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MH-221 Omid - Monolith  Omid raises the standard on producer-driven hip-hop albums with Monolith, a project that rests in concept between his Celestial Recordings smash Beneath The Surface and 2002's stellar Distant Drummer. Equally split between layered instrumental pieces and standout vocal tracks, Omid invites some of the world's most important emcees to rhyme over his beautifully crafted, Middle Eastern tinged productions. Buck 65, Busdriver, Abstract Rude, 2Mex, Spoon (of Iodine), Luckyiam.PSC, Slug, Aceyalone, and Murs all give noteworthy performances. Two standout tracks are turned in by Hymnal, whose world-weary tales of moral corruption bookend the album. In a time where some producers are content with just making beats, Omid's mature design speaks volumes with or without emcees. |
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| Reviews Summary |
| Beats that you'd kill for - Vice / Rife with both sick beats and rhymes of conviction - Synthesis / Modern, bold, and uplifting. - Harvard Independent / Los Angeles' best-kept secret - San Francisco Weekly / Sick, progressive hip-hop - XLR8R / Don't make the mistake of missing Monolith. - Hip-Hop DX |
| Reviews | |
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| Southern Cali producer Omid is an influential, if not bizarre, beat conductor. His past concoctions, like the momentously spacey Beneath the Surface compilation delivered when he was known as OD, overflow with a nebulous funk that flexes under the most progressive emcees or thumps solo. After beatmaking for notable forward-thinkers like Freestyle Fellowship, Omid helms Monolith, another cutting-edge West Coast alt-rap collection. Half of Monolith is instrumental cuts, highlighted by sitar samples populating "Sound of the Sitar" and celestial keyboard zaps abundantly peppering "Research." Despite the unorthodox sounds, Omid's best work is with left-field mic rippers. Buck 65's a baseball-loving beat poet with Omid's organ and string loops deftly supporting on "Double Header." More standouts are Abstract Rude and 2Mex on "Myth Behind the Man" and the hearty posse jam "Live from Tokyo" where Aceyalone leads a slew of sensational rhymers including Murs and Slug. - Urb |
2XLP/Out Of Print