By Tony Muhammad, Urban America Newspaper
A good soon to be released collection of songs by true revolutionary artists still delivering critical social commentary about the condition of the Black and Brown in the streets, the political climate of the times and, most notably, the pacified condition of the current Hip Hop generation. The most interesting part of this compilation is not so much the music, but the reason why these artists would come together now in this era while they never truly came together in the past during their 'heyday'? It is just a sign of the times when like-minded artists notice an increasing crisis in the mentality and actions of the younger generation along with a decaying music industry that by and large rejects their overall message because it is not good for capitalism. Among the most noted tracks include the G-Funk powered "Can't Break Me" by KAM, the potent "Still Ain't Free" by MC Ren, a remix to The Coup's "Ghetto Manifesto" and the hard-hitting collaborations like Public Enemy and Paris in "Can't Hold Us Back" and Dead Prez, Paris, T-KASH and The Conscious Daughters in "Raid." Also powerful are two songs featured by The anti-war/invasion S.T.O.P. Movement including Dilated Peoples, WC, Trat Dee, Dafari, Daz, Mobb Deep, KRS-One, Mack 10, The Alchemist, B-Real, and Everlast. The album includes a good variety of topics and style of music, including a strong testament of womanhood as expressed by The Conscious Daughters in "Woman's World," the jazzy spoken word Hip Hop oriented "The Road Less Traveled" by Blitz and soul-driven "If There's a Hell Below" by Ms. Monet. Overall, good thought-provoking music from start to finish!