Fymps

Title: Fymps
Artiste: Freaky Z
Released: December 2007
Label: 65&Hope

"And I dont care about the he say she say
I say, as long as I'm good, I'm here to stay
I'm here to bring light to emcees on the street
Cause without me in the scene there's like no bass in your music
Fuckin empty right?" - Bass Man, Freaky Z

This is it. The cd put out by our nation's favourite superhero, Freaky Z to solidify himself as an established emcee and out to tell his fans that he's in this for the love of his supporters and hiphop as a whole.

This 20 track cd is an all out production by Freaky Z featuring no cameo appearances in the songs and just 2 other producers jumping on the beats side. Why you ask? Maybe it's because this time it's personal. Rauzan (XS.ONE) and Alyph (Sleeq) jumps on board on 'Do The Walk' and 'Kids' respectively with all other productions handled by the main man.

And if you haven't noticed, Freaky Z's productions are nothing short of 'atmospheric'. The beats as far as i can tell fits like a glove to his style and flavour. It's hard to pin point what makes it what it is but you know it's him with just a listen. He brought his A game on this one. Flow/style is varied and on point (it's always a good thing to show your versatility) and the lyrics are mostly direct and personal. You see what makes Freaky Z a true Singaporean Emcee is his way of incorporating all things local into his music. You can find references to many things 'Singapore' in his work. He is all about defining/branding Singapore Hiphop (not in the 'commercial/mainstream' way of course, if you know what I mean).

Tracks like 'Do The Walk', 'Saturday' and 'Same Woman Again' shows the lighter more cheery side of himself while 'Bass Man', 'How I Do It' and 'It's Not Me' projects the darker side of his ying and yang. It's all about balance here in this cd. In other words, Freaky Z wants his listeners to know that he's still human afterall, behind that stage moniker.

At the end of the cd, I find FYMPS to be a well worthy product done. Even though it lacks a different voice (no featured artistes), the overall content of the cd makes up for it. This was definitely made with the fans and love for hiphop in mind. You get to know him a lot better with this and i'm sure hiphop or non-hiphop fans alike will enjoy listening to this. There are too many emcees out there fronting silly fantasies and dreams out there but at times you need something like this to tell the world that not all rap artistes are rich blokes with fast cars and blings.

I demand that you get up from your seat and cop this cd now.

4 out of 5 stars!

- Hafiz, RSG



Other Reviews

POSITIVE

as fun as the man himself, Freaky Z knows how to hit the right note...
- Mr Chan

his song FYMPS is brilliant...
- Nick Chan, MUON


MIXED

a down-to-earth album and definitely a great leap in impovement from the 1st album but lack of varied production sounds and lack of featured artistes. lyrics/content: 9/10, beats/production: 7.5/10, overall: 8/10. honestly, its better to watch the man himself live...
- Azreal, XSTATIX

XS.1 : School of X'scape Artiste

Title: School of X'scape Artiste
Artiste: The XS.1 Regiment
Released: June 2007
Label: The .XS Collective / 65&Hope

The most anticipated album of the year if not in Singapore, in the hiphop scene at least then. It’s very well worth the wait and i’m sure it’s a pretty satisfying release on the family’s side. Featuring everyone from the camp ranging from the pioneers of the crew up to the newly recruited members, the album is the firestarter for their incumbent takeover of the scene.

With a total of 21 tracks inclusive of an intro and an outro, most of the tracks are rather short (average of 2.5 mins a track) but! It is nothing short of the rare gems and jewels. Highlight to some of these tracks would be “The Regiment Rejuvenates”, “Trajik Kingdom”, “Play With Fire” and “Screen”. The beats and the lyrics are top notch and although the album might be a tad too heavy for some, still, if you’d like to witness the bigger picture of what hiphop really is then this is just it. Everyone came tight for the album. Sez’s verse for the anthem, K.I.N.G’s verse for “Is this how she’s dyin”, Azrael’s verse on the outro and lots more. You just can’t enough of these guys. Really.

If you like Bless, FreakyZ, X’scapists, Psykes and Rauzan then don’t miss your chance to grab this cd. For just 10 bucks a copy, it’s more bang for your buck yo.

5 out of 5 stars ya'll!

- Hafiz, RSG



Other Reviews

POSITIVE

An album with plenty of finesse, infectious use of grooves and beats, and a whole lot of spirit from a collective of hiphop enthusiast from the shores of Singapore. If Lion City should have any pride, this album should be counted as one of its best offsprings. 4 out of stars.
- Armen, THOA

Xs brings the street out of the local hiphop scene...
- Mr Chan

Its the takeover...
- Aludra