H.I.S.D: Summer Sessions

For whatever reason, Southern Hip Hop gets a bad rap. No pun intended but the media and heads often times place these artists in one box and tuck them away not to be removed. But on the contrary: the Southern region is just as significant as any other coast. And judging by their album Summer Sessions, H.I.S.D. is off to an impressive start adding to that legacy.

Composed of eight artists that are as artistically inclined as they are talented, H.I.S.D. is a hub of remarkable emcees, visual artists and producers. Hailing from Houston, this super group has released a follow up to their phenomenal debut The District with one of the best albums of the year.

The summer usually kicks off the start of beautiful weather and festivals for days but Summer Sessions is bringing about that feel good music that takes you back to simpler times. The intro gives a clear indication of the direction this group is headed towards. With a bunch of kids talking about how they want to do something different yet continue to do the same thing, we get a clue that H.I.S.D. is going to show and prove they are all about bringing forth change.

It’s always cool to hear a group that can bring an array of sounds and vibes to a track. H.I.S.D. brings a bit of old school with a new fresh flavor on “Never Die.” Full of clever word play and dazzling metaphors over a beat drenched in solid drums and a sick set of cymbals, the track is layered enough to create a frenzy amongst heads. “It’s common sense how I resurrect spit” is one of the many witty lines on this track that make it an instant favorite.

It seems outright typical for Hip Hop CD’s to have the token love song but they can be bearable when the artists are inquisitive enough to dig deeper than the norm. What makes “Automatic” featuring Sonny Bonoho worth a listen off top is the savvy way they blend Bobby Caldwell’s voice from the classic, “Open Your Eyes.” Instead of taking the traditional route, they give us small pieces as a teaser not to over saturate the song. The melodies along with the deliver glide across the beat leaving a sophisticated energy reminiscent of Slum Village at their peak. The lyrics are a bit complacent in the sense they don’t expand as far as they could but they don’t ruin the song by any means.

“Bring It Back” comes out the door banging with those heavy hitting drums that H.I.S.D. will become known for. The force that exudes through this track takes you to the old cipher days where heads would go off a dope beat and spit a fly sixteen like nothing you ever heard. The sample tickles your ears while the lyrical contribution and potent delivery match the production making the song blend perfectly. Often times you hear lyrics of emcees claiming to bring it back to the foundation but with this track, these Southern gentleman prove they are men of their word.

Even the other tracks on this album that don’t instantaneously pop out are good. “Bang Out Music,” which samples Willie Hutch’s “I Choose You,” has a sonic sound that is almost cohesive in the way it flows. “Summer So Good” gives you that good summer vibe as H.I.S.D. explain throughout the track while lyrics like “Robotic symptoms like small wonder, no wonder” make this song even better.

With the exception of a few small disappointing aspects of this album (the out of place “Gone off Patron” and sampling songs that have already been used), overall H.I.S.D. just might have struck gold with this album. Lyrically they bring about gems that will be quoted for years to come while the beats will create a sound that many will attempt to copycat.

Without question, Summer Sessions is one of the best albums to come out of Hip Hop’s bosom in a long time and H.I.S.D. is well on their way to building an incredible catalog.

90/100

“Summer Ain’t Good” featuring J. ‘8 Months’ Lewis

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“Never Die”

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“District Outro”

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