Mass Production Album
review
By: Julius Kweku Doh
So I got the album entitled Mass
Production by Edem and the album art had him sitting in a couch with dark
shades on. The first thing that came to mind was the album art of Lil Wayne’s
Rebirth. Aside the guitar lying on the laps of Lil Wayne on the said album art,
both album arts have the same concept. I took a listen to the album and
realized that, n
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| Mass Production album art |
Prior to the final album release,
we heard the single Ghetto Arise which had Edem taking an experiment with the
Reggae genre, something we never saw him do on his first album. So if you do
not agree with me that the album is an experimental one after listening to it, then
you should ask yourself why a hip-life act like Edem will go all Bob Marley by
doing reggae, crooning like an RNB man, and even doing Rock and Roll.
In the first place, I must
commend Edem for his ability to juggle between rapping, singing and doing the
Jamaican thing. It is a mark of a true craftsman and based on these qualities,
he is able to do the experiment to near perfection. I say near perfection
because the reggae he did couldn’t be better than that of Rocky Dawuni, neither
was the Rock and Roll experiment close to the smooth sailings of Elvis Presley,
however, he does it so well that he could pass for a reggae act or a rock and
roll act or any other genre he experimented with.
We know reggae songs to be the
kind of songs that present the plight of those in the Ghettos and the
underprivileged. Edem does this well with Ghetto Arise, the second song on the
album which is produced by Red Eye of the hip-life group 2Toff. Most of you
will be familiar with the song and will agree with me when I say it is very
inspirational and encouraging for any youth in the Ghettos who is trying hard
to make life a better one. Stand for the truth, believe in yourself and work
hard are the messages Edem carries across with this song.
The experiment continues on the
E.L produced Wetin Dey as Edem becomes a Rock and Roll man. He describes a love
situation where he shows the most of love to his partner but the partner does
not reciprocate his love. The song appears twice on the album with the second
one featuring rapper Gemini. I must state clearly that I have not been fan of
Gemini and on this cut; he does not give me reason to be as he does his usual
tongue twisting thing where you cannot tell exactly what he is saying.
I must say however that, as much
as Edem experiments with various genres, he stays true to his roots as a
rapper. Most of the cuts on the album have rap cutting through as much as
possible. Whether it was the lyrical fist fight with fellow rapper Tinny on The
Legacy, or proving his lyrical capabilities on Medekuku, Edem combines a mix of
metaphors and similes with flawless punch lines to claim his spot as one of the
best Hip-lifers of the new school. His ability to deliver packed bars is
displayed on Too Much as well as Kate featuring Joey B.
One thing I will always speak
against in the Hip-life industry is beat making and production. As much as Edem
proves himself as a true craftsman with his lyricism, I must say the production
does not complement his efforts. Whether it was E.L trying to change the
instrumentation of Eminem’s We Made You, or Lil Shaker flipping Ace Hood’s
Cashflow, a little kid could even tell where those beats were lifted from. I
must commend Hammer of the Last Two however, and I must not justify that as we
all know how the good old Hammer has tasted and still tastes. Red Eye also does
a clever job on Ghetto Arise with his beautiful reggae vibrations. Genius
Selection’s abilities is once again proven as he weaves the beautiful horns to
the party anthem Over Again, I must say it is one of my favorite on the album.
All in all, I think Edem is
beyond just a rapper. He faultlessly proves his other strengths as a good
singer and a master of the Jamaican Lingua thing. So if you want a modern day
experiment by a hip-life act, throw a few Cedis on Edem’s album Mass Production
and you will not skip a track.
Twitter: @Jkwekudoh Facebook: Julius Kweku Doh
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