As a former graffiti artist, Seel Fresh, who hails from Chicago, regurgitates hip-hop in true form on his second LP, Street Famous. The album is a storybook of Seel Fresh’s life, acknowledging his past, present and future.
In a beat reminiscent of 80’s hip-hop and exclusive to Chi-town hip-hop, Seel Fresh starts his album by paying tribute to his graffiti past on the title track. He brings awareness to the fame he gained via his numerous tags throughout the streets of Chicago. Revealing this past makes way for “Rock That”, a personal ode to hip-hop. Using a call-and-response tactic in the song, Seel Fresh imitates the style and energy of Naughty By Nature’s “O.P.P.”, but nonetheless, maintains a smooth, clean and well-timed delivery. Fresh further pays homage to artists that have paved the way in hip-hop with “Problems”, which is a copy-cat sample beat of AZ’s same-titled song.
Over a classical piano instrumental produced by the Chicago underground production team Molemen, Seel’s story-telling nature is revealed on “Wrong Destination”. He delivers lyrical content that exposes the struggles and victories of trying to come up correct. The same simplistic piano melody is repeated on “Old Chicago”, Seel Fresh’s subdued and personal lyrical ode to his city. The emcee brings refreshing lyrical content on “I Think She Could Be”, another Chi-town infused beat, expressing ideas of love, but moreover, revealing the softer side of this album. In contrast, “Came a Long Way” could easily be mistaken for a beat off a Hova album because it is as hard-hitting and energized as a Just Blaze production.
“Paid Dues” and “Prosper (H.I.P.H.O.P)” are the most passionate songs about hip-hop on the album. Both exude the elements that hip-hop has grown from. With lyrical content and metaphorical subject matter that speaks of hip-hop’s historical side and culture; they reveal the persistence Seel Fresh has had (and has) to make it big.
On the 14-track album, it’s overall a good look for Seel Fresh. The melodies of a few songs sound awfully similar and he could’ve done without; “Handling Biz”, “Gotta Get It” and ‘Know About Me”. While his delivery and breath control are, for the most part, on point, his rhyme schemes are often too simplistic and repetitive. Because the songs are rather short in length, Seel’s repetition leads to the feeling of one long song, as opposed to single, developed tracks. Despite the flaws, Street Famous contextualizes another element of hip-hop and it’s refreshing to see graffiti expressed throughout a full album. Seel Fresh has brought the passion of hip-hop culture in it’s entirety to Street Famous, no doubt.
Overall Score: 70/100
Standout Tracks:
Came a Long Way
Prosper (H.I.P. H.O.P)
I Think She Might Be
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Man, this cat has been grinding for a while. I saw him do a show in Minneapolis in ‘99, working hard, selling mixtapes afterwards. And this was in the basement of a restaraunt after hours, not a big club or nothing either. Gotta admire the dedication.
Thanks for the dope review eA! Glad you were feeling this album… I was too!
Thank you. I have to admit though, at first I was a little uneasy, but it grew on me crazy fast.