[ALBUM REVIEW] Mic Gutz - World War G

Anyone who was familiar with my writing before my hiatus knows I'm a huge fan of Toronto MC Mic Gutz. He's got a rough, aggressive 90's sound to his style and if you're an OG 90's era rap fan, you'll dig this new collection of tunes he's put together. The album is packed with great local talent too featuring artists such as Dustin Wareham from the TuronoTalks podcast series, Grinz, Specs and Mark Jordan. Aside from featuring hard local Toronto talent, American rappers Joell Ortiz and Rass Kass are also on deck, and legendary rapper Canibus is featured as well. It really is a star-studded roster in terms of domestic and international talent. Check out the full album below and my personal favorites too.

I'm used to Gutz having a politically charge atmosphere on his solo albums, but World War G has to be his most political content yet. This one doesn't even have a comedy skit in it, which is strange because most of them do. I assume it is to keep the serious tone consistent so I respect the decision.

He lays the hammer down on pertinent issues such as the human trafficking of Canadian indigenous women (see Deception), the oppression of black minorities by law enforcement (see kill or be killed) and big brother surveillance for corporate benefit (see Agenda 21) plus more.

I've listed my personal favorites from this album below with a brief description on why I enjoy them so much. Let me know your favorites in the comment section below and lets get a dialogue going.

Personal Favourite 1 - Kill or be Killed

This is hands down my favorite track on the album for a few reasons. The first one being that it tackles one of the biggest issues in the western world right now: the struggles of the average black North American. The opening sample quote from Black Klansman puts it right there in the open as a lot of cops will shoot a black youth for no good reason.. The chorus also illustrates the struggle quite well. A lot of black youth turn to the streets because they feel they haven't been given a fair shake with the bias against their race simply due to the pigment of their skin. It's truly a kill or be killed situation for most youths and as gutz says, it all depends on what side of the steel they find themselves on.

Secondly, the use of Mozart's Lacrimosa sampled into the beat is just lovely. Not only does it complement the over all beat, but the actual song itself carries a feel of a fall from grace and life under grim pressure. The world Lacrimosa in Latin literally translates to "weeping", so it really fits the tone of the tune and ties the whole package together.

Personal Favorite 2 - Deception

This track takes the second favorite spot because it is politically accurate to wrong doings of the ford municipal government here in Ontario. Rob and Doug Ford left a lot of people feeling duped after gutting our education and health services and playing the cards for their own gain. Aside from holding the brothers Ford accountable. Gutz also references the issue of human trafficking of indigenous women in Canada. Human trafficking is an issue that never gets the attention it deserves. Given the fact that about 25% of those trafficked are children, we really should be tackling this issue with a better approach.

Also, the heavy lyricism and quality beat production just solidify this track as a banger.

Personal Favorite 3 - Road Warriorz

I love this song mainly because it is just an absolute banger. The scratch samples in the intro set up the rest of the tune nicely, and inclusion of Toronto MC's Grinz and Mark Jordan give the tune a solid roster of hard bars throughout. Bar for bar these MC's are heavy hitters, and the tune shows it. They're all warriors on the mic bringing heavy energy on road or on track wherever they go and perform. The Tupac sample in the chorus solidifies the tone of how life on tour or in the streets can be ruthless.

If you enjoyed the album, be sure to purchase the album through the link player and stay up to date with Mic Gutz on twitter, Facebook and Instagram to know when his next projects are dropping. Be sure to share this write up as well if you want to spread the love to other hip-hop heads in your life.

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Cheers, and as always, take a seat.