That Realness Is Now Closed!!!

I have been highly anticipating this album since I first heard word of it, knowing that Sabac would deliver a collection of works with real substance. The first track brought a smile to my face because I knew I was about to hear a dope ass album. Over an amazing, softer-than-usual Snowgoons beat, The Commitment has Sabac speaking a positive message of bettering oneself and listing various self-commitments in order to do so, like whoa, did I just hear a Psycho-Logical Records affiliate say that he’ll endeavour to ‘treat women with respect‘? Dope. We’re provided with a throw your hands up anthem in the form of World Army as well as the nationalistic Viva Boricua which is bursting with Latin flavour and one of my favourites.

As Children Cry is maaad cheesy , I mean.. seriously sweet.. From the kiddie singing the hook (and Sabac singing along!) to Skammadix’s production. BUT, I was touched, what can I say.. Maybe because I’m a woman, maybe because I’m a mother, maybe it’s the hormones, either way, I felt quite emotional lol Everything said is true. Especially if you know anything about the truly inspiring work he does outside of the booth (if you don’t know, get to know. Wikipedia is your friend). It’s still not a track you would skip passed, it’s just probably a track you’d listen to when you ain’t around your homeboys.

Production on the album is solid. Skammadix and the wonderful Blue Sky Black Death (BSBD) handle the majority, but there are some standout contributions from others. Nice to see production from Philly’s Cimer Amor of the Caen project on Empty-V, a track over which Sabac spits double time rhymes regarding the use of mass media as a form of control, (MTV get it?) ,a theme which you’ll see revisited on other joints. A perfect example would be Americas A Business where Krohme’s beat had me pulling that ugly face you pull when you hear something dope (you know what I‘m talkin about! Lol). The electric guitar riff coupled with the cuts on the hook is a firey combo. Denmark’s Sicknature asserts himself as a producer we'll definitely be seeing more of and puts his stamp on The Life I Live, a reflective tale of Sabac’s journey in hip hop to where he’s at now, and Death & Destiny, where he tackles the subject of life and death being a natural cycle and matter of fate.

This whole album is balanced to me, in every aspect. If you’re familiar with Sabac, you’ll already know of his capability to rip the mic, however on The Ritual, it is the subject matter that moves to the forefront, consequently, I haven't included any lyric examples in this review. His stance on political and social issues is laid out for the listener and yet he doesn’t come across as some wacky conspiracy theorist nor as too preachy because he balances it by tackling other subjects and by personalizing the album through rhyming about himself. Production, too, is balanced. He uses a range of producers, who lace us with a variety of different sounds and styles, from the orchestral, epic type beats like Ill Bill’s When The Lights Go Out or BSBD’s cinematic Shift Of The Earth to quieter, introspective beats which compliment Sabac’s attempt to open our eyes. The album won’t blow you away on some lyrical rhymescheme genius, but that’s not what Sabac is trying to do here. He has a viewpoint and a message that he wants people to hear and I think he is successful. I also like the fact that he has kept guest appearances down to a minimum, even more so, that he has chosen Slaine, who I'm a big fan of, to grace a couple of the joints. That he has not succumbed to any influence from his fellow PLR members, in terms of musical style is also admirable. He still credit's Necro with the what is due but has just kept making the music that best says him. I personally loved the album; as I said, I had been looking forward to this and it certainly didn’t disappoint.