Scribbler's Native Tongue Mixtape Pick: Raz Simone, "Solomon Samuel Simone"

Sifting through what seemed like an endless sea of EPs and mixtapes from March for this first review--yeah, I'm late, but I promise I'll get better in future reviews--Seattle hip-hop artist Raz Simone stood out among several tough competitors with his debut EP, Solomon Samuel Simone.  Presented by Black Umbrella and Dream & Produce (download here), Simone's five-track, 22-minute project is a raspy, raw effort that showcases the emcee's ability to "find the silver lining in the clouds".  He has no problem talking about the occasional dreariness of the clouds themselves, but he balances it out by bringing attention to each and every blessing in disguise.

Kicking things off is "These Kids Throw Rocks" (produced by Nima Skeemz) in which his mantra is vigorously manifested via these four bars: "I was taught never shoot a shot with a shaky hand/Glad I had an absent father, not an angry dad/Being a bastard child never made me mad/You have to be sittin' down or layin' down to take a stand."  On the Elan Wright-produced "Good Run", he talks about being involved in a tit-for-tat relationship and eloquently admits his own fault in its failure: "I was blessed with the wisdom of King Solomon/Coincidentally cursed with the same follies in/Numbers of women who would follow him/It can be lonely, even when so many call you friend."  He drops countless gems about dealing with people on the Antwon Vinson-produced "Formula to Life" (my 2nd favorite song on the EP) like these:

No tour, but they on the back on the bus/Like this was pre-civil rights and they was Black on the bus/If I'm ridin', I'm lookin' like a bum with crack on the bus/And most of the n*ggas that hate are really askin' for love/So I give all of my haters a couple daps and some hugs/Have to treat 'em like a b**** 'cause they be actin' like some.

However, my favorite track on this EP is the lead single, "Cold".  Nima Skeemz's production is a great balance of smooth keys and hard drums that match Simone's ability to change tone with the musical progression of each song--not to mention the dope solo by the EP's featured saxophonist, Ariel Loud.  Lyrically, Raz's flow is arguably at its best on "Cold".  More important, very few artists make songs that immediately speak to you from the first few lines, and he does that here:

These days, sex is like a handshake/We thought we had it down, but the plans changed/I remember saving myself/For marriage, but a few notches came on this belt/Me inside of a woman/When I leave, I take a piece of her soul/I try to hold on 'cause I don't like letting mine go/But in this fast life, nothing moves slow.

It's like he reached right into my heart and my brain, extracted a sentiment that has sat in the recesses of my spirit for years, and expressed it in a way that I don't think I would've done so simple but profound.  That's how you know that an artist has a true gift.  To think...those lines don't even scratch the surface of all the different subjects he covered in one song, but they give you an idea of the amount of introspect he put into it.

If I had any gripes about Solomon Samuel Simone, it would be that 1) it's so short and leaves you wanting so much more and 2) Raz can be a bit choppy with his flow from time to time.  However, it's an EP that is inherently shorter than a mixtape or full-length album and he's able to speak so much more potency into fewer tracks than most people do with 10-15 songs.  Furthermore, he overcomes his sometimes-imperfect flow with a genuine voice and always honest content to which only the most dishonest man alive would take serious exception.  If you've been yearning for something to listen from this year's crop of hip-hop music that extends beyond the normal fare, then Raz Simone just might have the perfect solution.

For more information on and to follow Raz Simone, please visit http://razsimone.com,  http://twitter.com/razsimone and http://www.facebook.com/razsimone.