Blaq Tongue Society

May 10th, 2013:
Blaq Tongue Society of Sickocell Recordz dropped a heavy release on the world with their latest album, the self titled “Blaq Tongue Society”. Wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but was blown away. Consisting of raw vocals, banging beats, a solid set of features & originality in every track, this record is classic! It really raised the bar in the field of grime rap in my opinion. With every MC bringing a style of their own to the table & raw cut production, this album is sure to have every Hip Hop head & their mother’s mother vibing out & nodding their head
With a laundry list of credits including artists such as MADCHILD OF SWOLLEN MEMBERS, RAKAA IRISCIENCE OF DILATED PEOPLES, 2MEX OF THE VISIONARIES, & THE SHAPESHIFTERS, SELF JUPITER OF FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP, RADIOINACTIVE OF THE SHAPESHIFTERS, & LOG CABIN, LOST CHILDREN OF BABYLON, DJ CHEAPSHOT OF STYLES OF BEYOND, DJ FIVE STAR, WEAPON OF THE MASSES, ACID REIGN, MAGNIFICENT RUFFIANS, CHAMBER RECORDS, MILK MAN & MORE, you already know you’re in for some raw sh*t! With a very experimental approach and hungry MC’s, you always are. You can download “Blaq Tongue Society” for FREE now via MediaFire (Link Below). Also be sure to follow BTS on all your favorite social networks to keep up to date on all the new projects they have in the works.
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BLAQ TONGUE SOCIETY ‘BLAQ TONGUE SOCIETY’ SICKOCELL RECORDZ | ALBUM REVIEW
Posted by Sound Colour Vibration on October 14, 2013 · 1 Comment

With the resurgence of 90′s era hip hop taking a leading role in the influence of many new new artists and groups right now, the pages of time reveal that history really does repeat itself given enough breath between cycles. These cycles are always revamped with a new pulse and a new essence of growth to the foundations. Blaq Tongue Society are a new group from Los Angeles that have picked up the torch of wild style forward thinking hip hop that sprouted an incredible amount of life in the 90′s and have given it an entirely new sense of dynamics. Freestyle Fellowship, Company Flow, Swollen Members, Shape Shifters, Hieroglyphics and many other experimental hip hop groups of the 90′s come to mind when hearing the self titled debut from Blaq Tongue Society that dropped this year and it feels like a millennium of time has passed since diving into what the record means. Acrobatic, complex rhyme structures, off the wall vocal inflection pathways, unorthodox topics and musical backdrops of the rawest nature, Blaq Tongue Society has a depth that is hard to absorb in just one or even dozens of listens. A hip hop album in 2013 that goes far beyond the mold that is currently in place and brings back all the base root elements that made debut albums from groups like Dilated Peoples and Souls of Mischief so meaningful and almost film like. Sample cuts, DJ cut breaks, cyclones of hypnotic beats, it’s put together in a cut and paste method and has slowly become my favorite hip hop music of 2013.
Blaq Tongue Society’s center of Los Angeles has offered them a highly connected grid of like minded individuals who represent the approach and influences the group has. Radioinactive of Shape Shifters, Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, Self Jupiter of Freestyle Fellowship, 2Mex of Visionaries and Mad Child of Swollen Members bring a significance of hip hop lineage on their own paths and their inclusion on the LP is just as prolific as anything they have released in the past. Blaq Tongue Society also brings in a plethora of newer artists who have been making a name for themselves after the 21st century. The album cover is presented as an alternative take on the iconic Beatles LP Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and the Frank Zappa parody cover that soon followed after it. When going through the imagery of the album art, it’s a fitting introduction to the type of lyrical scenery and raw production that is on the record. Coming in at a little less then 80 minutes in length, they group went all out for their debut full length to show every single influence, style and approach they have. If there is more to this group, it will be a very testing proving ground for their second album from their sheer amount of content present.
The intro is set up perfectly for the type of b-boy cut and paste modes that cycle in and out between tracks. A film quote about animal instinct, intelligence, alchemy, religion and a plethora of other ominous subjects is layered over a dissonant and minimal electronic grid of tones. Eerie but very potent, the intro opens the gates for the power laced “Paradyme Shift.” Blaq Tongue Society goes in without guest features, showcasing the distinct vocal phrasing approaches of the MC’s in the group. The beat bubbles in a heated state, glued to the floor with compressed bass, classic drum breaks and atonal melodic work. Every lyric is condensed into smaller and smaller spaces, springing out with a lyrical dexterity that parallels the best MC’s of all time. It has an almost theatrical affect with how the wordplay travels, finding pathways around the beats that keeps my mind hooked to every word. A quote from the famous jazz innovator Sun Ra transitions the piece into the Madchild and Malathion collaborative track “Reptillian Sound” with a seamless flow. The state of the beat is much more pronounced and plays into the lyrical concept of the reptilian mind that pervades society and keeps fear in place as a system of control. “Third Eye Of The Sun” features the legendary Radioinactive of Shape Shifters. His collaboration with the group really takes one of the most fitting guest appearances on the album, going off lyrically on a very powerful beat. The cut section of strings offers breathing room but every verse is presented in rapid form. This track is simply unreal and was a choice cut for the first official music video in promotion of the album.
“Riddle Of The Abbysinianz” features the iconic Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples and features a monolithic sample of a Miles Davis Bitches Brew era trumpet and Fender rhodes section. Rakaa Iriscience has always been known to present unparalleled pathways with wordplay and his verse is one of the most mind blowing on the album. The trumpet and deep rhodes swells are a perfect back drop for every verse and it’s another stand out piece on the LP. The grime and filth in the production on the next track “Grimlock” features DJ Cheapshot and is a stunning revamp of an era that has been extinct for some time now. The DJ cuts from Cheapshot between each verse are just as mind bending, chopping up a plethora of scratches and extra vinyl cuts that really changes the dynamics of the rawness. The main melody and drum track submerges it all back for every verse and is a stunning bridge of sorts. The wildest and most raw styles of 90′s hip hop comes to mind when I am fully absorbed into this one. Every true hip hop album comes with a posse cut and Blaq Tongue Society step up to the plate with the track “Age Of The Pyramidz.” Featuring Lost Children Of Babylon, Milk Man & Namek, the production has an ancestral aura that is planted into the modern era of creation with the drums and bass tones. The lyrical concepts roam through an integrated space of ancient, present and future imagery, diving into the core of the beat with an even more ominous presence. The ending verse has the most sublime beat on the record and is something I have come back to for repeated listens often.
“8 Octogramz Of Shinigami” opens back up the grime filth style of the album and features Specific & Milk Man. It’s possibly one of the darkest tracks of the record and finds its place well in the scheme of things. The sounds of U-God of the Wu-Tang Clan are sampled for the beginning of “The Enumaelish,” and for anyone who loves Wu, it brings back a lot of memories of an era long gone that is reprised in this LP. Featuring KSAR, the beat is laced with classic drum breaks and a really wild set of piano layers. Every measure is pushed to a high power from the unhinged feel of the beat. Blaq Tongue Society is a versatile group and this is yet another style on the album that hasn’t been presented anywhere else on the record. My favorite production rests with the next piece “Sinister S.E.V.E.N.” Another guest heavy number that features Johnny Problemz & Nick Blunts, the music is luminous and ominous. DJ cuts layer even more depth and transform the ancient nostalgia of the album for a fusion of past, present and future modes. What feels like never never lyrics of every field are all prolific in advanced meaning, waiting to be extracted in full measure, starting from the beginning to the end of the verses. Another song that really put me in a state of awe and has been on repeat for months now is the track “Code Of Hamurabi.” The lyrical dexterity of Acid Reign and the Chamber Records emcees is for the most part unparalleled with newer artists. The smooth flow of the drums and rapid tempo offer a very beautiful layer for every MC to really go off. Every word is bundled in the measures with a stunning ability and it’s proof that the new era of hip hop is just as versatile, technical, creative and unique.
Only eleven tracks into Blaq Tongue Society and an endless amount of information and art has flown at me. Every track that remains is just as impactful and classic sounding. Blaq Tongue Society is an album for those who love to study, feel and live by music. Music from 2013 that has no real origin of time and comes from so many different eras of influence that it transforms right back into its own singular thing. Simply incredible to say the least.
-Erik Otis - Erik Otis/Sound Color Vibration