Coming up with Sandpeople and being immersed in Earth Fire Music’s instrumentals made by the likes of Smoke and Zebulon Dak for your first album, I imagine it didn’t take long for iAMe to get in student mode. And it shows on LifeAlert.
When I think of the early to late 2000’s Sandpeople releases, I often think of their architects: Simple/ThndrThf and Sapient. After Points of View, these are the gents who handled the bulk of Sandpeople’s production.
Fast forward to today, and iAMe is at the helm of Wool See, an albeit elusive but proven group whose production and rhymes are handled by the man himself.
LifeAlert is Wool See’s latest creation. We see the rapper grow into his style, on the mic and on the beats. We hear auto-tune used sparsely yet necessarily. We hear critiques and observations on society, capitalism, racism, religion, government. We hear decisive and calculated word play. We get another opinion on Portland’s Hip-Hop Day. We get gratitude and camaraderie. And we don’t hear any features.
The main takeaway I gained from my first couple listens of LifeAlert is how cool it is to see an artist’s evolution. The flow and realizations are very similar to older material; however it’s like we’re looking through a fresh pair of eyes.
Production wise the music is phenomenal. I wasn’t a fan of every beat, but you can tell every sound being made on LifeAlert was deliberate and meditated.
It seems we’re witnessing the molding, shaping and refining of an artist who stays true to the “Do It Yourself” mantra.
LifeAlert is a testament to the hard work and brilliance of that process. And it may blow a few minds and blow a few speakers along the way, but that all just depends on how you want to listen to it.
Favorite tracks:
Resistance to Rise, Trying to Hold On, Medium Security, Maybe
Cover photo courtesy of ugsmag.com