Rating:
  Review Date: July 14, 2007
  Website: To The Fallen Website
  Label: To The Fallen Records

To The Fallen Records “Vol. 1″ Album Review
Whenever you turn on the TV in this country, it’s very difficult not to see something about the war in Iraq. We got play-by-plays and body counts flashing up all the time on the news; politicians arguing about what the strategy should be or who should be calling the shots; people protesting and calling for an end to our involvement; and pro-America commercials urging us to support our troops and come together as a country. Yet I don’t think I’ve ever seen an interview with an active soldier, witnessed any troops talk about what it’s like to be in war, or heard the opinions of anyone who’s actually serving in Iraq. And that just doesn’t seem right to me man.

Now, with the help of hip-hop, soldiers have been given a voice and a platform to share their thoughts, feelings and experiences with the world. To The Fallen Records, a record label consisting of only military personnel, has released “To The Fallen Vol. 1,” a compilation of various hip-hop artists that use powerful lyrics and hard-hitting beats to tell the world about their lives in a way that most of us do not get to hear. The album is mind-boggling, and shares the lives of soldiers through soldier-supportive anthems, real war experiences with firsthand perspectives, and life lessons learned by those who make the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Soldier Anthems
One of the major themes of “To The Fallen Vol. 1″ was to show support for fallen and active soldiers, and veterans of war. Songs like FOX-1’s For The Heroes, J. DiMarco’s Rush ‘Em, Talisman’s Soldier’s Prayer (my personal favorite track) and Logi¢’s Real Soldiers demonstrate the unified sense of community that seems to be shared by all soldiers. In Real Soldiers, a song dedicated to all the true soldiers serving in militaries across the world, Logi¢ attacks the so-called “street soldier” rappers that run around acting tough on the mic. The following verse illustrates how real soldiers feel about these rappers:

I keep on seeing these other rappers perform in fatigues/ Show your support in other ways, we dying in these/ And I been fighting for my country for way too long/ For y’all to take the term soldier and use it all wrong/ Yeah it’s easy sit on your block and talk the talk/ But it takes courage and sacrifice to walk the walk/ How you describing a soldier makes me not one at all/ Even though I been in a war, made it back and standing tall/ And I was there in the beginning to answer freedom’s call/ We went to war with a nation – man where the hell was y’all?/

Stories of Combat
Perhaps the hardest-hitting topics were those that revolved around the various experiences these rappers shared through their music. Songs like MC Mafia’s Ganar, Lexcano’s Soy and Dirty Boi Vets‘ Combat Zone share terrifying war stories with the listener. In Combat Zone, Sug and Tangdajiano of Dirty Boi Vets each dedicate a verse to a real life experience they had in Iraq. The following verse gives a horrifying depiction of being under attack and witnessing fellow soldiers die:

We was driving down the street on this dark late night/ Everything seemed strange, not a person was in sight/ So I grabbed me a cigarette looking for my light/ When brrrrat-rat-tat-tat – what the hell is that?/ Leaned back in my seat and I started shooting back/ Bullets whizzing by my head and my tires went flat/ Hear a voice on the radio ‘Where the hell y’all at?/ They drop side in the head and we way in the back!’/ Hey aw man stop now we running down the street/ Sound like thunder that’s them boots on my feet/ Got to the Humvee laying in a ditch on his side/ Seen a dead marine I almost cried/

Making People at Home Understand
Another topic that seemed prevalent in “To The Fallen Vol. 1″ was attempting to make the people of the United States understand what it is like to be a soldier. Songs like Bank-Roll’s My War Cry, The Lifers‘ Movin’ On and Soldier Hard’s Walk With Me all speak directly to the people who might not understand the sacrifices made by our troops. In Walk With Me, Soldier Hard talks about a friend he lost in battle and how the memories of war will probably haunt him forever. The following verse uses the experience to reflect upon how bad it hurts to hear us at home protesting and complaining about the war:

Who’s gonna have your back like we do when your freedom is tested?/ Talking down on why we here and got the balls to protest it/ Everybody home complaining just please open your eyes/ Cause just two days ago y’all a good friend of mine died/ I hold the visions of him lying there dead on the scene/ Feeling sorry for his wife and his kids he ain’t seen yet/ Only 21 years old he ain’t lived life yet/ And he is someone that I know that I’ll never forget/ The nightmares, the cold sweats – I’m waking up screaming/ My heart’s bleeding please enjoy your freedom/

Lessons Learned
And still other tracks shared life lessons learned by the soldiers throughout their ongoing military experiences. Songs like Keise Twerkha’s Shed A Tear, G.R.E.’s Eye On Tomorrow and Syx Synce’s Overseas express the importance of perseverance, parenthood and being goal-oriented. In Overseas, Syx Synce expresses the agony of waiting for his upcoming deployment to Iraq. The following verse shows the regrets of a father leaving his son behind, and urges all parents to take advantage of the time they have with their children:

I got a precious little boy that’s just a year old/ A lot happens within that time we don’t know what a year holds/ And it kills me that I have to leave my son behind/ But his mom along with mine are saying ‘Yo leave him, he’s fine’/ And I know it’s true but the problem is that/ I haven’t given him the world if I don’t make it back/ I haven’t said I love you as much as I like and that’s tough/ I tell him every day, but every day still ain’t enough/ For all you parents out there are you taking this right?/ He needs to know that I love him every day of his life/ So to my moms and my son if I don’t return/ Let my love into your body the day my ashes burn/

Politics as Usual
So as you can see, “To The Fallen Vol. 1″ was less about making a statement about the war, and more about showing the life perspectives of the people who have been in it. But that doesn’t mean these emcees don’t get a little political from time to time. In Soldier’s Prayer, Talisman questions the existence of the “American Dream,” and uses the following verse to encourage people to educate themselves:

It’s sad to see people die for a dream/ And die for a dream that even I haven’t seen/ Still waiting/ Dr. King and Malcolm X/ Told me to tell you to have some self-respect/ My ancestors said we ain’t helpless yet/ Ignorance is one hell of a threat/

In Reality Check, Malakai speaks directly to the President, questioning his domestic policy in relation to the war, his motives for continuing the surge, and the real reasons behind the war in Iraq:

There’s more brothers dying in the hood then there is in Iraq/ So Mr. President I wonder can you answer to that?/ Terror or the Taliban, one man or all can/ Man I seen it first hand in the land of sand/ Hypocritical figures will leave your mentally deck/ Pulling political triggers until we crippled and wreaked/ No disrespect on the scene we been holding the truth/ So what’s the use of being free if you making us choose?/ A lose-lose situation, put a face on the facts/ We got more problems at home but you ain’t worried ’bout that/ You got a grudge holding on, hold it strong ’til it’s gone/ And you see it’s all wrong to the world its all song/ Seeing soldiers dying in vein, you blame Hussein/ But still things stay the same since you caught that man/ You ain’t saying bin Laden number one on your list/ He the one that stole them planes and turned them towers to bricks/ See what happens to the ghetto when the tax at risk/ Rising the pricing of our oil leaves us hungry and sick/ While the rich stay rich and the poor stay broke/ I’m slanging dope up on these corners but you want us to vote/ Saying no because you lied and you cheated before/ And if we follow you, tomorrow we’ll be back on the slope/ Look in the scope and then I see the future perfectly clear/ And it appears from right here we’re forever in fear/

Overall, “To The Fallen Vol. 1″ is an educational and thought-provoking look into the lives, thoughts, perspectives and experiences of real soldiers. It gives firsthand accounts of what it’s like to live a soldier’s life, and another demonstration of how hip-hop can be used to give a voice to the voiceless. This is an album that everyone should listen to, if only to better understand the sacrifices made by the men and women of our armed forces. Please support them and check out this album. Peace.

Album Track Listing:

1. Real Soldiers
2. Combat Zone
3. Rush ‘em (Military Thugs)
4. Walk With Me
5. Ganar
6. My War Cry
7. Soldiers Prayer
8. Shed a Tear
9. Eye On Tomorrow
10. Movin’ On
11. Soy
12. Reality Check
13. Overseas
14. 14 For the Heroes