Hailing from Indiana, Liberation is the debut set from CasOne, one of several up-and-coming underground rappers from the Midwest eager to show his angst-ridden emotions in the manner of Atmosphere and Brother Ali. With his blend of Slim Shady-era Eminem flow and a voice reminiscent of Defari, CasOne delivers a solid effort backed by varied head-nodding production. The best track is the Brother Ali collaboration “Flashbacks.” The soulful and introspective track finds both MCs reminiscing on past challenges over a backing of live drums and melancholy flutes. “Two Steppin’,” with its raw drums and piano melody, finds CasOne criticizing wallflowers, while incorporating a clever Goodie Mob reference. The heartfelt “Cope,” the banger “Masked Monikor” and the rock-influenced “Glass Walls” also stand out.
Unfortunately, some tracks fail to make an impact. The monotonous “Wings” recalls a bad Evidence song, the sloppy “Tight Rope” and synth-heavy “Babble On” don’t match the emotional intensity and musical backing of Liberation’s better moments. But with his talented storytelling abilities (as heard on “Distortion”), CasOne has a promising career ahead of him.
*Review taken from okayplayer.com
01. Stop Calling My Damn Phone-Tro (1:57)
02. Masked Moniker (Pop Eulogy) (4:15)
03. Puppet Dance (4:55)
04. Distortion (2:37)
05. Wings (5:14)
06. One Night Stand (3:04)
07. Flashbacks (Feat. Brother Ali) (5:58)
08. Two Steppin’ (Feat. Tommy Jamin) (3:54)
09. Glass Walls (Ignite & Proe) (4:44)
10. Babble On (Feat. Aria Silenced & A-Dult) (7:45)
11. Move (5:10)
12. Tight Rope (1:26)
13. Cope (3:19)
14. Leaving Imprints (5:14)
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