Album Review – Fangtshida

Fangtshida

“Fangtshida”

(FangtshidaMusic.BandCamp.Com)

A six-man collective consisting of members from both Chicago and Portland, Oregon, Fangtshida’s self-titled debut album definitely has its roots in true-school boom-bap but the crew are able to put their own twist on the familiar with plenty of personality both musically and lyrically.

Produced entirely by beatsmith G_Force, who recently gained blog notoriety through his work with Planet Asia, “Fangtshida” finds remaining group members N.VS (emcee), Cody DeCamry (emcee / producer), Sam Trump (vocalist / trumpeter), Dain (emcee / producer) and Rio (emcee / vocalist) rhyming, singing and playing their way through ten tracks of quality Hip-Hop.

The crisp “Stadium Status” features the crew showing off their verbal dexterity over jazzy pianos and live flutes, with N.VS putting wack emcees on blast, claiming “Spittin’ a verse like makin’ a child, Givin’ birth, So in essence I be sonnin’ their style” as the group pass the mic to one another, giving the track the feel of a seamless, polished rhyme cypher.

The sparse, moody “Steer Clear” features more aggressive lyrical barbs woven around a strong backdrop of head-nodding beats, sampled soulful wails and triumphant horns, whilst the hazy “OJ” paints a day-in-the-life picture of weed-induced mackin’ over G_Force’s “plutonia inhuman space music”.

Obviously not wanting to be easily pigeon-holed, midway through the album the crew throw out “Hold Me Down”, a soothing ode to finding the right woman that’s built around passionate vocals, smooth harmonies, wah-wah guitars and stirring strings. It’s somewhat ironic that, given the current uninspired state of most modern R&B, one of the most soulful tracks to be heard in sometime is to be found here on a Hip-Hop project.

The organic musicianship and tight verses of the pounding “Face Value” could easily draw comparisons to the live-band-real-rap sound of The Roots, whilst the upbeat, carefree sonic vibe of the BE.water-assisted “Doughboy” provides an interesting contrast to the crew’s observational rhymes about corner-huggin’ drug-pushers.

An entertaining release that definitely possesses its own unique character, with “Fangtshida” this multi-talented Chicago / Portland collective have taken a large step towards carving out their own niche in today’s vast rap universe.

Ryan Proctor