Get on the bandwagon while there's still room!
sinicalypse | Chicago | 09/19/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"It's about time that amazon.com started stocking hip hop as groundbreaking as the wastelands. We're talking a 7.5 on the richter scale with sinkholes as big as your mind can imagine. Ask yourself, are you ready for the future of hip hop? The WASTELANDS crew certainly will not wait up for you.Rather than try and spoil the unequivocal joy that is decoding the brilliantly encoded lyrics of the WASTELANDS' sophomore effort, I will just tell you that this isn't your parents' hip-hop, no, this is hip hop from the year 2035 that hopped in the DeLorean and came back to this time to give you a glimpse into the future of their patented "abztrakt mozart cannible" lyricism.Buckle up and hold on for dear life, the WASTELANDS crew, spearheaded by burgeoning rap sensation, Taiyamo Denku, are about to push you to the edge of contemporary lyricism, then let you choose whether you want to cling to the cliff that you know, or take the plunge into the unknown abyss that is the realm of the WASTELANDS.Don't expect to fully grasp the topics and concepts purveyed by this milestone in hip-hop on the first listen, for it is more than likely that these guys are over your head, providing raps that you are currently not ready for. Every song builds off of the last one, continuing a story so complex that you'd swear it was intended for Rhodes Scholars, however, as real as being homeless on the streets of Chicago or Milwaukee. So at times when the song seems inane, overtly grandiose in intended-complexity, the challenge is for you to listen to the song 300 times and see just exactly what they were thinking.Ringleader Taiyamo Denku is not worried about any typical shortcomings, such as style, voice, delivery, or beat... he is, however, worried that hip-hop is spiraling out of control into a realm that is devoid of all artistic talent. Fortunately for us, and everyone who loves art in its purest form, he and his WASTELANDS crew are here to stop the cancer from spreading any further. Don't hesitate on this one; consider your $14 as a donation to the cause of supporting quality hip hop, even in its rawest and at times unlistenable, unenjoyable, and pseudopoetic best."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1