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  Release Date: June 30, 2006
  Website: Breakdown Website
  Label: Saving Grace Records

Breakdown “Social Studies” Album Review
I ain’t gonna lie, man … I don’t really be digging that Floridian hip-hop. Some of my crew lives down there, and like most cats trying to big-up their cities, they’re always talking about the local scene. Unfortunately, every time I’ve visited, I haven’t heard much that impresses me.

From my experience, southeastern hip-hop has a tendency to sound like what those cats would refer to as “juk music.” I don’t know what that means, but I assume it’s like a Lil’ John meets 2 Live Crew meets Master P meets laffy taffy type of thing … and I ain’t really feeling it.

It’s not that I don’t like the music, because the beats are often pretty tight. It’s just that most of the songs consist of the same simple four-line verse throughout the entire song. And that’s just not lyrically pleasing to me.

I guess that would make it ironic that perhaps the best underground lyricist of the year thus far resides in none other than the city of Tampa. Breakdown’s “Social Studies” displays a keen lyrical wit that is unlike most of what you hear coming out of the South. His slow yet articulate flow lays the backdrop for an exciting combination of heartfelt storytelling, imparted common wisdom and clever yet battle-ish verbal wordplay. And the album, though dedicated to and revolving around the oft-discussed tragedy of his mother’s untimely passing, maintains a vibe of uplifting positivity and motivation. It is easily among the best underground releases of the year, and has the potential to put the city of Tampa and the newly-formed Saving Grace Records on the map.

Humility in Hip-Hop
But what I liked most about Breakdown was the humble nature with which he presents himself as an MC and as a person. Verses like “I don’t want fame, I just wanna elevate my game,” “I ain’t trying to take life; I’m laying down the soundtrack,” and “I’m more than content with these gifts I’ve been given” display the thoughts of a person not looking to supplement low self esteem with money, dramatic fame or greed.

If I were to perhaps pick out the number one thing that disgusted me about mainstream hip-hop, it would have to be its inability to be humble. Since hip-hop seems to have been formed out of a necessitated masculine ideology, cultural participants to this day often feel the need to brag and boast, flash their material possessions, put people down and act hard all the time. As if somewhere along the line, it became uncool to be humble, speak the truth, show one’s real feelings or demonstrate any victimization to the pain and fear we experience in our daily lives. As if we somehow started to believe that there is nothing greater than us.

Instead, everyone’s just claiming to be the illest. Breakdown pulls away from this frame of thought, showing nothing but humility and appreciation for the gifts he has and what he intends to do with them. And in the process, he offers a nice verse up to all those other cats:

The market’s full of crap.
A bunch of nonsense rhyming.
Just some wack cats braggin’ bout their conflict diamonds.
Yo, you got money? Wow, that’s pretty friggin cool.
But in the whole grand scheme of things, it’s really miniscule.
If you’re driven by your greed, there’s things you need to know.
Owning that luxury sedan ain’t gonna make your penis grow.
And the loneliness you feel ain’t getting replaced.
By a piece of paper inked with some dead president’s face.
So wake up; you can’t escape from reality.
And it ain’t hard to tell that everything you say’s a fallacy.
You cowards seem to be thinking you’re moving stealth.
In actuality, the only one you’re fooling is yourself.

Breakdown’s “Social Studies” is filled with just this type of introspective lyrical thoughts and attacks, ranging in topics about life, love and the culture and business of hip-hop. So check out Breakdown and Saving Grace Records. You might just find an alternative to that Floridian hip-hop. Peace.