True & Livin'

Mind over Matter Innovative and engaging, Zion I's Mind over Matter succeeds because of its impressive conceptual execution. The Bay Area trio of Zion, Amp Live, and DJ K-Genius set the tone with the old-school energy of "Revolution (B-boy Anthem)," reawakening hip-hop's subversive impulses. Spir...	Zion I & the Grouch Are Heroes in the City of Dope Zion I & The Grouch come together to make a classic album transcending the traditional West coast sound. "Heroes In The City Of Dope" tells the story of two individuals' lives in one of the most drug and poverty infested regions in the world (Oakland, CA) as they rise above th...	Deep Water Slang V2.0 After Zion I's original label folded, Zion and Amp Live took their album back to the lab and retooled it. The initial misfortune turned out to be an auspicious opportunity as DeepWater Slang 2.0 benefits from the second pass. A diverse, broad album that's as much for thinkers as ...	Street Legends	Break a Dawn
Eardrum In the "conscious" rap game, even mid-list mainstreamers tend to get all but shut out of the highest-profile vehicles for hip-hop (BET, MTV, urban radio). Among these, Talib Kweli remains that exemplary liminal artist, one foot in the artistic purity of his underground roots and ...	Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition	The Cool The name of Lupe Fiasco's sophomore set sounds like a Kanye-ism, and that's fitting: The Cool spills over with Mr. West-style urgency, and it's just about as smart as anything Fiasco's more flamboyant mentor has issued. It could even land Lupe a little too close to the top of the...	The Healing	Finding Forever It's no small feat to follow an instant classic like Common's Be (2005) but he skillfully builds on that success with a worthy sequel. The two albums share much in common, especially with Finding Forever's focus and brevity (under 50 minutes) and especially with Kanye West's musi...

Consciously Focused Hip Hop Legends
These brothers are so intelegent that their material could be the subject of books because their introspection is so clear, relevant and thoughtprovoking. Mindover Matter was mindblowing and True & Livin is another head banger-lyrically and well as musically. I have the highest respect for brothers whose music is so evidently focused on the state of our community. They are consistent track after track that you know some serious thought was put into the material. As long as you keep making this kind of music you will always have a serious committed fan base. The tracks are so progressive, accentuating the interpretation of the lyrics. This is definately an asset because many artist in this genre have hard beats, and nice tracks overshadowing the lyrics, mostly because they aren't saying anything anyway and they know it themselves. The fans then just focus on the track and tune out the message which is a blur. Not Zion I, they enunciate, pronounce and showcase their lyrics to complement the track so your head can nod, with your third eye open, all in unison. They are phenomenal, complete and a complement to the Hip Hop Nation. Truthfully they are the toast, butter and any flavor marmalade you could wish. WORD

A FUTURE CLASSIC
This release is amazing, probably one of the best complete albums of the last 10 years. It has grown on me quite a bit since the first listen over a year ago. My favorite track is the hidden/bonus at the very end, but essentially it is a non-skip record, which is almost impossible to find.

really tight
Solid album. Forget hyphy, THIS is Bay Area. Stand outs are Bird's Eye View (incredible beat), Temperature (lotta heart went into that), and The Bay.

Great Album. GREAT ALBUM!!
True rap, real rap, amazing beats with amazing rappers = pure great rap. i recommend this album to anyone who really appreciates real rap. GREAT ALBUM. ps. check out all their music. their great rappers

FEEL GOOD MUSIC
i'ma keep it short,this album just makes you feel good when you hear it.the beats,rhymes,& guest appearances by other artists all compliment each other.only vice is that there are like 3 songs i skip,otherwise it would be 5 stars.stand out track is "poems 4 post modern decay" with aesop rock.definitely check this one out,worth ya money.