Album Reviews: Time Flys, Life Dies... Phoenix Rise - Canibus

[The Ruler 09]

I know some people were interested in the album reviews, there's been quite a few, so instead of making threads for all of them individually I'll just post them in this thread.

http://www.examiner.com/review/canibus-ushers-a-new-world-order-time-flys-life-dies-phoenix-rise

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"This Is Rome" featuring Pyrit - Canibus


Time Flys, Life Dies... Phoenix Rise by Canibus & Bronze Nazareth
Rating: 4 Stars

Criticized for its dated JP Beats style, Canibus' Fait Accompli LP (2014) was held back a little by its basic production and its many loaded interludes, but it remains one of the Jamaican American emcee's strongest album statements in years. For his 2015 album, Time Flys, Life Dies... Phoenix Rise, Canibus has made a wiser choice of producer, enrolling the Wu-Tang-affiliated Bronze Nazareth, who combines samples and drums for a hoppy, dark opera-esque score with more variation. In keeping with Fait Accompli's theme of world corruption, Time Flys takes it one step further with Bis warning of the resultant global paradigm shift, if remedial action is not taken in time. His prognosis of the apocalyptic and apocryphal state of man is largely reserved for the second half with the first highlighting power raps and lyrical olympics.

http://genius.com/discussions/14322...-dies-phoenix-rise-release-date-and-cover-art

A good spread of guests join Canibus from start to finish. Mikey Destruction and old schoolers Devastating Tito (from the Fearless Four) and DJ Slice rough up the mic in track two before handing it to Bis to share industry stories in "Canibus Autobiography (Part 01)." Solid songs featuring Killah Priest, King of the Dot battle rapper Dizaster and beat legend Pete Rock follow including the "Kings Sent For Me" mob cut with 'Samurydas' Raekwon, Kurupt, Craig G and a rapping Bronze Nazareth. After "Interlude Dos"'s quick sermon, the wise foretellings ensue. Bis and Pyrit predict the fall of the modern day Roman Empire-like power structure, and runaway consumerism, uninspired hip hop, and other mankind plagues come to the fore in "This Is Rome" and "Mr. Montana... Thank You." Canibus' last most important messages are about slaying the malicious, mind-numbing media monster and accepting less than total control of life, and of course around, in between, on top and underneath everything is Bis' penchant for mind-blowing lyricism packed with science, classical fiction imagery and archaic, foreign language and lingo.

A skosh detrimental but a mark of Canibus' style, Time Flys' shortage of heavy choruses set it back slightly, but still, the professor-like rapper, who has made a career being sociologically meaningful, is finding greater relevance with this and his last album in our shaky, post-Great Recession age. Scoring very well in every criterion of the music, Time Flys, Life Dies... Phoenix Rise is Canibus sticking to his guns, putting on a powerfully sophisticated show, and envisioning a better world for everyone to live in.

 

[smokeurobinson]

4 mic album. Tho it could have been mastered better cuz it sounds too basement like.

 

[The Ruler 09]

http://www.abuildingroam.com/2015/04/album-review-sneak-peek-at-new-canibus.html

Album Review: A sneak peek at the new Canibus & Bronze Nazareth record Time Flys, Life Dies...Phoenix Rise


This year's local SXSW festival was a mostly low-key one for me but I did have one eventful and exciting evening. It began with an "experiential marketing" promo for one of my favorite films from last year, Interstellar, wherein participants donned headphones and an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to transport to a spaceship making its way toward a wormhole. It was my first encounter of Oculus Rift, something I've often heard about recently but never thought I'd actually get to try out.

It was about as amazing as I could have expected, especially when the Interstellar spaceship shifted into zero gravity mode. Somehow the immersion in Oculus Rift's virtual reality actually made it feel like I was floating, while I could see the ringed planet Saturn, in all its glory, just outside the ship's window.

Shortly thereafter, sitting in a truck parked near the Interstellar promo tent, I had the privilege of partaking in a full listening session for the upcoming album by Canibus & Bronze Nazareth Time Flys, Life Dies...Phoenix Rise. The conjunction of these two experiences seems oddly fitting. The gravelly voiced lyrical scientist known as Canibus has been providing high-tech rhymes for nearly two decades now. A virtual reality experience putting you on board a spaceship traveling toward a wormhole is exactly the type of thing Canibus tends to rap about. It's also not out of the realm of possibility that the dictionary-scouring wordsmith already coined the term "Oculus Rift" on some long-winded track from a dozen years ago.

Now firmly established as one of the greatest rap lyricists to ever grace a mic,* Canibus has little left to prove. He's been in cyphers with Big Pun, immortalized the day of Biggie's death with one unforgettable rhyme, collided loudly with pop heavyweights LL Cool J and Eminem, apocryphally battled the whole Wu-Tang Clan into submission (until they were saved by future Canibus collaborator and destroyer of worlds, Killah Priest), built a kinship with Mike Tyson, and released over a dozen records to varying degrees of critical acclaim. For this newest offering, Bis teamed up with one of hip hop's premier producers, Bronze Nazareth, to bring about what might be his most well-rounded LP to date.

*It's worth mentioning that throughout the listening session, rapper Tash from Tha Alkaholiks sat in the backseat of the truck vociferously praising Canibus' emceeing while drunkenly vacillating between hilarity and cantankerousness.

The knock on Canibus has always tended to be that his albums are mostly weak on production, despite their unmatched depth and complexity of lyricism. Linking up with Bronze was bound to create excellence as the Detroit beat maestro has steadily churned out superior fully-produced albums for years now. The Bronze production on Time Flys, Life Dies... Phoenix Rise is as crisp and prominent as anything he's ever done. The reliably fantastic and richly intricate verses of Canibus blend well with a style of production that heightens and maintains the listener's attention throughout each song.

A perfect example of this is on one of the opening tracks, an 8-minute odyssey detailing Canibus' "Audiobiography" with four verses over a beat that's heavy on boom-bap kicks, snares, and piercing hi hats with a smoothly moving bassline that carries the lengthy track along. One of the most memorable performances on the album, it's Canibus reflecting on the experiences of his illustrious career, beginning with a humorously detailed story about attending billionaire Paul Allen's birthday party in Alaska. Bookending the track are intriguing old radio interview snippets, opening with Jay-Z praising Canibus' integrity, then ending with Howard Stern interviewing the Jamaican rapper about his friendship with Mike Tyson.

The rest of the record's first half is replete with marquee features with the likes of Raekwon, Killah Priest, Kurupt, Craig G and Pete Rock making appearances. Pete Rock reminds us how marvelous his baritone voice sounds, rapping over a string-heavy Bronze beat on "Concourse P" while the notorious feud between battle rapper Dizaster and Canibus is put to rest on "Battle Buddies (4 Lyfe)" which features the two going at it over a harsh, twisted piano beat that sounds like a carnival horror movie nightmare. That last one stands with "Bronze Horses" as the most rugged beats on the album, the type of production that confirms Bronze Nazareth has achieved his own chamber of hardcore hip hop.

The album's finest stretch comes in its second half, though, with Canibus mostly going solo and Bronze crafting an immersive soundscape. My favorite part of the album is the sequence beginning with "Matte Black Rapana" (in which Bronze steps to the mic to provide a bewildering cascade of wordplay, promising "Visible monuments inside the sound, acknowledge it") and going through to the cleverly titled "Seismoluminesence". Within that stretch "Mr. Montana" hits with its thick bassline, emotive horns, and crooning voice over which Canibus laments the decline of hip hop which "no longer educates the listener/ rap music just pacifies the prisoners." This vibe continues into "Give Me Not Control", a zoned-out head-nodder with a rising and falling string loop and hard drums. Then comes the haunted pianola production on "Igloo Muzik" before the spooky vocals weaved throughout "Seismoluminesence".

The closing track is as laid back a Canibus song as you'll ever hear, with Bronze (or his late brother Kevlaar 7?) providing a gently rolling vocal sample loop that sacrifices nothing in percussion despite its contemplative vibe, while Canibus describes scenes of reflection: "Up before sun rise/ open my eyes/ take a walk with my spirit guide/ go outside." It's a perfect track for long drives on the highway. As this soothing, introspective track played that evening in downtown Austin, the sun began to set spreading violet pastels across the sky and a cool breeze streamed in off the river. Soon my immersive audio experience, a perfect musical complement to the Oculus Rift episode, was over and I was back out on the busy festive streets of Austin looking for something to eat.

A million thanks and utmost respect are due to my pal M-Eighty for the privilege of an exclusive listening session and for walking me in right past the line of people waiting for the Oculus Rift experience.

 

[The Ruler 09]

4 mic album. Tho it could have been mastered better cuz it sounds too basement like.

4 Mic album seems to be the most common rating, this is my rating too.

 

[The Ruler 09]

http://sharpesreviews.com/2015/05/16/canibus-time-flys-life-dies-phoenix-rise-review/

Canibus – Time Flys, Life Dies… Phoenix Rise Review
Posted by SharpeReviews
0
This album has all the aspects of being a solid Canibus album as well as having some choice guests that show how his stock is rising once again in the Hip Hop community. However at over an hour and a half in length, he may have tried to cram too much into this project, and with the average track length being over four minutes it is a long haul.

The production is excellent with a few different flavours being thrown in to diversify the beats. Each has a different feel and atmosphere to help the message get through to the listener. However with the tracks running so long, it can feel like the backing becomes repetitive as you hear each song for that length of time.
The lyricism is excellent and Canibus shows why he was a powerhouse in the battle rap ring. The tracks are peppered with all sorts of lyrical prowess and rap techniques that make the words more powerful to hear and more enjoyable to listen to. Canibus should be commended on not only his expert lyriricism, but being able to keep it up for stone length of this project.

The features all do a great job and with some of Hip Hop’s elite included in the album, Canibus shows that he has serious connections in rap. All the guests put in good effort and come away with fantastic verses that make very cohesive tracks. Canibus may want to consider a signing feature or two on a more commercial track to help appeal grow with the mainstream audiance, but he may lose core audiance due to “selling out”
Overall, this is a very entertaining album and a great addition to Canibus’ already big catalogue of music. He shows that he is still a force to be reckoned with and that his strength in rap is still growing.

 

[The Ruler 09]

http://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.2471/title.canibus-bronze-nazareth-time-flys-life-dies-phoenix-rise

Canibus & Bronze Nazareth - Time Flys, Life Dies... Phoenix Rise
by Ronald Grant
posted Tuesday May 26, 2015 at 08:22AM PST | 46 comments

HipHopDX Editor's Rating:

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Average User Rating:
3.93

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Teaming up with Bronze Nazareth seems to have reawakened Canibus, as he raps with renewed vitality over textured production.
It’s hard to believe that Canibus has been in the Hip Hop game for nearly the last 20 years. Ever since his controversial introduction as a rookie on the definitive posse cut “4,3,2,1” and subsequent beef with LL Cool J, there actually have been few that can rival the emcee on the mic in terms of intricate verses and destructively deep lyrical wordplay. But the thorn in the side of the Jamaican-born emcee throughout his career has seemed to be how his production choices haven’t matched up with his unbridled talent for rhyme. Hoping to change all that, Canibus teamed up with Grand Rapids, Michigan producer and Wu-Tang affiliate Bronze Nazareth for his latest incursion with Time Flys, Life Dies…Phoenix Rise. And with the music here, Canibus may have very well exorcised those past hindrances

The most unsuspecting but possibly greatest example of Canibus getting himself over the hump in this union with Bronze Nazareth comes in the form of “Mr. Montana…Thank You”, an introspective, bare bones track where Canibus seems to unload a ton of honesty about the Hip Hop game and the world in general, with lines like “…the fate of humanity is tailor made/ We stuck between a rock and a razor blade…” It’s simultaneously vintage Canibus, but a track that ironically gives the emcee new life with Bronze’s pounding, plodding, East coast inspired drums and loops. That new life continues to seep throughout the makeup of “Infinity Detox”, where Canibus sears with passion like he hasn’t in a long time. It’s a welcomed, re-energized emcee that spits those gritty, gravelly bars over the somewhat-upbeat-but-just-dark-enough beat from Bronze. And the way the second verse is weaved together in a patchwork, staccato way is curious, but works.

Throughout Time Flys, Canibus seems to dig deep within the recesses of his past to give listeners a more introspective view of his travels, his career ups and downs and more. This is especially true on the 8-plus minute “Canibus Autobiography Pt. 01,” where he reveals stories about run-ins with Mike Tyson, Nas and the likes of Dr. Ruth, Bill Gates and Angela Bassett. And, as in the past, when he opens himself up to fans wanting to know more of his past story, Canibus seems to shine even brighter on the mic. While on “Give Me Not Control,” gears are switched yet again when the worship of mass media by the general public becomes the target as Canibus and Bronze Nazareth again form a solid bond through solid boom bap production and mind-expanding lyrics.

As he’s done in the past, Canibus seems to rely throughout Time Flys on themes of self-reflection, the search for truth, and trying to educate while entertaining. And while he has always been an emcee that can easily manipulate words, expressions, thoughts and phrases into some of the most improbable lines Hip Hop fans have heard, there have been a number of times where it either comes of as heavy handed, or it just doesn’t seem to align with the music and beats that he’s gone with. That’s not the case here. Nearly every piece of production that Bronze Nazareth has chosen for this album seems almost to fit distinctly with Canibus’ rhyme style, delivery and attitude. For example, there’s the eeriness in the organ on “Formula Won” that makes for a commanding, compelling listen. And the fervent soulfulness of “Igloo Music” is surprising in its mellowness, but doesn’t deter Canibus from being as passionate as on any track from the album.

Ultimately, Time Flys won’t be considered a groundbreaking album. Canibus is doing exactly what he is supposed to do here: being an impassioned, no-holds-barred emcee with a lot on his mind. It’s just that this time, he has a partner in crime in Bronze Nazareth that has seemed to awaken more in the emcee than either of them probably expected. Time Flys, Life Dies… Phoenix Rise might not quite be an album that allows Canibus to arise from the ashes like the Phoenix he wants to be, but it at least allows him to begin to dust himself off and get his name back in the conversation as one of the most puzzling lyricists of his generation.

 

[Mystic]

This album truly was incredible imo might be his best album

 

[The Jewnited States]

I had no idea this album even existed


Just peeped his discography on Spotify and this dude has an album named 'self licking ice cream cone'