Mixed bag
by
Brett Volker
I like Top $ Raz's voice, it is unique, by that I mean, I could pick it out of a crowd. I also like how Raz and co. utilize the bass, like in track 2 (The One). There is a lot going on here, and it seems a bit out of focus. Jack and Coke slows it down .Love Me No More, is a mess, The Plague is another story about street life, and young prostitutes. The disk takes a turn at War & Peace, and gets back on to the groove. The next song that stands out is "The Man", great tune, but its completely different then every other song, in a good way. "Better Days", through to the last track "Nothing" sound great, for a strong finish.
The album is a great effort, but it ultimately falls short. If I were to buy this on the merit of "The man", I would have been greatly disappointed.
I am sure a lot of work went into the album, all this crew needs, is to dial in on a style, and Top $ Raz will be a contender for my hip hop dollar.
Lyrical Acumen and Good Production!
by
ClaritySpeaks
The New Flesh is a platform through which we experience facets of a man. From the opening track, Mountains, New York native Top $ Raz informs the listener that this endeavor is serious business. Not a game. Not practice. His philosophical lyrics and vigorous flow confirm this notion, "Mountains may crumble/but I will never break/I pick the world up, it's heavy/breathe but my knees will never shake." This is the grownest young man I know. His project exudes musical maturity not often present in a man of so few years.
The New Flesh is both physical and spiritual. In So Beautiful and Don't Mind, Raz makes his fleshly desires plain. The Man is a change is vibe with in your face swagger and fun. Jack and Coke Flow is unfair in that it grabs the hell out of you, shakes you, and drops you in midair. No, your track didn’t skip. Yes, he did accomplish that much in so little space. Whether he chooses to punchline you drunk or to weave a tale, you feel the generations of compressed wisdom as Raz’s “literary mind drops bombs that’ll blow like they’re literally mines.”
The features are unexpectedly pleasant, bringing a verve that matches the artist's own lyrical strength and tremolo. Check Don't Mind ft. Cyph Diggy for a verse with lines so funky "the smell will fester." If it overwhelms you, just “spray some pine air freshener.” Alvietron, Scienze, YC the Cynic, Mic Blaque, Cavalier, and Grace Kalambay also bring their verbal dexterity to the assembly. Nine producers, including Thinker, Coole High, and J. Monopoly contributed to this effort, bringing heavy hitting and melodic tracks that serve as a sturdy platform for Raz’s emotion-laden delivery. The synergy of music and lyrics is apparent in The Plague with J57’s thrilling, back alley vibrations and in War and Peace with Thinker’s heart-pounding turned heartwarming intonations.
Not every moment is perfect, there’s some repetition and a few moments that challenge my aesthetic, yet The New Flesh delivers. Top $ Raz is comfortable in his skin. No delusions of grandeur, he knows how little he is in the universe and how large a presence he is nonetheless. This artist pursues his destiny fully aware of the difficulties and pain that accompany his journey; he recognizes the grit and grime of life― The Holy Ghost, The Plague ― but does not let these difficulties thwart his movements ― Cold Fresh, The New Flesh. When his pursuits take him to blend the gutter and the futuristic, he is a force with which few can reckon ― The Man, The One.
Listen to The New Flesh in your best headphones to experience the depths of emotional vibrations reached through the melding of voice and track, especially prevalent in Mountains, War and Peace, and Golden, raw, gritty songs that scream with the positive and the powerful.
If the next generation of hip-hop is bringing this much vigor, then I’m a supporter.
