Is it just me, or do hip-hop acts seem exceptionally prone to the “sophomore slump?” That is, releasing a great first album, followed by a lackluster second album and loss of popularity. Oakland based group, Souls of Mischief, fell victim to this phenomenon arguably harder than anybody in the wake of their classic debut album 93 ’til Infinity (released in 1993, if you didn’t guess). Souls’ following three albums all met a lukewarm reception and the group went on a hiatus starting in 2000 and have been busying themselves with various solo efforts and side-projects ever since. For whatever reason, Souls decided to get back together for a fifth studio album, Montezuma’s Revenge in 2009, almost 10 years after their last group album and they even got Prince Paul (of De La Soul and Gravediggaz fame) to produce it for them.
Just listening to Montezuma’s Revenge, you would never guess that Souls of Mischief hadn’t all been on an album together since 2003 (Hieroglyphics’ Full Circle). Tracks like “Fourmation” have them trading verses as effortlessly as they ever have, really a testament to the chemistry these four MC’s have built up over their careers. Perhaps the most endearing part of the album, however, is that Souls make it plainly obvious that they aren’t shooting for mainstream success anymore. Starting from the first track, “Won,” the listener is assured that Souls is done with gimmicks and trying to appeal to critics. The “Mr. Freeman Skit” reaffirms that sentiment, while poking fun at a bunch of rappers who have all become completely irrelevant in the short time since this album was released. Maybe the whole idea of old-school rappers dissing awful current rappers has become cliche, but I still laugh at the “Mr. Freeman Skit”, even after having heard it several times.
I’ve yet to hear an album come out of the Hieroglyphics camp that didn’t have at least a song or two focusing on making sure everybody knows exactly how much cooler they are than everybody else, and Montezuma’s Revenge is no different. They do delve into some deeper subject matter, though, tackling issues such as relationships and what exactly makes something art.
Prince Paul fully delivers on the production of Montezuma’s Revenge, really touching on what had been missing from Souls’ previous few releases. Fun. Paul (like everybody else in the world) recognized that Souls aren’t well suited for dreary, gloomy beats and piercing social commentary. Their strength is, and probably always will be, battle style rapping; just a simple beat with a nice bass line with the emcees just trading verses back and forth. Don’t take that to mean that the production on Montezuma is simplistic. Honestly it’s probably more difficult for a producer, especially one of Prince Paul’s status, to be able to just lay off and let the emcees do what they do best. It’s not an album that’s going to be remembered for it’s groundbreaking beats by any means, but they’re beats perfectly suited for the emcees, and in my mind, that’s a way better than forcing excessive complexity in situations that don’t call for it.
You never know what you’re going to get when you get an album from a group that is almost 20 years past their peak fame. Montezuma’s Revenge isn’t an album that’s ever going to be looked at as a classic, but it is a very solid effort from a great group and a legendary producer. Aside from the lyrics being a little over-simplistic at times and a yawn inducing beat or two, Montezuma delivers everything a Souls of Mischief fan can could realistically hope for.
Best Tracks: Won, Tour Stories, Poets, Fourmation, For Real Y’all
Overall: 84/100
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