AK & Jabez is a Hip-Hop duo that actually approached me about reviewing their mixtape. I was a bit reluctant mainly due to time constraints but after giving it some sacred playtime during my daily commute to work the past couple weeks I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Their themes and topics on this mixtape are strictly inspired by their faith and I can respect that, however it does mean that it’s not for everyone. As MC’s, both show a lot of promise but of course are not without some growth areas.
How Much Fire?– Making good use of a diana ross sample from “Let’s Go Up”, this track is full of energy as we are introduced to both MC’s. The two artists have a pretty good chemistry together but AK is a bit more refined. Actually this tends to be the trend throughout the entire tape. It’s a good track and relatively catchy despite the lack of a true hook.
R.E.D (Respect Every Daughter)– Not really sure of the point of the acronym but the song uses a classic beat from the Geto Boys song “Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta”. It’s a laid back song with a message meant to uplift the ladies. The off key singing (reminiscent of Biz Markie) was a tad distracting. It somehow all comes together decently enough but could have been much stronger with a better singer.
Hurt – AK spits solo on this one. He proves that he can emote well with his delivery. The beat makes good (if a tad unimaginative) use of sampling Christina Aguilera’s “Hurt”. The tone is overall dark and almost desperate but feels a tad over the top at times. I think the constant rain and thunder effects were just a bit too theatrical. Still, there is an earnest quality to the song that ultimately makes it a good listen if you don’t mind a “Passion of the Christ” type of theme.
B.I.B.L.E. Remix– Jabez gets his own 125 seconds to shine on this one but only does a decent, not great, job. The beat is solid and he rides it well but nothing really sticks out. Also I dont really like how the hook is mixed down. It’s a somewhat forgettable track, nothing incredible, nothing terrible.
Stop, Look, and Listen ft. Haesoo and Peter Park – The beat on this one is pretty nice. Has a nice chill bounce to it. Jabez opens the song strongly. His flow may not be buttery smooth but his enthusiasm is contagious. I thought AK killed the track. He rode the beat nearly perfectly. Haesoo brings a fresh twist as the only female vocal on the entire mixtape. She’s no shin-b or el gambina but the girl can hold her own. Her flow’s a tad rough around the edges but she spits with energy. Peter Park’s vocals are decent enough (and on key!) and he helps bring everything together as each MC gives a quick testimony in 16 bars.
Lead Us Not Into Temptation ft. Cody McClaine– I could be wrong but this track screams “internet collabo” but I can’t hate on that, it’s the lifeblood of the amateur musician. There’s noticeable difference in quality between AK & Jabez and their collaborator Cody McClaine (who produces the intro and outro btw). Also, I swear this song is using the same horn sample as the one before it (“Stop, Look, and Listen“). If it’s not the same then its eerily similar. This track has more energy but Cody on the hook sticks out like a sore thumb because of the mixdown. Also I wasn’t totally feeling the Lord’s Prayer inspired hook, I think it could have been executed better. I thought Jabez stumbled a couple times with his flow and even AK wasn’t as engaging as he should have been. Overall it’s a good song that had the potential to be a great one but ends up falling short of what it could have been.
Changes– They chose a great instrumental for this one. The off key sung hook returns but its still oddly catchy. It’s a fun song with both MC’s firing on all cylinders as they speak on who they’ve been and their conviction for change. I recommend this one.
The King & I– Using a jazzy piano laced beat AK & Jabez deliver a song that seems just OK at first but steadily grows on you. It’s not the strongest track on the album but it aint the weakest either. I like the fact they each separately did the hook but think it would have been cool to hear them both come together on it in the end.
Disciple Musik – OK, the off key singing makes yet another return but you know what? It works this time. Really well in fact. Actually as much as I hate it in other songs, I think they could have even used an auto-tune/vocoder type of effect and it woulda been awesome. Overall everything clicks here. A great way to close out the album. “You gotta believe yeaaaaaah”
Conclusion:
If I were to sum up this mixtape in a single phrase it would be “rough but shows promise”. AK & Jabez are both very capable MC’s but could use to both vary their topics a little bit and dive deeper into the ones they already present. As I first mentioned it’s a very Christian influenced album… an album by believers for believers if you will. I think anyone not in agreement or familiar with much of the subject matter will either be turned off, lost, or both. Thankfully I was able to enjoy the mixtape. Strictly artistic wise, AK is the more polished member and does most of the heavy lifting with a flow sorta like a cross between Flowsik and Lyricks. Jabez shows glimpses of contagious energy but can get caught up in his flow from time to time. His missteps are nothing major but they exhibit small nuances in delivery that could be improved. They have a decent chemistry, but I think it could have been utilized more often. The mixtape has a generally mid-tempo feel, never really getting hyped or mellowed out too much. I wish the album was longer as 11 tracks is somewhat lean, especially considering two of them are the intro and outro. (The outro I thought was a waste of a pretty good beat). I think these two have a lot of good things ahead of them if they continue to grow (musically and spiritually) and if you don’t mind some religion with your music then it’s a good listen.
Must Listen: Stop, Look, and Listen; Changes; Disciple Musik
aTunes score: 7/10
a-Tunes 