4.5 out of 5 - The Aztext

Do you remember Hip-Hop? Not rap. Hip-Hop. When it wasn’t about who had the biggest chain or the biggest gun or all the hottest women? When it was about who had the best flow? When it was about who could hold down a beat and who could not? When Hip-Hop was about having fun and not getting back at other lyricist and rappers?

I do. It was old school Talib Kweli. It was old school Mos Def. It was A Tribe Called Quest. It was The Fugees. It was Company Flow. It was Eric B. & Rakim. It was music for the sake of music. It was rhythmic beats and well-executed verses. It what was on at a good house party and you would ask someone ‘Who is this?’ It’s what’s been missing from the music scene for a while.

And today, it’s back in the form of The Aztext’s second LP, The Sacred Document. The sensational three man piece hailing from Vermont consists of lyricists Pro and Learic, with DJ Big Kat piecing everything together behind the table. The trio seems to strive for and adequately deliver originality in beats, lyrical content, and vocal abilities, which was well documented and praised in their 2006 LP, Haven’t You Heard?. On The Sacred Document, it appears the group is trying to take it one step further.

The tracks utilized on The Sacred Document definitely do a phenomenal job of showcasing the lyrical dexterity of The Aztext’s main MCs, Learic and Pro. Their melodic, carefully placed, well structured rhymes keep the listener wanting more. Both rapper’s level of lyrical expertise and partnership become quite evident as you progress through the album. It takes a great deal of skill and work ethic to rap; it takes a great deal more to do it with another person. However, The Aztext’s featured lyricists do it proficiently with a consistency and fluidity that makes their efforts on The Sacred Document seem effortless. Pro and Learic are able to play off of numerous beats and other rappers with extreme ease, but their ability to go back-to-back with each other is what makes their songs really shine on the album. Check out their masterful rhyme techniques in “We Back,” “Keepin’ It Live,” “Couldn’t Stand the Pain,” and “Pay Attention.”

The head thumping beats and cuts produced on The Sacred Document do not only come from DJ Big Kat but a number of renowned producers including E-Train from The Loyalists, Touchphonics, and seasoned Hip Hop producer, Dub Sonata. The resulting collaboration of numerous beats from seperate producers gives The Aztext’s second LP a multi-layered, yet solidifying feel. It becomes a mesh of old school mellow Hip-Hop, heavily influenced by jazz and new school rhythmic beat precision. Listen to the beats laid down on “Move Into Position,” “Adventures Of…,” and “Back 2 Basics.”

In an age where everything is a copy of a copy, and nothing really shocks you on the radio anymore, The Aztext are attempting to put out something special with their second effort. With this album, the trio has released a throwback to the old glory days of Hip-Hop, when it didn’t matter who you were or who was producing your music. Either you could handle the mic or the beat, or you couldn’t. It’s a tribute to what Hip-Hop used to be and, hopefully, evidence of what it still can be.