Zion I: The Take Over

Zion I‘s debut, 2000′s critically-acclaimed Mind Over Matter, was hailed as the debut of one the most exciting MC/producer teams in underground hip-hop. With Zumbi‘s conscious raps and Amp Live‘s futuristic production, Zion I immediately cultivated a following, stretching from their home base in Oakland to all around the world. The group found success again with 2006′s Grouch-assisted Heroes in the City of Dope. With their first release since Heroes, The Take Over sees Amp Live branch out to a variety of sounds, which turns out to be a double-edged sword.

“The Take Over” is a very well-crafted beat: simple, yet funky with the vocal sample, piano, and horns. Zumbi gives props to his fellow Bay Area rappers, as well as other veterans in the game. The guest appearances by Brother Ali and Devin the Dude are most welcome. Brother Ali might be the best rapper that the mainstream media doesn‘t know about, and his guest verse on “Caged Bird Part 1″ outshines Zumbi’s. Zumbi also runs into this problem on “Country Baked Yams,” where Devin the Dude takes over the song. The beat seems more catered to Devin, even though it’s a little futuristic for a Dude album.

Concerning the aforementioned double-edged sword of Amp Live’s diverse productions; the beats themselves aren’t bad, but the lack of consistency leaves the listener a little disoriented. “DJ DJ” is a reggaeton-influenced tribute to legendary producers and seems to be Zion I’s failed attempt at a club banger. The beat really doesn’t fit the subject matter, as they shout out Kid Capri and Red Alert over something you’d expect Pitbull and Daddy Yankee to spit over. And while listening to the last two songs of the album, “Juicy Juice” and “Peppermint Patty”, you’d swear that the album ended two songs ago and somehow your iTunes switched you to your Cool Kids collection. If you told me that Chuck Inglish produced those two songs, as well as “Greek to the Beat,” I would have believed you without a second thought.

The last two songs are throwaways, unfortunately, as is “DJ DJ.” And as an album that’s only 13 tracks (only 11 actual songs) and doesn’t even clock 40 minutes, it cannot afford throwaways. Amp Live is one of the most creative producers to come around recently, and doesn’t need to resort to taking another act’s sound; yet, one can’t help but feel he felt the pressures of the trendy swag-infusion to release something that’s heavily unoriginal. Had Amp Live and Zumbi stuck with winning formulas like the aforementioned title track, and the futuristic and somehow-catchy “Antenna”, this album would have been a winner. But they don’t, and it’s not.

65/100

Standout Tracks:

Caged Bird Part 1

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The Take Over

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Coastin’

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