Asamov – And Now…

Andreas Hale — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000

    When you think of Florida a few things come to mind….booty music, Luke dancers and booty music. Never does it really cross your mind that a true hip hop group would exist in Florida. Well Asamov of trying to change that. The four man group of Willie Evans Jr, Basic, J. One-Da and Therapy are looking to shed a new light on the state that is known for hurricane season, Disneyworld and booty music with the release of their album And Now…

   What piques the curiosity about this album is the fact that Asamov is signed to 6 Hole Records – Which is the very same label that released The Away Team and L.E.G.A.C.Y. albums. One has to wonder what exactly does Asamov have in store. There really aren’t any expectations and because of that Asamov delivers what can be deemed as one of the sleeper album of the year.

   With the bulk of production handled by Therapy and Willie Evans Jr and the emceeing left up to Basic and J. One-da, Asamov’s sound is truly organic and quite surprising. Tracks such as “Bad News” prove that Asamov isn’t a fly by night group. A soulful sample revolves around lyrical oration of hustling through bad times. “Boombox” look like an admirable attempt at the run of the mill throwback joint, but with a beautifully constructed loop that lingers as Basic and J reminisce, one has to recognize that this is a little more than your average “back-in-the-day” track. Asamov knows how to keep variety without going off center as well. “Seven” is the old school breakbeat backing a emcee game of hot potato that takes you back to ’87 while “Say Something” cruises along with moving guitar plucks as the group keeps it straight hip hop.

   Another element that proves that Asamov ain’t no joke is the fact that although the guest list is an underground who’s who, the group never let’s the album become the “no-name group with a gang of dope guests who outshine the group” album. Better yet, the guests have a very hard time stealing the show and just blend in with the vibe perfectly. 9th Wonder’s “Real Good” is a damn good backdrop but not the best on the album, which speaks in volumes of Asamov’s musical abilities. Mr. Lif lends his trademark vibe to “Supa Dynamite” and Akrobatik gets busy on “Git Loose” but Basic and J. One-Da more than hold their own. On the posse cut “Standing Room Only” J-Live, Cassidy and Wordsworth join a super cipher with Asamov and show what a posse joint should sound like.

    And Now… is the perfect example of what hip hop should sound like. Dope rhymes and dope beats. Sure those who are looking for a rhyme about biochemistry may be upset but hey…you can’t please everyone. This is hip-hop in its truest form. Too bad there aren’t more groups like Asamov around to push the movement forward. Do yourself a favor and contribute to the movement of good hip hop by copping this album. You will be thankful you did.

HipHopSite.Com » asamov

Asamov – And Now…