Jason James & Rodney Hazard

This project is quite simply amazing. It is difficult to imagine trying to compile all of the good and the bad of the last ten years into one cohesive (albeit lengthy) thought, yet that is exactly what Jason James and Rodney Hazard have accomplished with their Marvelous World Of Color LP. Brilliant in its delivery and thought-provoking in a very necessary sense, this LP will go above some heads. But if you aren't willing to give this tape a spin then you are cutting yourself short in more ways than one... - ClusterFunk Collective

Rapper Jason James and producer Rodney Hazard. Wow, haven't heard of rappers who used their real names as their stage names in a while. Well, I dunno about the name Rodney Hazard, but it's real nonetheless. Same goes for this music, real hip-hop and real colorful. This shows hip-hop in its explorational. Explorational might not even be a word (I'm too lazy to even look in a dictionary), but you'll hear hip-hop travelling in its different world here.

- www.ZillaSays.com

We’ve reviewed Jason James and Rodney Hazard’s collaborative effort God’s Favorites (here), and we’ve just finished an interview with Jason James himself (here), and now we’re back to give our opinion on his and Rodney’s most recent release, Marvelous World Of Color. The album is 14 tracks of free-for-download goodness, and Tiffology and I split them down the middle, so let’s just jump right into it.

Tiffny

01: Enter: The Marvelous World [4/5]
I wasn’t expecting much as it’s just an intro but when the track started, I was immediately drawn to the beat. It’s almost got a “Bollywood” feel and then the guitar comes in and I’m like YES! Jason’s verse (I’m almost tempted to say WEB) is super pressing and delivered with such urgency that you get a good idea about how the album is going to grab you. What could have been just any old intro, is actually pretty worthy of being a full song and I can only recall one other artist who has made me want a full song from an intro in recent memory.

02: The Architect [3/5]
OK, the talking in the beginning of the track had me getting Inception Flashbacks. The whole thing about sleep = time travel thing? LOVE. And while I don’t know if that’s Jason speaking, it’s a good touch (Is that you Jason?). Anyways, the actual song is pretty cool. The beat is pop-ish, however, with Jame’s sing-rap over it, the vibe is more relaxed. I like that it’s got this audio collage of different thoughts all colliding into one in between each verse…almost like the chorus.

03 Basic Instructions [N/A]
More talking. I think this is going to be a theme with the album…I like it. It’s something different than I’m used to. It’s funny to me when the guy says “for all their devoted attention, you animals don’t actually care about you [...]” I’ve been saying this FOREVER! Made me think of Camille’s song Cats & Dogs. Anyway, yeah, not much to say since it’s an interlude.

04: Great Escape [4/5]
The beat! I’m not sure if I’m hearing it correctly, but I think it’s the same beat from the intro…played backwards (minus the guitar). Maybe, maybe not, but I love it! I don’t know why I’m so surprised, given Rodney Hazard’s track record with their past releases…but I’m always hypnotized by his beats. Moving on, Jason’ lyrics make you listen. They make you think. I’m listening to the lyrics and again, not surprised given the score, but thoroughly pleased by Jason proving that hip hop can be intelligent, and thought-provoking.

05: Fame US [5/5]
Probably my favorite song on this album.Another backward beat that’s haunting me. Lyrically, Jason seriously sums up the hyper-reality that our society has become.”For three easy payments of your mind, body and soul, you too can be famous, idolized, appreciated”. It sucks because that’s what it comes down to, especially with all of these “reality shows” selling fame like an infomercial, and how we buy into it. It’s sad. Jason hits the nail on the head, holding up a mirror to our obsession with celebrity: Rhianna, Amy Winehouse, Lindsay Lohan…the list goes on. The media has completely warped how we respond to situations that would normally cause concern, we now seem to thrive off of the downfall of those in the spotlight. “Everything that means you’re human slowly slips into regression.” This line can be looked at from the POV of the celebrity, yes, but also from the POV of the fan. I feel like I could go on about this song forever, but I won’t. I’ll just say that listening to this song makes me sad, because it’s so true.

06: Better As You [3/5]
Yeah. This song is really interesting. Basically to sum it up, the song pretty much lets us girls know that we need to be ourselves, even when it’s the hardest thing to do. Feel good song with raw lyrics, I don’t have really much to say about this other than that I wish more guys would tell girls what Jason is saying. Oh, one line that I thought was interesting: “Said she only dated Brothas, didn’t fuck with Africans, and I was like ‘Damn, how ironic is that.” Ironic indeed.

07: If It Feels Right [4/5]
This beat. I want to live in it. Second favorite song on the album, and I’ll tell you why. Progressing from a general ‘get twisted’ angle, to social observation, the first two verses of the song had me nodding along like “yeah” and then the third verse kicks in. I was like wait-what! Probably because I was so into the beat, that it didn’t completely register what was going on. But when I replayed the track and forced my mind to come back to the lyrics, I got the mean Grinch smile when I actually heard the third verse the second time around. Overall, the song is great….specially the the robot voice in the chorus.

Tiffology

08. Ain’t Gotta Go Home [3.5/5]
At first, I wasn’t really feeling it. But after the first minute and a half passed by, it settled in. The beat was real gentle, and powered by finger snaps. He mentions that it’s just for the night, and follows through with: “I’ll look under the hood, but I ain’t buying the car. I’ll drive it around, but I ain’t gonna keep it. Maybe down to roll, but for now let’s keep it a secret… you ain’t gotta go home.” So with that, I take it that the song is about a friends-with-benefits or one-night-stand thing. It starts out as a good, enjoyable night with a girl and then leads into something more sensual and sexual, with no strings attached.

09. The Program [5/5]
“Human life falls away from the basic theme // So far it almost feels like it’s make-believe // We all slip so seamlessly, manipulated by tv screens // Big Brother brainwashin us secretly // Messages in the television frequency // We’re now part of the machinery…”

I listened to this track about 15 times before I went to the next. Eyes closed, head-nodding to the dark, gloomy beat by Rodney as Jason leads me through his view of the dangers, and downfall, in our world today. It touches on various subjects such as: the uncertainty in life, drug trafficking, the way people know more about what goes on in reality shows (and other tv shows) than with what’s going on in the real world, etc. I give this powerful track two thumbs up. And towards the end of the track, it breaks into a chunk of a news program talking about Islamic terrorism.

10. A View of the World [5/5]
“Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And they will my name’s the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”

That’s said at the very end of the track, and if you’re familiar with “Pulp Fiction”, you’ll remember that same quote is said by Samuel L. Jackson’s character. I think it ties in well with this song, as it deals with issues of race and hatred. In the second verse, Jason talks about boys who take that path of beating and degrading girls. The girl grows up with self-hatred, and doesn’t know her own worth. She hides behind materialistic items, and continues to allow a wealthy man to beat on her. In the third verse, he sheds light on the violence people create because of a person’s choice of religion. Like a group of people that witnessed, and didn’t help, a man being killed because of his beliefs. This song is filled with strong emotion and truth. Another good one.

11. Back Again (ft Bryan Perry) [3/5]
A singer by the name of Bryan Perry features on this 1:34min song alone. It’s an easy concept. I’m sure plenty of people, not just music artists, have been picked up from the ground by some good music… the kind of music that inspires you to keep pushing forward. It’s a nice, little song… wish there was a little more to it.

12. Go [5/5]
I think a wide range of artists can relate with what’s said in this track. I’ve known a few people that have contemplated giving up their dream of making music because of the troubles they go through. Being so close to that dream, but feeling like the work they’re putting in isn’t getting them anywhere — Unable to make money off of what they would love to do for a career. And not in the way that fame or money would change them or their music, but just being able to live comfortably and receiving positive support that’d reassure them that their work is being liked and listened to. Or having their music being over-looked for the “shitty” music that’s being force-fed by the mainstreams (which makes one question if they’re as good as they think they are), and so on. But the fact that it’s your dream, and it’s what you love to do, you want to try to make it work.

13. Promised Land [4/5]
Both the beat and the lyrics have a happy vibe. To me, this song seems like a continuation of the previous track, “Go”. I took it as… Jason feels that he put his all into his work, and if he has to move on to something different (a new path), he’ll be ready. For example, he’ll be satisfied with what he contributed to hip hop. I don’t know if that’s what the track is about or not, but that’s what I interpreted it as.

14. Exit – The Marvelous World [5/5]
You know an artist did something right when they’re able to evoke emotions from you. Listening to this song made me get teary-eyed and miss my grandma who died of breast cancer in ’96. In this final song, Jason asks that we all appreciate and remember those who are no longer with us, as they’ve “gone to a world with brighter colors.” Heart-felt words over a piano backdrop; it’s beautiful. “My memories of her // Wouldn’t let us come and see you // So we think of you the way that you were // Eyes blurred in our last conversation on the phone // Holding back tears just trying to stay strong”…

*****

As you can see, overall, we’re pretty impressed with the album. Make sure you download your (free) copy and visit the links provided for more of Jason James: - www.CrayonBeats.com

Color. What is defined as color? Is it the red you see while looking at an apple you eat for a snack? Is it the yellow you see at a stoplight that cautions you to stop? Color is what you perceive it to be. Color is what your imagination dreams it to be. Every color strikes people in a different way. You might see yellow as a bright, annoying color but some might see it and relate it to the sun and say it is an embracing color and has a warm feel to it. In Jason James and Rodney Hazard’s latest album Marvelous World Of Color, they create a colorful world not for your eyes but for your ears. It creates an experience that I have never heard before. This album has changed my outlook on many things and made me think about a lot of things that have happened in my life and in the industry we call music. An album hasn’t done that since Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak and that was one of the albums that got me through my mom’s death. I can be as bold to say that this is the smartest album you’ll hear this decade. We already know it’s good because it’s Jason James and Rodney Hazard. I mean, did you hear God’s Favorite?

No… this is the smartest album you will hear this decade. I said it again. If you don’t listen to this album you are missing out on two geniuses who will change music. Forever.

Read more below.

All throughout this album, Jason James and Rodney Hazard create a sound you have never heard before. There is no way they can duplicate this sound. Anyone who hears this album and tries to create the same thing will fail. First, let’s speak about the narration, or the lyrics, by Jason James.

Jason James is a smart man. In his wordplay he speaks on current events and the world around us that so many are blind to and the way things are happening that you don’t see. Well, you might see them but you don’t want to realize them as reality. There are a few central themes in this album that stick out to me. The first one is one I touched on briefly before and that is the world around us that we are blind to. At the end of “The Program” there is a short clip speaking on a British teacher that Muslims want to execute for naming a teddy bear Muhammad. There is the host and one of his guests who say that this is Muslim culture and we should be afraid of them and fear them and this is what is wrong with the world. The second guest, who happens to be Muslim, says that they are making the common mistake of categorizing ALL Muslims because of the actions of a few.

I thought this was a great thing to add to this album because it’s true to the United States we live in. Around us, if ONE person does something then they all have to be that way, right? No… they don’t. People categorize other races and religious because the acts of a few and that is not fair or right in any sense of the word. I don’t judge anyone because of their race, religion, or beliefs and I doubt Jason James does too. He knows what is right and what is wrong and he uses his intelligence to get the point across:

Expand your mind… don’t be a sheep.

Another topic I heard him cover a few times was women. A lot of these songs are based around women and I enjoy that. Probably his most popular single and one of the best tracks on the album “Fame Us” is about the degrading of a woman who is a stripper and dives off the deep end. That track hit home for me because it’s not rapping and trying to flow. It’s about telling a story. Most of this album isn’t in the traditional rapping 16 bars and punchlines, which is why it makes it so intelligent. It’s mainly spoken word over incredible production but I’ll get to that later. The female story arc to this album strikes me as a topic that is definitely overlooked in America. I mean, how many women sell their story of rape/abuse/betrayal to the media and they buy it and sell it? Then she gets famous and everything goes downhill. If you were to relate that track to a color in the spectrum, I would say it starts out grey but then fades to black. And as for “The Program” it’s a red color for me: a color we’ve been taught to associate to hate.

Jason brings intelligence, creativity, and power to these tracks. You can tell all the time he’s thought about these topics in this album and how much it has paid off to talk about these. I remember when he changed his name from W.E.B. to Jason James because he didn’t want to be behind an alter ego. That’s change can be seen in this album. W.E.B. was an intelligent rapper and had great tracks but I think Jason James is a realist and puts it out there for everyone to see. I can respect that a hell of a lot. Not a lot of artists are taking that leap of faith anymore. Not a lot of artists are taking a step back and saying “Wait a second… why am I doing what I’m doing and is it benefiting anything?” Marvelous World Of Color is about, lyrically, taking a step back and reevaluating what you once thought. Because, if you think about this album like I have, you will already know some things but you will have a different outlook on things. A different take on color, if you will.

The thing I like about duos like this is it’s not all about the lyrics. The production can tell a story as well. That’s exactly what Rodney Hazard does on this album. Not only does he create tracks that are great but they tell a story. In a way, the production helps escape your mind while Jason’s words flow through your ears. That’s how you know you have a great producer. One that can balance with the lyrical artist and create music… not just noise in the background. An example like that is Fame Us. When you hear that opening sound you know the song is either going to be about tragedy, pain, or a little of both. On tracks such as Better As You, he plays well with Jason talking about a woman straying away from her normal self. The soft guitar, the faint turntable scratches and the nature sounds in the background make that track easy to listen to and sets the tone for the track. I think that if they released an instrumental album it would tell the same story or you would picture the same setting.

That’s when you know you have strong production.

Some people think producers are just about making heavy beats that you can bump in your car or can spawn three thousand remixes. Sometimes production is about telling a story within a story, if that makes sense. It’s about telling a story with the music while the lyricist tells a story with his words. All the news clips in the production are fantastic. The Architect showcases that very well. There’s no hook or catchy phrase. It is news outlets from all different outlooks on life and the world in general. Kind of like the battle at the end. One person talking about how society won’t change and how our society is being brainwashed and the other person is talking about conforming because there’s no other choice or it’s the easiest option. That’s a sign of a genius. Yeah, I said it.

Overall, this is one of my favorite albums of all time. This should be in YOUR iTunes and should have at least 5 plays on each track. One day when you have nothing to do turn off your phone, close your web browser and close your eyes and listen to the colors. Listen to the words and the production being given to you. Then open your eyes and you will see the world in a different color than you saw it before. Maybe that’s why they called it the Marvelous World Of Color.

- Mega - www.HailMegatron.net

With Hazard crafting a hypnotic, spacey and electronically dense beat, James follows suit and flows over the track with casually delivered but lyrically self-destructive lines... I can still raise a glass to creative hip-hop like this....There's no one making hip-hop like James and Hazard right now.

-Nathan S - www.DJBooth.net

Vancouver emcee Jason James (aka WEB) and beatsmith Rodney Hazard (aka I.D.E.A.) have teamed up with DJBooth.net, RefinedHype.com, PotHolesinMyBlog and KevinNottingham.com to bring listeners their highly-anticipated collaborative LP, Marvelous World of Color. The long-awaited street album features 14 brand new tracks from the rapper-producer duo, including previous leaks “Fame Us,” “Go” and “If It Feels Right.” Singer Brian Perry makes the sole guest appearance on Marvelous World of Color, and all production comes courtesy of Rodney Hazard.

Jason James and Rodney Hazard have teamed up once again to create greatness.

- Kevin Nottingham - www.KevinNottingham.com

It’s my pure, honest opinion that this type of music is unique, foward-thinking, and just downright enjoyable. - www.PotholesInMyBlog.com, www.URB.com