Album Review: Termanology – Time Machine: Hood Politics VI (2009)
Rating: 3 out of 5 Potholes
Hailing from Lawerence, MA, Termanology has built up an underground hip hop hype thanks to his plethora of mixtapes and strong debut LP, Politics as Usual. With a number of mixtapes under his belt, Term can now add another to his long resume. Enter Term’s sixth Hood Politics installment, Time Machine: Hood Politics VI. Although it should be noted that TM: HPVI serves as both a mixtape and a sophomore record under Term’s label, ST Records. The half-mixtape, half-album delivers new tracks with some old mixtape tracks that touch on subjects such as the present state of hip hop, sociology, and predestination to name a few. The follow-up to Politics falls under the same suit of Prodigy’s Return of the Mac, where the mixtape material is of such high quality, it later was found on an official release.
Time Machine offers a bit of nostalgia as the album title may suggest. Whether it be the Large Professor blessed “Time Machine” featuring Reks or the horn based sample found on “Hold That” by the Legendary Pete Rock, Term consistently points out an industry timeline from what was the Golden Age to present. Term reminisces on “Hold That” recalling: “88 to 99, man what a crazy time/Razor Sharp, Blazing Rhymes/Now it’s all the same design/Wack lyrics, catchy hook/Posing with a sketchy look/Rappers threw away their Tims, now they want the sexy look”. The production alone makes this track a banger. Term enlists some of hip hop’s most celebrated producers with the aforementioned Pete Rock, Large Professor, and DJ Premier (Illmatic memories, ahhh). Other beatsmiths found on the time travel record are Alchemist, Static Selektah, and the underrated MoSS to give the album a good mix of old meets new.
Staying true to his roots since relocating to New York, Term joins guests Singapore Kane and Big Shug to pay homage to his Beantown home, on “My Boston”. And with DJ Premier manning the broads this is one of the better songs on the 16-track time journey. On the salsa inspired “Wild Puerto Ricans”, Term invites Tony Touch and Ea$y Money to do their rendition of Big Pun’s “100%” on the crazy Puerto Rican anthem. Another track where the guests compliment the record is the concordant “Music Industry (Remix)”. The track explains how twisted these record labels are. The guest-filled track is definitely the best on the record. In the tradition of the unforgettable “Check the Rhime” by none other than A Tribe Called Quest; Term, fellow New Englander Akrobatik, Consequence, and ½ of Slaughterhouse (Royce Da 5’9, Crooked I) rip through the crooked industry frame with ease, courtesy of Fizzy Womack’s backdrop. The track even contains the original sample that started it all. Q-Tip’s industry rule number 4080.
The album does have hiccups here and there. Unlike Politics as Usual, it is not Termanology who is dragging his heels with the top-shelf production. It is Term’s ST Record labelmates, Superstah Snuk and H Blanco. Snuk’s reckless, egocentric flow can easily be skipped on “Forever”. Same goes for Snuk’s tactless lyrics on “Bout To Go Down”. H Blanco does not do any better with his tawdry-type raps. And Blanco’s boorish hook is enough to completely disregard this meaningless track and forward on. The third track of the LP is another sure skip on the bombast “Stick Up” with Sheek Louch and Quest Tha Young’n. In short, the threesome is just rapping about some robbery foolery on this bland filler track.
On Time Machine we find a deep, heart-pouring Termanology on a few tracks. On “Nothing Iz Real”, Term second guesses reality with powerful lyrics while questioning what is real in this world. The guitar hook on the M Will The Shotgun produced track is beautiful with hints of a feminine voice and a guitar melody. M Will teams up with Term again on the glorious “God’s World”. Termanology’s humble flow as he discusses current issues dealing with society makes the listener ponder deep questions. The last track of the record ends with the single “I See Dead People”. The eerie keyboard sample over the haunting bassline tells the story of Term walking through a graveyard and retelling people’s passing’s in vivid detail.
Overall, the 16-track time adventure record possesses more accelerations than detours. And although this may not be the record that defines Term it is surely a product to feed the hungry Hood Politic fans. In the process, the album displays Term’s tremendous growth in the lab.
