All Natural / Molemen collboration, taken from Cap D’s PolyMath mixtape in stores Oct. 25th. Also be on the look out for Writer’s Block II in 2011.

LISTEN: Cap D & Panik – “Prime Suspect” (MP3)

Cap D & Panik – “Prime Suspect” (MP3)

   “Destiny” features a scathing verse from Chi-town alum Rhymefest, while One Be Lo shows out on “The Answer”. Both guest appearances accentuate the potency of the album. Elsewhere, Iomas Morad and Cap pass the mic on “Nickel & Dime”. But it’s not like Cap can’t be his own man, as he roughs up the mic on quite a few cuts like “Blow” and the Far East flavored title track.
The production is yet another feather in the cap for Capital D. With a list of producers that includes  himself, J Rawls, Maker and others, Return of the Renegade is filled with solid production.

     “Rock Me” shines with a sparse key arrangement, behind some booming drums as the vocal sample belts out “Rock Me”. “Bright Lights” also illuminates with its vocal sample reversed providing the backdrop for Cap to punch in some potent lyrics that speak on the state of affairs of hip hop today (i.e. “Radio is just jiggy/and it’s just 50/but its cool though/at least it ain’t Diddy”)

   If there is something to nitpick on with Return of the Renegade it would be that sameness of D’s flow. Not that he’s wack by any stretch of the imagination, but he won’t get many style points from those who are interested in cats like Jeezy and Weezy. His monotone style still has a flicker of old school attached to it but in this day and age of emcees, that just may not do. Return of the Renegade ends up becoming yet another notch under the belt for Capital D. Solid production, solid lyrics make this an album worth getting. Too bad that this generation of hip-hop kids would prefer their hip-hop a little more radio friendly than what Cap D has to offer.

     On the previously released single “Vent”, Capital D cunningly asks the listener, “What’s the use of hip-hop if it’s not liberating and facilitating something better?” Instead of merely leaving this question lingering, this ever-conscious MC mindfully shows exactly how substantial hip-hop can be throughout this self-produced album.

     Take the hard-hitting politically charged “Blowback” where Cap blasts the Western world’s domination over time. Just check his history lesson on how the misuse of power has affected the world for the worst: “Stole America/ colonized Asia/ raped Africa/ stole Australia/ and now they pimped the Mid-East and South America/ Western Civ. is mass hysteria/ But that’s the modern world that they never teach you in your history text/ A bit more complex than… honest Abe and Washington’s cherry tree/ don’t want to speak upon the slaves or the Cherokee.” With all its fortitude, this is arguably the best-executed cut on the album. Immediately following “Blowback”, Capital delivers one amazing bluesy instrumental entitled, “Mississippi”, which proves that he can speak as loud with words as he can behind the boards. Cap’s subtle bass keyboard playing and the slick guitar licks of Cosmos B here serve as a therapeutic blues session for this MC to let go of all his frustrations–if only for a few minutes.

     Insomnia sees Capital D more heated than he’s ever been and the strength of this album lies within how well he is able to read between the lines and regurgitate hidden governmental actions (See “Start the Revolution”, “Blowback” and “1984″). I would be remiss not to mention though that groups like The Coup have doing the same thing for years. But along with Immortal Technique and Mr. Lif, Cap is one of a select few MCs worthy of carrying the revolutionary torch handed on from The Coup and Public Enemy–that is if he keeps up this politically and historically driven vigor that has left him an insomniac.

Previous projects from All Natural were fan favorites, but one common beef was that they were a bit too preachy, if not the fact they weren’t sewn together as well as other hip-hospital projects from artists like Common, The Roots, The, & De La Soul. What separates Writer’s Block from All Natural’s other projects is that Capital D is this time plays the observer, with a conceptual album of inter-related stories involving a series of characters from a Chicago city block (hence the name, Writer’s Block (The Movie)). For the most part, he strays away from being a prophet with a mic, only offering his advice to the characters in the story when asked for it, seldom getting caught-up in their surrounding drama. Over the span of 14 tracks, Capital D wonderfully illustrates the lives of characters that may or may not be based on real people or events, with such great detail that the listener is virtually sucked into his world for an hour. A taste of Chicago is experienced brilliantly as he pens tales of the everyday struggle that are equally poetic and illustrative.

While this idea sounds great on paper, it truly can only be executed successfully if the production is as top-notch as the stories told, and that’s where the Molemen come in. Among the three producers, they show heavy influence from some of hip-hop’s top beatmakers, and their appreciation for quality shows. On the intro, ‘Writer’s Block Part 2′, Capital D sets the stage for the entire album, introducing us to the cast of characters, with a nice beat by Panik  that salutes RZA’s Only Built For Cuban Linx era. Following are both ‘Young Girl Lost’, a story about a mixed-up girl named Liza who took a few wrong turns, and ‘Paper Chase’, which chronicles the events of heist involving a few of the main characters, both propelled by dark, Alchemist-like backdrops. The classic influence of producers that shaped hip-hop music for an era is heard throughout the whole album, whether it’s of Diamond D (‘Currency Exchange’), The Beatnuts (‘DU’A (The Deen’s List)’), or simply coming up with indirect variations on lost production styles of yesteryear, as each ‘Crossfire’, ‘DU’A (Stevie Wonder)’, and ‘Cause and Effect’ illustrate. Even when Cap takes production chores himself, one can’t help but feel for the neighborhood’s surrogate mother, ‘Mrs. Manley’, as he pens a woeful rhyme in her memory, over somber, rainy pianos. While Cap draws the picture, The Molemen paint the colors, and the marriage of the two makes a happy baby, even if it’s nursing on tales of misery.

In the end, when it’s all put together, it’s pretty much a no-brainer, as Capital D & The Molemen’s Writer’s Block (The Movie) is without a doubt one of the strongest indy projects to drop this year, with even the bonus instrumental CD of the album being incredibly satisfying by itself. (Note: The ‘Writer’s Block’ instrumental disc is a HipHopSite exclusive, only available if you buy this album here. - editor). Whether you consider yourself a fan of these artists or not is irrelevant; definitely do not let this one pass you by, you won’t be disappointed.