Review Summary: Gotta learn from mistakes what it takes to lead, but of course had a taste of the evil seed so I could truly see what I was meant to be
Duality is an idea rarely discussed in hip hop. Rappers tend to pick a particular style and stick to it. Whether that’s a hedonistic style that glorifies one’s rise to stardom, or a conscious one that seeks to advise its listeners, artists rarely cross this line within the same album. Rather than continue this long-standing tradition, The Underachievers turn it on its head in their newest album Evermore: The Art of Duality. on this project, AK and Issah Gold trade bars in their signature rapid-fire flows, delving into deeply personal stories over extremely creative instrumentals. All the while executing both styles exceptionally well.
The first half offers uplifting motivational tracks in which these MC’s reflect on their difficult pasts and how the struggles they faced have shaped them into the men they are today. These 7 tracks are marked by vibrant, bright instrumentals usually involving light drums and harmonic synths. The song “Shine All Gold” is a standout from this half of the album, and it features beautifully strummed guitar licks over an intoxicating medley of drums and synths. The overall mood created is serious, though uplifting, and it works very well with Issah and Ak’s delivery. Lyrically, this song features the two MC’s offering up their most personal stories of growing up in Flatbush and dealing with exposure to bad influences at a young age. Issah’s verse is particularly heartfelt, and his ability to gain strength from what he faced makes for quite the motivational anecdote. Another notable track is “The Dualist”, which is probably the most inspirational song on the whole album. It features jazzy horns, a playful saxophone, and an infectiously catchy hook. These elements come together to create an aura of optimism that persists long after the song is over. It also features AK and Issah in uncharacteristically laid-back flows, which distinguish this track from the others.
What really makes this album unique is how starkly the second half contrasts with the first. As soon as you pass the halfway point, the airy, uplifting production is replaced with incredibly dark, gritty, hard-hitting bangers. Issah and AK unleash an onslaught of hedonistic lyrics at breakneck speeds over firing snares and booming bass notes. “Take Your Place” is a prime example, featuring a massive sub-bass, a simple synth chord progression, and surprisingly gloomy choir vocals. Issah and AK use this to deliver some of their most aggressive lines yet. Forsaking the uplifting tales of earlier, and instead demonstrating their sheer technical ability on the mic. The two MC’s deliver chilling performances and the whole track sets a gritty atmosphere for what’s to come. This same basic style is repeated for most of what remains, baring small instrumental differences between tracks. Although this can become somewhat monotonous upon repeated listens, the sheer urgency with which many of these bars are delivered makes this half of the album far more enjoyable than expected. The whole thing ends with “Unconscious Monsters”, a track that boasts darker production, but lyrically stands somewhere between both sides of the album. It offers a satisfying closure to the dichotomy proposed by the earlier songs.
All in all, this project stands as an ambitious concept album which manages to tackle the concept of duality better than any hip hop album thus far. It boasts fantastically varied production, fast, aggressive flows, and incredibly personal stories. It serves as a concise, focused project and is a vast improvement over their earlier work. Only time will tell what’s in store for the Lords of Flatbush. If it’s anything like this, we’ll certainly have a lot to be excited about.
