7 G.E.M.S-----Golden Era Music Sciences

7 G.E.M.S--Golden Era Music Sciences—Ill Adrenaline-(2013)

Artist: 7 G.E.M.S.

Album: Golden Era Music Sciences

Label: Ill Adrenaline

Producers: Purpose

The underground hip hop scene seems to become a little oversaturated with emcees trying to make it with the flashy image. It has been widespread throughout the hip hop genre. Hailing from Lynn Massachusetts, the trio group Tragic Allies consist of Purpose, Code and Estee Nack teams up with Queensbridge legend Tragedy Khadafi to form the super group 7 G.E.M.S. Keeping it to its true essence of street storytelling, they established the critically acclaimed album Golden Era Music Sciences.

            This album caters to the underground hip hop fan with street hood stories. Purpose the frontrunner of the group handles the production of the album supplying with dark and moody 90’s feel boom bap beats that keeps heads nodding. Purpose’s beats gel well with each artist on the album establishing top notch music compatibility. The singing melody choruses fits well on tracks like “Without You” and “No Good”. Purpose is not only nice on the mic but provides the heavy moody production skills to the test. Guest appearances fit the album like a glove. Roc Marciano blessed the microphone on “Presume of the Unpredictable”, Shabaam Shadeeq contributes fiercely on “Foul Thesis” and up and coming artist Relentless holds it down on the cinematic “Men of Honor”.

            There is some hunger intensity within the lyrics throughout the album. The lyrics on the album put the 90’s nostalgic fan into heaven. The group paints a picture of the hood on tracks like “No Good”, “The Anointed” when the group went in over a piano blessed beat with old school DJ scratches and “Men of Honor”. On “Men of Honor” lyrics will stay sharper than ginsu knives: Johnny walker black label through my urethra/face off procedures cooper I got amnesia/shaken like a base head seizure. Or Tragedy Khadafi’s chilling chorus that sends chill up your spine on “Vantage Point”: and this is how it went down/shots started busting everybody hit the ground/it got rowdy at the show outta town/cats started wilding shells flaring from the crowd. However, the lyrics can be monotonous and repetitive at times which add no spontaneity. The fans who will feel lost with this album will be the club party goer and the in between fan that likes a little of everything. Some of the tracks clear this flaw regarding their tone down delivery which has heads appreciative of the lyrics instead of constant tough yelling rhymes which is a good thing.

Golden Era Music Sciences is straightforward that fits to a specific crowd. Production wise this album is superb and the lyrics are razor sharp. Lyrically, the subject matter describe the artists which many underground hip hop albums struggle bringing back to the days where lyrics play an important role as well as the beat. If you’re a fan of the party or looking for female signing hooks, this album is definitely not for you; this is more for the Sean Price or a Vinnie Paz fan. In other words, nostalgia is not so bad after all.  The acronym of G.E.M.S says it all about their music. This album may be considered one of the influential underground albums in 2013.   

            Strong Tracks: “Without You”, “No Good”, “Presume the Unpredictable”, “Men of Honor”, “Time to Ponder”, “The Anointed”, “Vantage Point”

            Average Tracks: “Foul Thesis”, “Verge of Defeat”

            Weak Tracks:  None

            Rating: out of