Rating:
Genre:
Rap
Release Date: 07/01/2003
After debuting in 1999 with the all-star
Quannum Spectrum record, the
Quannum label wasn't releasing enough albums to qualify as anything other than a boutique label;
Lifesavas' wide-release LP was actually the first from a non-
Quannum-connected artist. Spearheaded by
Blackalicious'
Chief Xcel,
Spirit in Stone reveals a heavily spiritual
hip-hop crew with plenty of talent. Producer
Jumbo the Garbageman creates some warm, hard-hitting tracks heavy on the
soul samples, and main rapper
Vursatyl expands his
De La Soul influence to don several guises, from a politically and spiritually conscious intelligent rapper to a smooth-flow master to a Rasta spitter.
Gift of Gab, always a great addition to an optimistic message track, drops a batch of twisting rhymes for
"Livin' Time/Life: Movement 1," and the full
Quannum crew unites for the scratch symphony
"Emerge." Lifesavas need more work to hit the same high peak as
Blackalicious, but they already possess one of the rarest traits to find in
hip-hop -- the ability to write on intriguing subjects, no matter the mic skills or sample digging. For evidence, listen to the hilarious
"Hellohihey," on which
Vursatyl runs through a collection of
rap-group character lessons, from a metaphysical, cartoonish
Voltron of a
hip-hop crew to an arrogant, greater-than-thou rapper.
~John Bush, All Music Guide
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