Stream “No No No” below, which will land on Raashan Ahmad’s Ceremony in mid-April.

Think about your favorite hip-hop albums that feature one producer and many rappers. Maybe it’s one of Automator’s mix albums. Or more recently maybe it’s something like BK-One’s joint with his RSE posse, or the Jazz Liberatorz – Clin d’Oeil. Whatever album you have in mind, chances are one thing reigns true: there is some semblance of consistency and flow from the album’s start to finish. These types of albums are incredibly difficult to pull off because quite often the producer in charge of the album crafts each song on a case-by-case basis, thinking more about the artists with whom he or she is collaborating, rather than thinking about the album as a whole.

Unfortunately, the latter is exactly the case with Headnodic’s debut solo album, Red Line Radio. Let me kick this off by setting the record straight – Headnodic is a wicked producer. Take a look at his discography and any doubts about his talent are immediately wiped clear. And even here on Red Line Radio, his skill as a producer is overwhelmingly obvious, which makes it that much more difficult to discover that the album is sorely lacking.

To be fair, it should come as no surprise that Headnodic is all over the place on this album, struggling to stick to a core idea or set of thematic elements to tie it all together. After all, this is a guy whose career has spanned both coasts and dozens of various sub-genres (within hip-hop, that is). For example, the smooth, lounge-y jazz of the instrumental track “Carpe Noctum” and the bossa-nova groove of “The Mondays” is pleasant, but stands in such stark contrast to the grittier, slick-spitting tracks just adjacent.

It doesn’t help that certain tracks are just downright annoying, such as “Haven’t You Heard”, which features a pitchy, repetitive vocal sample over erratic keys. “Surgeon General” with People Under The Stairs literally sounds like it was stripped right from The Next Step (and not the good half of that album); it does little to help the album progress.

Still, for all its woes, the album isn’t without some extraordinarily bright spots. Take the title track, which features Raashan Ahmad and Moe Pope (whatup, Mission?). Moe wrecks everything in his path as he proceeds to “kill the radio” all while Headnodic’s signature bass booms in the background. It’s quite a delight. Then there’s “The A M”, which is much more of a homage to early 90s rap records, featuring a textured backdrop, fit for the likes of Othello, Aima and DJ Vajra, as they wax poetic about their varied outlooks on what it means to live well. Now, if only the elements of tracks like these could be stretched for the full 52-minute affair.

2.5 out of 5 stars

2.5 out of 5

Album Review – Crown City Rockers - The Day After Forever (2009)
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Potholes

One of the most rewarding things about hip-hop (and really all music genres) is the growing diversity of sub-genres and the new sounds and styles that are being introduced year after year. Many groups fall nicely into one or two sub-genres. Then there are groups such as The Foreign Exchange that refuse to be boxed in by any labels, and branch out, stealing from various genres and sub-genres left and right. Many times, the groups or artists who experiment with genre-bending, and do not confine themselves to one identity, find themselves at least making creative and interesting, if not highly successful music. However, there are those few groups who do not fit into identifiable sub-genres, but do so by accident, not intentionally. They seem to be a bit lost, in that they have no clear sense of direction. One such band is Crown City Rockers.

Formerly called Mission:, Crown City Rockers was formed in Boston at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, featuring Boston’s own Moe Pope, a slew of notable musicians, and two of the bay area’s finest, rapper Raashan Ahmad, and producer Headnodic. They dropped somewhat of an underground gem, One, and then they dropped Moe Pope and the Mission: tag, broke to the west coast and became Crown City Rockers. After some tracks came out on an EP, CCR finally released their highly anticipated debut (but by this point in their careers it could hardly be considered a debut), Earth Tones. It was a solid starting point, full of organic hip-hop sounds, live instrumentation, a heavy jazz and soul influence, and light lyrics. It was also an unfulfilled vision.

And here we are now, five years and numerous side/solo projects later, with CCR’s follow-up album, The Day After Forever. It picks up right where Earth Tones left off, with a bit more of a punch. They kick things off with dance groove after dance groove, so if you enjoy shaking your rump, then you will love this album. The live instrumentation once again is a key focus here. Fresh keyboards, jazzy horns, guitars, and a bottom-heavy bass boost the tracks to support emcee Raashan Ahmad. While this is a very commendable approach to hip-hop, the music falls short. With the exception of a few tracks, there is little that jumps out of the speakers to really grab the listener. The keys drone on, the guitars stay steady, and the drums – oh the drums! – let’s just say they leave a lot to be desired. In fact, when the drums do manage to boast some extra creativity, like on “Cruisin’”, everything comes together and sounds fantastic.

Finally we come to the issue that is Raashan Ahmad. He is without question a highly talented emcee with very important messages on his mind. His preaches love in all senses of the word and universal peace, and of course, appreciation for hip-hop and music. Therefore his foundations as a rapper are always admirable. However, after his work with Mission:, CCR, and a few solo projects under his belt, it seems he may be running somewhat short on lyrical content these days. Here, his wordplay fails to reach the standards he set for himself with his past work, and the topical content is a bit repetitive, going on about love, peace, hip-hop, and California, and it is at times just nonsensical and free-associative. Hearing him go on for a traditional three verses can seem a bit much especially if the lyrics are not advancing the song any further, so tracks where he receives a helping guest verse stand out as the strongest of the bunch (see “Clap Your Hands” featuring Aima, and the aforementioned “Cruisin’” featuring Destani Wolf).

The main reason this album falls short of what it could have been (yes, it had the potential to be immensely good) is that CCR didn’t identify where they ideally wanted to take this album. It’s almost comparable to People Under The Stairs  – The Next Step, a very organic, loose alternative hip-hop album that lacked execution towards a central purpose. CCR here tries to steal from all sorts of alternative rap styles, from Digable Planets, to The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, and People Under The Stairs, and the result is somewhat of a bland mixture of all the above. However, like People Under The Stairs, it may just be a matter of time before Crown City Rockers matures into the force that their talent level indicates they can be one day. But until that day comes, we have The Day After Forever. Forecast: partly cloudy.

The caveat with Soul Power is that it isn’t album. Nor is it an EP. And don’t say it’s a mixtape either. What is it? A collection of 13 new tracks from Crown City Rocker Raashan Ahmad, written and recorded while he was on the road touring in support of his last release (which was an album) Push.

The fact that Ahmad doesn’t see this as an album (even though it’s better than most folks’ albums), might work to his advantage. Without the weight of expectations, Ahmad is basically left talking about some things he’s been going through, the struggles of life on the road, money and whatever else he wants to touch on. His flow is dope, the verses are personal, and when he’s riding on top of production that lives up to the album title (polished, soul-heavy joints some of which sound like b-sides from Curtis Mayfield’s heyday) the result is some true hip hop shit—a dude with skills just getting some issues off his chest.

“Stay” is off the chain, and if the world is a true and just place, this track will find a home in regular rotation with DJs. The drums are banging, and iced with what sounds like a Meters guitar lick.

“Day After Day” is an anthem for grinding in the music business and wondering what will happen next, and “Money” featuring Alex Newman is a personal look at capitalism in the 21st century. Not on some broke MC shit, but on some ‘we all need money to live’ type business.

The only joint that I wasn’t feeling was “Lambada”,which sticks out from the rest of the pack, but not in a good way. This joint might get the crowd moving at a live show, but the uptempo digital beat just doesn’t fit with all the smoothness that surrounds it, although, since this isn’t technically an album, maybe that’s not fair criticism. Either way, don’t sleep on this music.