rhymes, and tendency to taunt other MCs for their lack of mastery over the fundamentals. He really likes this last one and never misses an opportunity to crack down on crackdown on sloppy stanzas. When he's not verbally kneecapping suckers, Säge's verses turn inwards to excavate feelings of loneliness and portraits of contests for supremacy amongst competing self-images, in the battlefield of the mind. It's a believable depiction of a suffering genius that is as entertaining to witness as a hip hop fan, as I'm sure the gladiatorial games were to the denizens of ancient Rome. Less deadly, too (we hope). I am feeling the glidey, ditch hopping flow that Säge employs on opener "Basura" and the mock rap battle of "Enter The 64th Wonder." When he is waist-deep in this stream he can become more than a little introspective. A matching of style and substance which leads to the impression that he was once an apprentice of Aseope Rock's school of Hard Existential Knocks. Otherwise, Säge has a tendency to lean back and parcel out cutting observations in a kind of weaving chop that really brings out the gravelly fibers of his baritone which works well with the often metallurgic bounce of his beats. You want some sage advice? Give Hierophant a spin.
