Personality wise each member of the Living Legends is as different as night & day. But it is readily apparent thru their musical offerings that they all have one thing particularly in common– a taste for the obscure. Eligh is no different in that regard, as his eclectic array of production and mind-expanding lyricism is indeed a sound to behold.

Both of Eligh’s LP’s are topically rich, and the depth’s to his lyrical capacity is seemingly unlimited. His rhymes are delivered in a mild mannered freestyle frenzy, and he drops a ton of knowledge throughout. However, Eligh drops that knowledge in an educating manner, and in doing so comes off without sounding overly preachy. In truth, he can be so intellectually mind-blowing that his lyrics at times can be hard to decipher, if not given the proper attention. Granted, like some of his LL cohorts, his extreme experimentation can at times leave him caught between a rock and a hard place, but at least that relatively slight shortcoming is made in good faith. Eligh refuses limitations on the mic, and behind the boards, as he has acquired an ability to mesh odd couplings of various instruments into any setting, turning them into truly avant-garde–Andy Warhol like productions.

On his debut solo excursion A Story Of 2 Worlds, Eligh’s production on the second half of this disc virtually jumps out of the speakers, therefore catapulting it a notch over it’s predecessor. Things start popping on “Metro Camouflage” with its shimmering piano stroking, and stress relieving guitar riffs. Fellow Legend, Murs, goes bananas with the first verse on “7 Years” (Wandering). With “Head Check” Eligh pleads for heads to open up, and to not close yourself off from new, albeit, unfamiliar experiences. All LL’s need theme music and “Quantum Thought (Homebound)” serves as Eligh’s. Not to be outdone, the pristine “Fisherman’s Lot” features Eligh’s uncanny breath control.

Eligh shows growth on Sidewaydaze, as his hooks are given more attention, and room to breathe. His flow is also more contained to the topic matter at hand, as he holds back the urge to drift. Bluesy guitar strumming with a jagged staccato drum loop propels “Makeshift Message”. Eligh drops some food for thought pleading with emcees to “find something too talk about/ mental weightlift”. Taking on the alias of Rick Rick, Eligh drops lyrics in the mode of a modern day Slick Rick on “One Day”. Also, “Pain” (Let It Go), & “Powerfull” both posses old-school aesthetics, and a redeeming quality. While Sidewaydaze is a more cohesive all around project, it lacks the same production punch found on his debut.

Granted, Eligh is not for your average hip-hop fan, as his shit is so far from the norm that many heads may be turned off by it’s unconformist nature. Eligh obviously takes all of that in stride as all he seems interested in is churning out LP’s that are truly creative, and innovative. When listening to Eligh’s LP’s you would be well advised to keep an open mind, as it is nearly impossible to predict what may happen next. The end result is a bizarre ride, but a ride you don’t want to miss out on. The Living Legends are attempting to lead a West Coast revolution musically, and this is yet another piece(s) in their ongoing struggle.