by Khari Gzifa
In today’s musical landscape when access to new music is ubiquitous and largely free, Hip Hop fans need a compelling reason to focus their attention, not least their dollars, on emerging artists outside the terrestrial-dome of commercial radio where anything that doesn’t sound dumbed-down and duplicative rarely gets heard. Hip Hop collective Fly Rebel Society released their sophomore album “reFRSH” in late May and we’re happy to report that anyone wondering whether it’s worth spending $9.95 to buy and bump throughout the summer won’t regret their decision by fall. “reFRSH” is a dope successor to their debut “The Fresh Effect” with notable tracks featuring infectious beats and admirable flows. It’s a meaty and fairly comprehensive tour through the group’s artistic reach back-dropped by top flight production values.
Hailing from the DC/Maryland area, The Fly Rebel Society (@FlyRebelSociety) members are Lega-c, Ryda Blak, Cooley, TeeJay, and godlymC; an amalgamation of different personalities and musical philosophies all underlying a common theme of being Fly and Rebellious in everything they do. And what they do with this project is meet the challenge many collectives face of stringing together a cohesive lyrical narrative on each track. On nearly every offering they deftly manage to keep a thematic unanimity in their songs that too often eludes even so-called super groups. That dexterity is on full display beginning with “The Procedure” and with other standouts like “Rearview” and our personal favorite, “Grind”.
While Fly Rebel Society has managed to carve out a distinct sound with inventive tracks what’s refreshing about “reFRSH” is that the sound isn’t mimickry or stubbornly obscure, which is a corner too many independent artists paint themselves into. “Wake Up” sounds very "golden era-ish," like it could be based on a Roy Ayers sample (I don’t know that it is, it just has a very similar vibe). The chorus is basically an edited version of Bone Thugs N Harmony's chorus from "1st of tha Month." The familiar sound and borrowed chorus really give the record a comfortable feel, almost like I’m not listening to these guys for the very first time in life (which I am). “Introverts Theme Song” is very jazzy and horn heavy, reminds me of '90s classics from the likes of producers Pete Rock or Diamond D.
“The Procedure” is very Drake like, with one rapper both singing and rapping. It displays a heavy synth style beat that’s indicative of the musical palette that you can expect to find throughout the album. I like the nice addition of some chant style vocals and a verbal shout out to the go-go scene, so I expect this should be very popular with the locals. This is a winner, people. Very summertime vibe to this track.
The album standout, “Grind” is very in line with radio "hits" of today including the claps and drum programming that are iconic of southern hip hop. Ryda Blak is very technically adept, including his usage of double-time rhyme patterns. He and Cooley do justice to a chorus that is very basic but delivered with enough emotion/feeling to convey sincerity. Cooley stands out with a much more conversational tone and above average rhymes. Here’s hoping that someone in Radio Land will come across this track and bless the airwaves with it.
“Rearview” is another nice track. The bridge is a welcome change to the typical song arrangement. The chorus is built on a call and response type construct that reminds you of "old school" hip hop with the "scratched in" style reminiscent of the trademark of uber producer DJ Premier. On “Belly of the Beast”Lega-c definitely sets an urgent tone with his staccato flow. godly mC contrasts that greatly with more laid back and mellow flow that shifts the energy of the record. TeeJay drops a decent verse followed by Cooley who varies up his flow within the verse – that’s always good to do to keep your listener interested and usually speaks to a talented and conscientious emcee who takes note of that. Then Ryda Blak takes the energy back up to finish on a high note and rocks double-time several times to make his a favorite verse for this reviewer.
Missteps? There aren’t many, and review readers should always bear in mind that one critic’s first take may evolve to a different perspective after a few listens. But I’d say on first take that “The Chill” is an interesting track, with its deep bass drops framed by funky guitar licks and a waspish chord stab, but I don’t know if the female R&B style vocals add anything to the track. “She” is essentially a modern day version of EPMDs "GoldDigger", but with less attitude and straightforwardness. The last rapper strays from the formula and goes in a different direction with his interpretation of "her," which sounds a little odd. Maybe on this one if each rapper had a different perspective it would have sounded more cohesive and purposeful.
By and large though, “reFrsh” is a very good effort that doesn’t disappoint. A track like “What If You Knew” has a more traditional hip hop vibe, a nice piano loop and a '90s inspired drum kit.The flows and rhyme patterns are made to fit in well with the track but they stop short of being a "tribute record." There’s some nice metaphorical lyrics found on this one too, ranging from talking about love of a woman to the love of hip hop. And I’m impressed that the trademark phrase “Skies Ain’t Safe” made its way into nearly every track. If that serves as a warning shot to rappers currently occupying all the flight lanes on the airwaves that space must made for Fly Rebel Society I’d agree. They are definitely airborne.