Termanology remains one of the go-to-guys for solid dose of “street hop” – that being real hip-hop music that carries the essence of what made the music pure in the early days mixed with the harsh realities of growing up in the hood. Artists like Gang Starr, Kool G. Rap, Nas, Rakim, and others defined this sub-genre of hip-hop, and lyrically fit artists like Termanology are carrying on the tradition today. With Time Machine: Hood Politics VI, Termanology collects many of his unreleased, leaked, and stray cuts for a compilation record for the fans. 

     What we get here is a mixed bag, presenting both sides of Termanology’s sound and style. He is a student of the old school, which manifests itself here in many of the album’s prime moments. For instance, the album goes right for it by kicking off with a cover of Eric B. & Rakim’s “The Ghetto”, to which Term applies his own perspective of street life. On “Music Industry RMX”, M.O.P.’s Fizzy Womack provides Term with an uncharacteristically Ummah-styled track (complete with Q-Tip vocal samples), as Royce, Crooked I, Akrobatik, and Consequence, go down the line with excellent results. Both Pete Rock and DJ Premier chime in with “My Boston” and “Hold That”, both staying in check with their more contemporary styles of recent. But the Term couldn’t be more nostalgic than on the album’s title track, “Time Machine”, which finds him over a gorgeous Large Professor beat, which would have fit right in during hip-hop’s classic era. 

     Of Term’s more modern styled material, we get hit and miss results. The anti-snitch anthem “It’s A Shame” finds Term and Joell Ortiz venting as a sampled Snoop Dogg provides a fitting hook, while “Brown Paper Bag” puts Term in his element over Don Cannon’s nefarious production. However some of Term’s more questionable moments include the pair of double-time rhymed “Forever” and “Bout To Go Down” – while Term is ambidextrous enough to handle this type of flow, it just seems contrived and forced, especially for someone who comes from an era when it did not exist. And the overly thugged out “Stick Up” (feat. Sheek Louch) and the depressing “I See Dead People” both seem a bit over the top.  

     Nevertheless, this is a compilation record, so we can’t expect it to have the same level of quality as an album. But for fans of Termanology that feel the need to collect his every verse, remix, and guest appearance, or perhaps those that just want to see what he’s about, Time Machine is as good of place as any to start. – DJ Pizzo