Rating:
  Review Date: January 12, 2009
  Website: ScholarMan Website
  Label: Soganic Music

ScholarMan “GameShift: The Movement” Album Review
ScholarMan never disappoints me. Every January, I find myself thirsting for dope hip-hop to start the year with. And every January, ScholarMan drops a new album that helps quench this thirst – while simultaneously getting me amped for the year to come. This year’s album, “GameShift: The Movement,” is arguably the Maryland emcee’s best work to date – and was definitely worth the year-long wait.

Why I Like This Album:
1. It is soulful, positive and inspirational. Something about Scholar’s music has always come across as motivational to me. I don’t know if it’s the soulful production, the positive lyrics, or the inspirational themes and topics – or simply a combination of all three – but “GameShift: The Movement” is another ScholarMan album that just makes you feel good. The album opens up on this vibe with tracks like Give It To You, The Answer II, and Our All.

One of my current favorites is Work It Out, in which Scholar drops the following verse that epitomizes this inspirationally-conscious vibe. The verse talks about being part of something positive and great:

ScholarMan is in the place to be, I spit it for the fake to see/
These motherfuckers hate to see we making moves great to be/
Part of something – something greater than just you and me/
To the kids you can be whatever you want to be/
Don’t let nobody tell you anything that’s different/
Don’t rush to sex, it’s okay to keep it innocent/
Don’t get deterred and revert to all those drugs and things/
Peer pressure stay away, make sure you use your brain/
I know it’s easy for me – we walking different paths/
But I been in your shoes, and yes those days won’t last/
Pick a road, hopefully it’s to success/
Stay determined and you will be the best/

2. Good love songs. From my perspective, it’s not easy to make a hip-hop love song that’s not corny. I don’t know why, but that’s just how it is. In GameShift: The Movement,” ScholarMan closes out with So Close Now and The One I Believe In, two emotionally-charged ballads that show the talented emcee speaking from his heart in a way that very few rappers can do well. The following verse from So Close Now shows Scholar’s unique ability to vocalize his feelings in rhyme:

We were destined, I reckon that we were planned out/
Like a wanted birth, you and I stand out/
We blend well let communicate greatly/
Work as a team making big moves lately/
When I first met you, just knew I had to get you/
You seen special in me – you found potential/
It’s you who I cater to, over time paid my dues/
This I admitted as well, mistakes I made a few/
But you still showed love, you kept your faith in me/
That open part of your heart, I felt that vacancy/
And now it’s plain to see that you and I were made to be/
I take it now to avoid any latency/

3. Several tracks are politically-conscious. More so than any of ScholarMan’s past albums, “GameShift: The Movement” talks about several modern-day political issues, dropping several verses criticizing the manner in which we handle a variety of situations on both a foreign and domestic front. However, Scholar always keeps it positive, ending all verses with optimism and calls to action. A good example of this can be found in the following verse from War of Words:

They allow drugs across the border then soldiers go out and slaughter/
Claiming they protecting the freedom our sons and daughters/
Bigger agenda, deeper hole they digging into/
The bodies of the innocent people found in the center/
Freedom of speech but now they issued that a margin/
Don’t cross the line or a prison sentence you bargain/
Your blood is what you sign with it, freedom get your mind in it/
This corrupt system truth you can’t find in it/
Search deep don’t be discrete when you sleep/
Let ‘em know your position, man we can’t come off as weak/
Get in the streets and let’s implement change/
And do what we can for an intricate gain/

4. Storytelling. If there’s one thing I wish ScholarMan would do more, it would be to create more storytelling tracks. As an emcee, Scholar does a great job creating dialogue and advancing events, situations and themes through his lyrics. This ability can be seen in the “Hood Stories” series Scholar has advanced through his last three albums.

“GameShift: The Movement” introduces the third installment – Hood Stories Vol. 3 – which tells the story of a young man named Raheem who is coerced into robbing the neighborhood’s biggest drug dealer. However, the strategy does not go according to plan, and a big surprise awaits Raheem in the end:

He opens the door, two shots to the chest/
Execution at its best – the dealer had on a vest/
Raheem was all shook up, the guards come runnin’/
Click clack, get it done and, about to get gunnin’/
But the dealer yelled stop, looked Raheem in his face/
With his last few breaths he said, ‘You made a mistake’/
Gone into the dresser drawer, moved some stuff aside/
And what Raheem found is gonna blow your mind/
Pictures of his mother and him when first born/
Love letters and letters torn – a young woman with scorn/
The dealer was his father, he just followed the same path/
A life of crime and violence to gain cash/
His father died, a gun is at Raheem’s temple/
The ending is clear man, it’s very simple/

Overall: I like every track on this album, which has been in constant rotation for over a week now. Dope lyrics, soulful production and a positive vibe – everything a hip-hop head could ask for. I highly recommend picking up a copy. Favorite tracks include Our All, Work It Out, Hood Stories Vol. 3, What You Puttin’ Back, The Answer II, Give It To You. Peace.

Album Track Listing:

1. Make Your Mind Up
2. The Movement
3. Give It To You
4. Our All
5. The Answer II
6. Work It Out
7. What You Puttin Back (feat. K-Mynez)
8. War of Words
9. Hood Stories Vol. 3
10. Cant Turn Back
11. Still (feat. TrueBless)
12. So Close Now
13. The One I Believe In