(Viper Records)
Since Dead Prez fell off (you know it’s true), hiphop has been
severely understaffed in the militant socialist guerrilla department.
Enter Immortal Technique.
The Peruvian-born,
Harlem-raised MC blew up on the battle-rap
circuit (using part of his winnings to finance his first album), carved
out a niche for himself in the underground scene, and amassed a sizable
following—mostly college kids learning about Che Guevara and 9/11
conspiracy theories for the first time.
It’s taken a while for Immortal Technique to get past his battle-rap
roots. Tech has always been good for a clever punch line, but he
couldn’t write a hook to save his life, and he’s often been saddled
with subpar production. From the first growled bar on The 3rd
World‘s opening track, “Death March,” though, it’s clear that Tech
has stepped his game up since dropping his last album five years
ago.
The 3rd World isn’t an “official” album, but rather a mixtape
put together with DJ Green Lantern, who produces about a third of the
album’s tracks with help from Southpaw and Bronze Nazareth. Still, it
feels more polished than either of Tech’s previous releases, especially
on the album’s best cut, “Mistakes,” which plays like it could be
Tech’s radio single if not for the dark subject matter. Tech, backed up
by Poison Pen, Chino XL, and Ras Kass, covers all of the usual
Revolution 101 topics—the commoditization of hiphop, the evils of
capitalism, U.S. imperialism, etc.—and appears to have dropped
some of the homophobic undercurrents found on his previous albums,
perhaps in an attempt to broaden his audience.
Despite Tech’s new, obnoxiously gravelly delivery—no shit, he
sounds like a young DMX—The 3rd World‘s mix of party beats
and politics is worth a listen. At least until Dead Prez get their shit
together and get back to writing songs about Huey P., tofu, and soul
food.
