Father Jah – Philosophies Of a Modern Day Mastermind

Posted on Apr 01 in Reviewsby adminPrint

NO RAPPER LEFT BEHIND: KY MOVEMENT Volume: 1

NO RAPPER LEFT BEHIND: KY MOVEMENT is a new section of rapaveli.com which is dedicated to the rap scene within my home town of Louisville, KY. The first artist we will be featuring is definitely no stranger to the local and regional scene. Father Jah has been in the game for 16 years already and apparently has no plans for slowing down as evidenced through the clarity of his latest album Philosophies Of A Modern Day Mastermind. His much heralded previous works include but are not limited to: The Black Sunrise (1999), The Mudd Nigguhz (2001), and The Real Nigguh Bible (2002).

As soon as the guitar heavy riff on “5 Fingers” kicks off Jah immediately gets to work spelling out some of the most intuitive street educated sentiments ever on a local level. Throughout Philosophies Of A Modern Day Mastermind Jah shows no apology in touching on some of the day’s toughest subjects including the government imposed dope game on the politically charged “Coke Plate.” “Nowhere To Go” sees Jah speaking from the deepest pit of his heart as he shows ability to make the song cry alongside harmonious vocals courtesy of Mondo. M-1 from the legendary national underground group Dead Prez shows up on the commanding “Jungle Walk.” On the album’s title track Jah takes things back to the nostalgic days of hip hop as he spits street savvy intelligence which basically sums up an album filled with a hood positive thought process.

The hip hop notion is taken to an even deeper level as he remakes KRS-One’s classic “My Philosophy” and tailor fits it with an ’08 mind frame. On “Remember My Name” Jah sheds light on some of the Ville’s most publicized murders, some of which were committed by the city’s crooked police. On the Big Dame produced “So High” Jah and Afrykah roll and burn a fat one down for the smokers over an extraterrestrial sounding backdrop. “Be Strong” finds Jah gaining assistance from Deacon the Villan from the Lexington based rap group The Cunninlyguist as well as Afrykah as the three join together in a inspirational testimonial of struggle to success. The album’s most delightful dark point occurs when local producer extraordinaire Taylor Made laces “Rock Out Anthem” with some mesmerizing and haunting sound blocks at the same time.

Father Jah’s latest album is a true testament to what hip hop should really be about in time when creativity is all but dead. Thoughts Of A Modern Day Mastermind is a cohesive body of work that touches on a number of relevant topics including politics, crime, and education all while sticking to a very street oriented existence. A few more albums like this and Father Jah will very soon be mentioned amongst the likes of Lupe Fiasco or Talib Kweli except he should have way more street credibility.