A lot of hip-hop fans know Jason Powers aka Detroit rapper Elzhi for his contributions with Slum Village, along with his unmatched lyricism. But El had a lot of history way before becoming the new third member of the group. As the original Slum Village (Baatin, T3 & J Dilla) were prepping their album Fantastic, Vol. 2 after the first one leaked, El was trying to make a name for himself, performing with numerous groups including his own group with Dwele & Lacks called The Breakfast Club.
It was 1998. Before the SV affiliations and being the new member. Before the Dilla collabs. Elzhi began collaborating with local producer House Shoes on a number of tracks. Magnetic also contributed to these session, and this was the material that would form a new project called Out of Focus. The project's development was going very well, as El finalised a tracklist of 9 tracks, had a cover to be designed, and produced a large number of blank tapes. However, for somewhat reason, the EP was abandoned at the last minute and didn't get the proper release it deserves.
Throughout the next two years, El's friends started to beg him for this material, since it never saw the light of day at the time, and he finally provided them with CDs of his music. These CDs didn't only feature the full EP but 3 additional tracks. The internet was finally blessed, as the project would leak, under the name "Unreleased Solo Album".
So this is it... the project that didn't get the proper release it deserved. The underground debut. All 9 of the EP tracks and the 3 additional tracks. Let's get into it!
1. Broken Frames [performed by Theory 13]
So this woman called Theory 13 starts this EP off with a little poem, which touches on society and the system, along with the government and lies that are being told. This is something interesting, with some key quotes that got me including "Ignoring the facts in the fact/Believing what you see is all that/Only because the mirror is cracked, distorted/Contorted your image until not one blemish remains" and "And still vision is blurred/Those who remain sightless, shall remain flightless/Heavy as rocks on the bottom of the dead sea/Weathered by their "ignorance is bliss"-mentality". It's not necessarily a standout but it does what it does to start off the project.
2. Scattered Pictures
The intro leads very well into this sombre autobiographical song, which is one of the best songs on here, and the EP just started. I loved it from first listen, and it's one that stays very true to the EP's concept of not seeing well. In fact, it's probably the song that connects to the concept the best out of the rest. El gets very personal on here, explaining his life story and reflecting on his past. With experiences that include his 2nd birthday, missing his father and so much more, it's an interesting song to hear with such amazing lyricism; featuring lines such as "Step Daddy psssst please, it feels like blood/The same type of needle takes from you and fills right up/Our bond became strong as Teflon, Moms stress gone/She pressed on like a piece of vinyl recording the best song" and "My feelings inside become a sentence/Snatching thoughts from a black cloud that hung in distance, and got good at it/Just a skinny black kid with thick glasses and book baggage and a torn jacket". El really delivers with his verse, and gives such a vibe that sets the mood for the EP.
3. MuSick (The Last Days of Hip-Hop)
Here, El finds himself lamenting on the state of mainstream hip-hop music over a menacing and ominous beat from House Shoes. It's your usual complaints, unoriginal subject matter about how rap is like these days, and it's been done many times back in the 90s (e.g. De La Soul's Stakes is High). But El comes through with amazing flow, rhyme patterns, similes and lyrical skill to help make the song better. It's interesting to see the connection to the concept of opinion and perception, as Elzhi floats like a boss on this beat. It was a grower, man.
4. Horny Joint
This is probably one of my favourites, and a memorable one for me in fact. This was the first of the additional songs on the release, and it doesn't disappoint as El comes through with impeccable wordplay and flow. The beat is something funky and sombre, and El sounds so comfortable on it even with his complicated delivery. He even slides in a "MuSick" hook interpolation, funny because that was just the previous song on this project. Great tune!
5. S.A.R.A.H. (Intro) [performed by Dwele]
Y'all remember the remix of "Dime Piece" on that J Dilla album The Shining? It was confusing that we heard the remix when the original was kinda rare to find. It turns out that the original was actually on this EP, serving as an opening interlude to the next joint, "Someone as Real as Her". Also, not to mention, Dilla actually planned to remix the Out of Focus EP before his death, so I'm sure he managed to get Dwele to make this into an actual song. Anyway, this interlude is nice and smooth like butter, the vocals and the live instrumentation is great. Just something to vibe out to.
6. Someone as Real as Her (feat. Dwele)
What a beautiful song. "S.A.R.A.H." happens to be El's take at a "girl song", as he shows a surprising amount of vulnerability, describing a crush he had on a girl, but uses the lyrics to say what he was unable to say in person. He happens to observe her from afar, hoping that they'd be together in the future. Dwele's vocals are soothing, and Elzhi's verses feel like such sweet poetry, with lines like "Her aura’s a radiant light,, very fly, like takin' a flight/On a plane, she’s not plain, she’s eccentric" and "But when I see her face, it looks dipped in Oil of Olay/It’s hard to concentrate, wishing these arms were lakes". El fantasises throughout about Sarah but frames them more as hope, suggesting how scared he is to let out his feelings. Damn, this sounds like an English essay. But yeah, I loved this song.
7. Interlude (feat. Dwele)
Just a little conversation between El and his father about his ambitions while Dwele croons over some soft guitar-led instrumental. That's basically it.
8. Choose
The second additional cut on the project, originally omitted from the final cut of the EP. Produced by Karriem Riggins, El takes time to rap about his love for poetry & hip-hop, and how it affects his relationship with his girl, who wants him to choose between her and rapping. It's an interesting cut for me, and El floats so well over the dark beat with the rhyming patterns and wordplay.
9. What I Am
This is on some neo soul shit, that Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Dwele type. Here, over this laidback smooth instrumental, Elzhi comes through with the usual wordplay, punchlines and lyricism, and doesn't disappoint. I would've loved an actual singer to jump over it, instead of El's silly singing, ha! Dwele and Erykah would sound just at home on this track.
10. The Big F.U.
Meh, this is just alright, compared to the rest of the tracks. It's still an essential joint, with El sending a message to haters and other MCs that have got on his bad side. For somewhat reason, the beat is lowkey annoying and El's performance isn't up to par with its neighbours on the EP.
11. Boomerang Slang
The well-known song off the EP, later appearing on his Witness My Growth mixtape in '04. House Shoes samples a Marvin Gaye classic, chopping it into a dark and ominous beat for El to rap about the cold and dangerous streets of Detroit, and the stories that take place there. It's amazing, hearing Elzhi paint such a picture about street life, with each character that has a troubled history behind them, like the pastor that "knows the Bible but don't know Jesus" or the pregnant woman who lives a fast life. The sample chop was great too, and added onto the dark tales El managed to tell. Such an incredible cut.
12. Where It All Begins (feat. Hodge Podge)
Also knows as "Bugz Joint", El dedicates this song to the late D12 member Bugz who sadly passed away around '99. It's clear that this is where the title originates from, with the opening lines "When I wrote this I was out of focus/vision blurred from the tears"; and also shows how upset he was about the news. Hodge Podge/Big Tone comes through with a hook and some adlibs, providing a third verse which was pretty great too, he managed to hold his own with El, reminiscing about Bugz and how devastated he was about his death. It's a solid heartfelt song, which ends the EP so appropriately.
Final Thoughts
Having an abandoned release, Out of Focus happens to be such a rare and personal work from El, that delivers so well and hardly disappoints. The EP is combined of such a cohesive and crafted set of tracks, most of which follow the theme of perception, frequently going through such a vulnerable and heartfelt side of El. This happens as Elzhi delivers amazing and complicated rhyme patterns, fire bars and impeccable flow.
The EP already starts off in such a sombre and mellow way; Theory 13 kicks off with a poem (Broken Frames), before Elzhi tells his life story on "Scattered Pictures". The song sets the mood of the EP very well, giving such a vulnerable and emotional vibe. "Someone as Real as Her" is a love song, which sees El describe a crush he had on a girl, letting out feelings that he was scared to do in person. "Choose" is an additional cut, produced by Karriem Riggins, where El raps about his love for poetry and hip-hop, which affects his relationship with his woman. "Boomerang Slang" is where El paints such a vivid image of the streets of Detroit over a mysterious instrumental from House Shoes. The project finally ends with the heartfelt "Where It All Begins", a tribute to the late Bugz, giving a mellow and sensitive vibe.
Other key moments including the lyrical "Horny Joint", where El just goes off on 2 verses in 4 minutes. The beat is funky with a slightly annoying melody, but it's all good. "MuSick" is a rant about the state of mainstream hip-hop, which was typical back then, but still managed to impress me nonetheless. "What I Am" is a wavy track, with a neo-soul vibe, as El is able to float over the beat with his delivery and fire lyricism.
Most of the production is held by House Shoes, who delivers such amazing beats on standouts such as "Scattered Pictures" and "Boomerang Slang". Karriem Riggins comes through with a solid beat for the additional track "Choose". DJ Magnetic provided a nice and soft beat for "S.A.R.A.H.", it was lovely to hear. The beats for "What I Am", and "Horny Joint" are sick too, but considering the scrapped release and all, we'll never know who produced them. Maybe it's House Shoes, Magnetic, Waajeed, we don't know...
As for the features, they are pretty limited, and deliver in such a way. Dwele is the most frequent appearance on the EP, providing vocals in the interludes before and after "Someone as Real as Her" (which he also does the hook for). Theory 13 is the woman behind the poem for the intro "Broken Frames", which is pretty powerful and reflective. Big Tone/Hodge Podge is the only appearance who actually delivers a guest verse, on the touching Bugz joint "Where It All Begins", a perfect way to end the personal project. He holds his own with El, reminiscing about the days he had with Bugz and the devastation he felt when hearing about his death.
So yeah, Out of Focus is a solid project, a nice underground debut, that really should've got the official release it deserved. The content is amazing, with such reflective tracks and smooth cuts. The production is A1, and El was only 20 with great lyricism and rhyme patterns. El has certainly grown as a rapper and artist, with such standout cuts on the Witness My Growth mixtape, and The Preface being a wonderful effort. Heck, Lead Poison was one of my top 10 albums from last year. But I would've loved to see how things would've turned out if this was actually released like it was supposed to.
Recommended Tracks
Boomerang Slang
Scattered Pictures
Horny Joint
Someone as Real as Her
What I Am
No comments:
Post a Comment