IllmaticDelta
Veteran
he's better than Lupe
Albums Elzhi x Georgia Anne Muldrow - Zhigeist (Discussion Thread)
- Thread starter IronFist
- Start date
IllmaticDelta
Veteran
News From The Ship:
This track is just an intro and not a song, but it sets the tone for the rest of the project. It opens with an eerie warbling sound with distorted vocals, almost sounding like a transmission from some long-lost radio out in the middle of nowhere. Eventually a female voice can be heard saying “eLZhi, do you copy” and eLZhi himself saying “wake up” before fading out and transitioning into the first proper song. This intro is strange but it works and fits the theme of the album. The album’s cover features a depiction of eLZhi wearing a cape and wielding a walking stick while going through a desert landscape with a destroyed city in the background. This image, coupled with the intro, make it seem like eLZhi’s embarking on a journey in this album, with Muldrow being the one leading him and guiding him through, both metaphorically with her production and literally with her voice. Dope intro to kick it off for sure.
Amnesia:
The first proper song on the album, and let me say when I first heard this I was floored. The beat immediately comes in up-tempo and energetic with this soulful piano and funky drums, while Muldrow starts singing for the hook. eLZhi meanwhile comes in to start his verse reminding everyone in the HipHop game that he’s that guy, stating that he’s seen as a threat by other rappers due to his ability. Following that comes one of the hardest verses of the year with quotables on top of quotables (saving most of these for my favorite lyrics section). The song is really just a hook, one long verse, then the hook again before the outro, but its amazing. The title has a double meaning, as Muldrow’s hook states “Don’t forget, you are loved”, referencing both a simple uplifting message to the listener but also speaking directly to eLZhi in sense as a reminder that even though he’s underappreciated in the game, he’s still respected by the HipHop community for the work he’s put in. eLZhi’s verse touches on that latter point as well but he has lines reminding other MC’s that he’s doper than them, and they have Amnesia for not remembering that fact. This song is just great all around, dope beat and vocals from Muldrow and crazy bars from El. This is easily my favorite track on the album and one of my favorite tracks this whole year. One more thing of note, El has a line on this one saying he “has the Shady execs in despair.” This could just be a reference to record executives in general that didn’t show him love in the past, or it COULD have something to do with Eminem and Shady Records and something happening between them and him, seeing as how both Em and El are from Detroit and came out around the same time in the late 90s. I might be reaching but if anyone knows about this one let me know because I think its interesting.
Every Moment:
The next track once again starts off with Muldrow singing the hook, this time singing “Every Moment, Every day.” The tempo of this track is much more laid back than the first one with a more mellow and relaxing beat. El’s verses focus on living in the moment and appreciating each day, making his time whatever he wants and pursuing his own passions and ambitions. I really like the beat on this one, it sounds almost futuristic, but still peaceful, like someone walking through a wide open field or desert or something just soaking it all in and reflecting on the time they have to do whatever they want.
King shyt (Say Word):
This track opens up with eLZhi this time on the intro, repeating “All king everything, Call me sire from the traces of royalty in my blood.” This sets up the topic for the song, and once he’s finished the beat comes in. The beat once again is funky but also has this adventurous feel to it with a piano loop and strange synth (?) sound in the background that keeps up the journey-like atmosphere. Really dope once again, Muldrow really kills it here even if she’s just on the boards and not singing on this one. El’s first verse is him talking his shyt to other MC’s while describing why what he’s doing is of course King shyt. In the second verse he continues in the same vein until posing a question, asking if anyone today is making music like Biggie or Nas in the 90s, somewhat comparing himself to them but also implying that the music that the legends that came before him made was also King shyt. This track is another example of eLZhi reminding the rap game that there’s almost no one that can touch him on the mic.
This track is just an intro and not a song, but it sets the tone for the rest of the project. It opens with an eerie warbling sound with distorted vocals, almost sounding like a transmission from some long-lost radio out in the middle of nowhere. Eventually a female voice can be heard saying “eLZhi, do you copy” and eLZhi himself saying “wake up” before fading out and transitioning into the first proper song. This intro is strange but it works and fits the theme of the album. The album’s cover features a depiction of eLZhi wearing a cape and wielding a walking stick while going through a desert landscape with a destroyed city in the background. This image, coupled with the intro, make it seem like eLZhi’s embarking on a journey in this album, with Muldrow being the one leading him and guiding him through, both metaphorically with her production and literally with her voice. Dope intro to kick it off for sure.
Amnesia:
The first proper song on the album, and let me say when I first heard this I was floored. The beat immediately comes in up-tempo and energetic with this soulful piano and funky drums, while Muldrow starts singing for the hook. eLZhi meanwhile comes in to start his verse reminding everyone in the HipHop game that he’s that guy, stating that he’s seen as a threat by other rappers due to his ability. Following that comes one of the hardest verses of the year with quotables on top of quotables (saving most of these for my favorite lyrics section). The song is really just a hook, one long verse, then the hook again before the outro, but its amazing. The title has a double meaning, as Muldrow’s hook states “Don’t forget, you are loved”, referencing both a simple uplifting message to the listener but also speaking directly to eLZhi in sense as a reminder that even though he’s underappreciated in the game, he’s still respected by the HipHop community for the work he’s put in. eLZhi’s verse touches on that latter point as well but he has lines reminding other MC’s that he’s doper than them, and they have Amnesia for not remembering that fact. This song is just great all around, dope beat and vocals from Muldrow and crazy bars from El. This is easily my favorite track on the album and one of my favorite tracks this whole year. One more thing of note, El has a line on this one saying he “has the Shady execs in despair.” This could just be a reference to record executives in general that didn’t show him love in the past, or it COULD have something to do with Eminem and Shady Records and something happening between them and him, seeing as how both Em and El are from Detroit and came out around the same time in the late 90s. I might be reaching but if anyone knows about this one let me know because I think its interesting.
Every Moment:
The next track once again starts off with Muldrow singing the hook, this time singing “Every Moment, Every day.” The tempo of this track is much more laid back than the first one with a more mellow and relaxing beat. El’s verses focus on living in the moment and appreciating each day, making his time whatever he wants and pursuing his own passions and ambitions. I really like the beat on this one, it sounds almost futuristic, but still peaceful, like someone walking through a wide open field or desert or something just soaking it all in and reflecting on the time they have to do whatever they want.
King shyt (Say Word):
This track opens up with eLZhi this time on the intro, repeating “All king everything, Call me sire from the traces of royalty in my blood.” This sets up the topic for the song, and once he’s finished the beat comes in. The beat once again is funky but also has this adventurous feel to it with a piano loop and strange synth (?) sound in the background that keeps up the journey-like atmosphere. Really dope once again, Muldrow really kills it here even if she’s just on the boards and not singing on this one. El’s first verse is him talking his shyt to other MC’s while describing why what he’s doing is of course King shyt. In the second verse he continues in the same vein until posing a question, asking if anyone today is making music like Biggie or Nas in the 90s, somewhat comparing himself to them but also implying that the music that the legends that came before him made was also King shyt. This track is another example of eLZhi reminding the rap game that there’s almost no one that can touch him on the mic.
Understanding/Understanding Reprise:
This next track once again opens up with Muldrow singing the hook, saying “I got to be understanding you, understanding me.” The beat on this one is beautiful with another dope piano loop mixed with a funky bassline and saxophone coming in and out. El raps on this one explaining his background and where he came from, talking about his childhood and the hood he grew up in. He explains this as a means for the listener to both understand him specifically and why he is the way he is and to explain why people who come from the hood are the way they are. He explains how people distrust the system and think of things as conspiracy due to the crime and poverty that exists in inner city ghettos, and how people come up with their own slang when in these environments to separate themselves and their world from the world that mistreats them. I heard KRS ONE in a lecture about HipHop history cover the slang topic similarly recently, so that’s a cool callback to me. After this verse is a long outro of Muldrow repeating the hook and singing while the beat rides and its really dope. This one is probably my second favorite after Amnesia and it really keeps the flow of the album going.
Already Gone:
This next track switches it up, with the beat immediately coming in with a funky and kind of quirky bassline that sounds unlike anything else on the album. Muldrow kicks it off again singing “When I finally broke down and realized I needed you, you were already gone.” Her vocals in the background on this one are great, and it once again sets up eLZhi to spit his verses. He raps on this one more about his mindset and how people won’t appreciate him and his music until he’s gone, an unfortunate reality for many MC’s today. This interpretation of the theme of the song is just one, as Muldrow’s hook could apply to a romantic partner as well. Overall this song is another dope track, with eLZhi spitting a pair of dope verses like its nothing while Muldrow keeps the production streak going strong.
Strangeland:
This beat is crazy. Another dope piano and jazzy bassline with eLZhi dropping more gems. The beat builds in his second verse and adds this other key in the background. I really don’t know what the title of the track is referring to, but I do know that El spits a couple of crazy verses on this one again, with the 2nd verse in particular being another of the best on the album. Not much else to say, just a really good track.
Pros and Cons:
This track is the most lyrically creative on the album. eLZhi’s verses refer to the title by incorporating 48 words that start with “pro” in the first verse and 53 words that start with “con” in the second verse. This is the kind of thing I mentioned earlier with having cool concepts in his songs that he uses when writing his bars. The concept isn’t just a gimmick though, as he uses the “pro” section to spit some wisdom about avoiding crime and gang culture, giving a positive message along with the wordplay. The second verse is him flexing in his rhymes, this time using the “con” words to brag and show off his rapping skills. Muldrow also uses the two verses to show off two different beats that fit the theme of each verse with the ”pro” beat being jazzier and the second verse using a harder bassline to fit El’s harder hitting bars. The song ends with a quick singing part from Muldrow and it leads right into the next track.
Nefertiti:
This next track is super dope. First off the beat is great, another smooth piano but this time with the hardest hitting drums on the project, which I’m definitely a fan of. eLZhi raps on this one about women and how he views black women as queens and wants to find one that can be his queen. This ties into the early song King shyt, and the title refers to an ancient Egyptian queen. He calls the women he’s talking to in the song Nefertiti, showing respect for everything that women do and have done for him in his life. It’s also fitting that this track is on the album with Georgia Anne Muldrow being a woman producer working on a HipHop album where that frankly is a rare occurrence.
Interlude:
Track 10 is an interlude and the only other non-song track on the album along with the first one. It also is the second to last track, so it sets up the final song as the finale. Muldrow speaks on it saying that both eLZhi and the listener have to “trust themselves” while making decisions and going through their own personal journey, continuing the journey/adventure theme that has been present on the album. Not much else to say, it’s a cool little interlude towards the end and there’s an almost haunting vocal sample in the background going on while she talks which is pretty cool.
Compassion (Dudley Perkins):
The final track on the album is a fitting closer. Once again Muldrow starts off with a singing hook, this time singing “Well, I just wanna thank you” repeatedly. It seems like her and eLZhi’s way of thanking the listener for tuning in and going on this journey of an album with them. The beat once again goes with a funky bassline and more relaxed feel that gives the song a kind of “end credits feel” or something. eLZhi raps about people not giving him a chance early on in his life, whether in school or in the music business, but how supporting others can lead to them achieving great things. His second verse warns people for not having compassion and looking down on others, as it may come back to bite them later if the person they don’t respect ends up successful. There’s also this Dudley Perkins guy I’m not familiar with who comes in singing “I’d like to thank you child” after both verses, not really sure what’s going on there but its cool. After the second verse the beat warbles out and the album is concluded.
Conclusion:
This album was unexpected for me. I was familiar enough with eLZhi at the time to expect him to release something dope, but I didn’t expect the sound and direction that this album would take. I knew there’d be bars, he always delivers with that, so much so that I really do think he’s a candidate for most underrated of all time (along with some others but that’s a story for another day) not just for his rapping ability but for his awesome discography. Georgia Anne Muldrow really came through on the beats, using live instrumentation along with sampled loops, to create this futuristic jazzy and funky wandering journey soundscape, while killing it on the hooks with her singing too. This album definitely made me want to check more of her stuff out as well. The content on this album is mature, while also just being full of dope bars among the serious topics. The production is upbeat and smooth, and really you can appreciate this album listening to it both actively and passively, which to me is a sign of great HipHop. In a stacked year with tons of great releases, Zhigeist to me is absolutely worthy of being HipHop’s AOTY.
This next track once again opens up with Muldrow singing the hook, saying “I got to be understanding you, understanding me.” The beat on this one is beautiful with another dope piano loop mixed with a funky bassline and saxophone coming in and out. El raps on this one explaining his background and where he came from, talking about his childhood and the hood he grew up in. He explains this as a means for the listener to both understand him specifically and why he is the way he is and to explain why people who come from the hood are the way they are. He explains how people distrust the system and think of things as conspiracy due to the crime and poverty that exists in inner city ghettos, and how people come up with their own slang when in these environments to separate themselves and their world from the world that mistreats them. I heard KRS ONE in a lecture about HipHop history cover the slang topic similarly recently, so that’s a cool callback to me. After this verse is a long outro of Muldrow repeating the hook and singing while the beat rides and its really dope. This one is probably my second favorite after Amnesia and it really keeps the flow of the album going.
Already Gone:
This next track switches it up, with the beat immediately coming in with a funky and kind of quirky bassline that sounds unlike anything else on the album. Muldrow kicks it off again singing “When I finally broke down and realized I needed you, you were already gone.” Her vocals in the background on this one are great, and it once again sets up eLZhi to spit his verses. He raps on this one more about his mindset and how people won’t appreciate him and his music until he’s gone, an unfortunate reality for many MC’s today. This interpretation of the theme of the song is just one, as Muldrow’s hook could apply to a romantic partner as well. Overall this song is another dope track, with eLZhi spitting a pair of dope verses like its nothing while Muldrow keeps the production streak going strong.
Strangeland:
This beat is crazy. Another dope piano and jazzy bassline with eLZhi dropping more gems. The beat builds in his second verse and adds this other key in the background. I really don’t know what the title of the track is referring to, but I do know that El spits a couple of crazy verses on this one again, with the 2nd verse in particular being another of the best on the album. Not much else to say, just a really good track.
Pros and Cons:
This track is the most lyrically creative on the album. eLZhi’s verses refer to the title by incorporating 48 words that start with “pro” in the first verse and 53 words that start with “con” in the second verse. This is the kind of thing I mentioned earlier with having cool concepts in his songs that he uses when writing his bars. The concept isn’t just a gimmick though, as he uses the “pro” section to spit some wisdom about avoiding crime and gang culture, giving a positive message along with the wordplay. The second verse is him flexing in his rhymes, this time using the “con” words to brag and show off his rapping skills. Muldrow also uses the two verses to show off two different beats that fit the theme of each verse with the ”pro” beat being jazzier and the second verse using a harder bassline to fit El’s harder hitting bars. The song ends with a quick singing part from Muldrow and it leads right into the next track.
Nefertiti:
This next track is super dope. First off the beat is great, another smooth piano but this time with the hardest hitting drums on the project, which I’m definitely a fan of. eLZhi raps on this one about women and how he views black women as queens and wants to find one that can be his queen. This ties into the early song King shyt, and the title refers to an ancient Egyptian queen. He calls the women he’s talking to in the song Nefertiti, showing respect for everything that women do and have done for him in his life. It’s also fitting that this track is on the album with Georgia Anne Muldrow being a woman producer working on a HipHop album where that frankly is a rare occurrence.
Interlude:
Track 10 is an interlude and the only other non-song track on the album along with the first one. It also is the second to last track, so it sets up the final song as the finale. Muldrow speaks on it saying that both eLZhi and the listener have to “trust themselves” while making decisions and going through their own personal journey, continuing the journey/adventure theme that has been present on the album. Not much else to say, it’s a cool little interlude towards the end and there’s an almost haunting vocal sample in the background going on while she talks which is pretty cool.
Compassion (Dudley Perkins):
The final track on the album is a fitting closer. Once again Muldrow starts off with a singing hook, this time singing “Well, I just wanna thank you” repeatedly. It seems like her and eLZhi’s way of thanking the listener for tuning in and going on this journey of an album with them. The beat once again goes with a funky bassline and more relaxed feel that gives the song a kind of “end credits feel” or something. eLZhi raps about people not giving him a chance early on in his life, whether in school or in the music business, but how supporting others can lead to them achieving great things. His second verse warns people for not having compassion and looking down on others, as it may come back to bite them later if the person they don’t respect ends up successful. There’s also this Dudley Perkins guy I’m not familiar with who comes in singing “I’d like to thank you child” after both verses, not really sure what’s going on there but its cool. After the second verse the beat warbles out and the album is concluded.
Conclusion:
This album was unexpected for me. I was familiar enough with eLZhi at the time to expect him to release something dope, but I didn’t expect the sound and direction that this album would take. I knew there’d be bars, he always delivers with that, so much so that I really do think he’s a candidate for most underrated of all time (along with some others but that’s a story for another day) not just for his rapping ability but for his awesome discography. Georgia Anne Muldrow really came through on the beats, using live instrumentation along with sampled loops, to create this futuristic jazzy and funky wandering journey soundscape, while killing it on the hooks with her singing too. This album definitely made me want to check more of her stuff out as well. The content on this album is mature, while also just being full of dope bars among the serious topics. The production is upbeat and smooth, and really you can appreciate this album listening to it both actively and passively, which to me is a sign of great HipHop. In a stacked year with tons of great releases, Zhigeist to me is absolutely worthy of being HipHop’s AOTY.
NormanConnors
Detroit/MSU Spartan Life
He has been for a good minute now.he's better than Lupe
Insensitive
Superstar
Elzhi is easily as nice as if not nicer than Lupe.
Dudes on here don't understand schemes or flow and will act like G-Rap has worse rhythmic complexity
than Mr. Four on the Floor himself (Lupe fiasco) who basically bit that flow straight from Jay-Z who bit the flow from
Young Chris.
It's obvious (TO ME at least) who respects the artform and who doesn't when y'all make statements like Elzhi
isn't as nice as Lupe fiasco.
Dudes on here don't understand schemes or flow and will act like G-Rap has worse rhythmic complexity
than Mr. Four on the Floor himself (Lupe fiasco) who basically bit that flow straight from Jay-Z who bit the flow from
Young Chris.
It's obvious (TO ME at least) who respects the artform and who doesn't when y'all make statements like Elzhi
isn't as nice as Lupe fiasco.
instrumentals
Insensitive
Superstar
Plan on meeting Georgia Anne Muldrow in the next year.
I've had a chance to talk to a couple straight underground legends.
shyt is wild.
I love Hip-Hop.
Chase your dreams brehs.
I've had a chance to talk to a couple straight underground legends.
shyt is wild.
I love Hip-Hop.
Chase your dreams brehs.
I know this is old, but they worked together on Zo! & Tall Black Guy's project Abstractions
KingsOfKings
❄️ 𝟐𝟐𝟕, 𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖜𝖊 𝕬𝖙 𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝕴𝖙! ❄️
Dope.
Insensitive
Superstar
I think I said it already but YO some of these cats in the underground are HOES too.
For the sake of professional shyt, I haven't slapped the ever living shyt out of some of these slick
mouth clowns but if you get in the game:
Be ready for the clowns.
Nawl but they about neck n neckhe's better than Lupe
Lupe has a massive advantage in versatility
she seems so nice. really impressed with this project