When theBREAX Sold Out: Album Review

theBREAX have been hard at work since releasing their debut album last year. Since its release, Ruslan and crew put together an American Gangster remix album, entitled Eye Am Gangster, and they have been diligently working on their sophomore effort, When theBREAX Sold Out.

Slated for an April 1st release, theBREAX have decided to go in a new direction. No this isn’t an April Fool’s Joke; theBREAX are going for more of a mainstream sound this time around. Initially when I heard the album, I was a little skeptical, but theBREAX pull it off without losing their underground edge. When I asked Ruslan why they chose to go in this direction, this is what he had to say…

“Yeah the album is suppose to be completely different, kinda to show our versatility… and to also show that radio friendly isn’t that hard to make…I didn’t want to have us pigeoned holed as this ‘underground Christian hip hop’ group… so figured we would take some creative risk…”

Production-wise, the album sounds more mainstream than their debut album; however, the lyrics are just as positive and powerful as before. theBREAX may have sold out musically, but lyrically they stay true to form. And if “selling out” is showing that you can hang with radio-friendly hip hop, then I ain’t mad. This album is still better than most of the stuff you hear on radio today. If anything, this album does show the group’s diversity and ability to go head-to-head with mainstream hip hop acts. The production on the album is so cutting-edge and fresh, that Eye Am Productions could easily trade beats with the likes of Kanye, Just Blaze, or any other producer you hear on the radio today.

“Ready To Sell Out” starts off the album with Ruslan flowing on top of a catchy beat, explaining the concept of the album. If it take stunna shades and grillz to get paid, then that’s what theBREAX are willing to do; however they are not willing to sacrifice their beliefs and quick witted lyrics for rhymes about rims and Crystal. I can definitely respect that! The next track, “theBREAX Is Everywhere”, sounds like it could have been produced by The Neptunes in their prime, with heavy synths taking over the entire track. “Get Ignorant” has theBREAX taking on a down south persona, with a beat that’s reminiscent of Kinfolk’s “Crispy”, but with with a little more substance.

Making his production debut, is the group’s own DJ Beleaf who contributes the track “Two Miles An Hour” which samples DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s “Summertime”. As the album moves on, theBREAX seem to move a tad away from the album’s theme and just concentrate on great music. The highlight of the album comes with the tracks, “More”, “Bang Bang”, and “Baby I’m Gone”; the later song has the group borrowing T-Pain’s vocoder. It’s a great pun that doesn’t distract from a great track.

Overall, there’s something for everyone on When theBREAX Sold Out. Faithful supporters of theBREAX will not be disappointed and will feel refreshed to hear something a little different from what they’re used to, whereas hip hop junkies who have been unwilling to embrace undergroup acts will hopefully take in this album as something that mainstream hip hop needs today. Maybe theBREAX has caught onto something here… if underground acts can tweak their sounds to something that sounds a little like what radio is playing today, then maybe we can eventually get radio to play good hip hop again.

Notable tracks: “Bang Bang”, “Baby I’m Gone”, “BREAX Is Everywhere”, “More”

• Buy When theBREAX Sold Out online
• theBREAX MySpace Page

More

Baby I’m Gone