Rating:
  Release Date: January, 2006
  Website: Subconscious Website
  Label: Indie

Subconscious “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” Album Review
Hip-hop, or at least the artistic aspect of the culture, has historically been heavily concerned with the authenticity or credibility of its representatives. Regardless of which genre they choose to represent, artists are often popularly required to prove some form of realness in order to be accepted by their respective audiences.

For example, many industry analysts claim that 50 Cent’s nine bullet wounds gave him the “street cred” necessary to be a platinum selling gangster rapper. Others say that Kanye West’s controversial statements on NBC were positioned perfectly to generate sales for his newly-released album.

Ironically, I think this notion of credibility or authenticity is especially true in the underground, a genre dominated by positive energy, rebelliousness and nonconformity. Being a person who is admittedly more of a fan of the hip-hop underground these days, I must admit that I have my own set of predetermined criteria for rappers, especially those representing the underground’s unique set of principles and philosophies.

The majority of the hip-hop underground these days is rappers who are not hardcore, thug or gangster. Instead, they talk about different forms of real life, often reflecting on pain, struggle or social movement. Therefore, my primary criterion for establishing the realness of an underground artist is if he can prove to me that he is familiar with some aspect of the struggles of real life.

The Familial Struggles of the Hip-Hop Generation
Subconscious, an underground MC from Denver who I happened to run into on MySpace, passed my criteria for realness after just two tracks of his exceptional first album, “Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover.” Track 2, “Dear Dad,” contains the following verse, which I feel is representative of a lot of the younger hip-hop generation:

I remember the night my damn dad died
Trying not to cry, hold the tears in my eyes
But looking back at life I was bruised inside
I tried to hide the pain, but I knew it wasn’t right
I had to find a way to escape the fight
So I picked up a pen, and I started to write
It was like rocket fuel, to every molecule
In my heart, I felt it was something I had to do

This verse immediately touched me, and made me think about America’s abandonment of its youth. The hip-hop generation is considered by many to be the abandoned generation; the one most heavily affected by familial struggles, including single parenting, divorce and, as Subcon might attest to, death. For many of these kids, hip-hop was and is an opportunity . an outlet to channel their fear, despair and anger in a positive and constructive way. An avenue they could take to, as Subcon would say, “escape the fight.”

After hearing Subcon’s “Dear Dad,” I immediately recognized him as a real hip-hopper: Not someone doing it for money or fame, but someone doing it for love, and ultimately, because he needs to; someone who embraces the culture of hip-hop and wants to contribute to its message and meaning. If all those pop fans can’t understand that, perhaps they need to reevaluate their criteria for realness.

Subconscious’ “Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover” is an all-inclusive hip-hop album. Its tracks range from party songs and battle tracks to unity anthems and sentimental narratives. Subcon’s lyrics are both boastful and modest, both visionary and realistic, and offer an amazing introspective look into the realities of struggle in the hip-hop generation. I recommend it for any hip-hop head who can relate.

Please support the underground by visiting Subcon’s website and picking up his CD, “Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover.”

Raise Your Fist
We need to be united
Divided is not an option
You can try to fight it
But finding it’s got its problems
Like when you having sex and you using a broken condom
So ain’t no sense in beefing with people we need to squash it
I’m not a prophet, just a man who wants to stop it
A topic of discussion that people want to get off of
I can’t understand, this planet’s got me bananas
I take advantage of the situation then I manage
I keep ‘em all in awe while I’m stomping the competition
Your moms and pops will listen as soon as I drop the wisdom
So pay some close attention
My motives will expose the whole entire opposition
Let’s keep a common vision
So raise your fist, raise your fist
Cause we gonna make it out of this place without a hitch
I made a switch today to pave the way for all of this
Do it for the kids and all the ones that we miss
If you feeling this then you don’t want it to quit

The best you could do is go ahead and times it by two
Take a look inside my eyes and then you’ll find that it’s true
We all can improve, and I’m starting with this
The devil played a trick on all of you idiots
Then thought for one second that he didn’t exist
It’s getting me pissed quick, like the flip of a switch
We need to fight towards a goal; instead we fight with out fists
If the timing isn’t right, we need to find when it is

Dear Dad
This life’s got me thinking of leaping right off the deep end
The pain that I’m feeling in my heart just makes me weaken
I’m reaching for the bottle even though it’s not the reason
It’s not the answer or the cure, but I still believe it
I remember growing up, it was tough
At times it kinda sucked, but I knew I was loved
By my single mother but it wasn’t enough
I feel bad for my brother, he was young and it sucks
I was confused, didn’t know what to do
I was the man now, had to make an example
Damn you dad you left us in shambles
I wanna ask you what the fuck you were thinking
When you got two seeds, and you pick up and leave ‘em
Move across seas, that’s what I would call a weakling
So Santiago, why’d you even bother?
You weren’t a real man, how could you be a father?
I’ve only gotten stronger through this life that I’ve lived A
nd for B and me, it could’ve been worse than it is
My thoughts over the bridge, me and my brother did
How could you leave your family, especially two kids?

I remember the night my damn dad died
Trying not to cry, hold the tears in my eyes
But looking back at life I was bruised inside
I tried to hide the pain, but I knew it wasn’t right
I had to find a way to escape the fight
So I picked up a pen, and I started to write
It was like rocket fuel, to every molecule
In my heart, I felt it was something I had to do
Very few people know the pain that I feel
For real, most of the time just kept it sealed
Those of you who have a dad, take advantage of that
Handle that, keep him close just like a camelback
The darkness, the hardships I walked with
All because I grew up with a fatherless past
But all that has passed in the past doesn’t exist
Keep my eyes on the future, that’s the way I gotta live

It’s embarrassing to all the sons and daughters
That are forced to live their lives without a father
The darker the light, the harder the fight, the stronger the might
Is what we fight, and I’m seeing the night
I keep my patience for the next generation
Place my faith in the parents, they create them
Praying that they properly raise them
You wonder why so many kids are out of line
In trouble all the time, involved with crime
There could be a billion and one reasons why
Between you and I if my dad was by my side
A lot of shit I did, man it would never ride
It’s up to the people that done had to go through it
To make a brighter future for us, we never knew it

Layer Cake
I grab the mic, hold it as tight as I can
This is my life, I’ll show you right where I stand
This is more than music I been influenced for years
It pumps through my veins to explain it’s kinda weird
You need to stop, take a break and just focus
Notice what you idolize is really fake and you know it

Underground, some say, the road to the top
But tell me what’s the difference when your music goes pop?
What you really willing to do to get to the top?
Hustle non-stop everyday like a job?
Or is signing a deal the only chance that you got?
You need to look at all your options and decide what you want

I raise the stakes to save a space
But in this game it’s all the same
A layer cake, we can’t escape unless we make a change
And change is based on raising rates, erasing hate, escaping race
So when I see you face to face, we better make a change

This is a culture, whether you know it or not
Vultures used to hate me, nowadays they all flock
And this is someone fronting there’s something I can’t grasp
The stars play their part; make you want what they have
But ninety percent are in debt, do the math
Marketing promotions, many they’re paying out the ass
Signing a deal means you’re getting a loan
If you ain’t making the sales, guess what; you’re on your own
So maybe you go gold, so what; it’s not enough
Every album that sells, you’re getting pennies on it chump
It’s funny you’ll get your money by performing at shows
Charging fifty bucks just to get in the door
Another way is paying for your song to get played
Or should I say played out on radio waves?
It’s the same way with what you’re seeing on the TV
And money talks with videos; can’t you hear it screaming?

I’ma make connections that work and make impressions
So I don’t even have to say a word, you’ll feel my presence
And these are lessons that I’ve learned over time
I apply ‘em in my life and see what I find
You need to be
Educate yourself on what you see
Maybe then and only then will you’ll begin to believe
But I ain’t here to preach, I just call it like I see it
And what you speak about you need to live it and breathe it
How you gonna be fake, claiming that you’re something you ain’t?
A manufactured image you had to create

I’m Gettin’ Stronger
When I’m spitting, it’s all about how I’m living
It ain’t about a gimmick, a market, a phony image
This is for the real heads whose down with how it started
Cause I ain’t involved with having a target market
A word of advice, don’t follow fakes
Cause the sooner or later they gonna break; the more they made
You do the best in business when it’s all by word of mouth
Word is out about your record, wow you’re learning now

S.U.B.C.O.N.
S - for the skills
U - unconditional
B - brilliance
C - is getting critical
O - officially there is
N - no stopping this
Dropping the hottest shit
I’m not cocky it’s obvious

For starters, I can see you not the smartest
Trying to battle me, man, you gotta be retarded
Mechanical MCs are getting more nervous
Cause they’re afraid their brains might short circuit
I get the pain and harness it
I could sell a bill it just depends on how I market it
But I don’t have the cash to do that, so I relax
Master my craft sit back and just laugh

Make Some Noise
Please enjoy a ride on the trip through my mind
Just so you can see how my thoughts intertwine
And how I connect the letters of the alphabet
And how I select the words that I interject
My perspective is based on the lessons
Everything I’ve been taught and everything I’ve questioned

I’m Raisin’ The Bar
The fire breathing demon reaching out to those who greet him
People on the sides, standing by, wanna meet him
In any given region there’s a reason
That we stand around for hours trying to see him
We all wanna be him
The most impressive living, breathing human being
When he’s on the mic he’s like the illest stroke of genius
Exactly what the world’s been waiting for; it’s what we need
Who’s gonna be the next MC to get defeated?
You didn’t believe it there’s no room for retreating
I’ve seen the inner eyes of the one they call the meanest
The one who’s eating, beating MCs just for breathing
Meaning he don’t give a damn what you thinking
This is disease and even MCs can’t conceive it
This is the reason we reach for stars in the evening
Why can’t we see what these people are seeing?
Maybe it’s the reason that we wake up dreaming

Ever since the start, believe me it’s been hard
I spit bars over beats just making my mark
I’m an artist on a quest for knowledge
But ya’ll are just filling up your heads with garbage
Ya’ll been influenced so much my mainstream
Your blood loss causes infection like gangrene

WAC FM
You can try and budge me, but unlike Puffy
I write my own rhymes, that’s why these cats gonna love me
If you can’t write your raps in the first place
You ain’t a real rapper, go back to the first grade

One, Two, Three .
Listen to this; I’m on a serious tip
You’ve never heard a lyric spit sicker than this
I’m explosive, a killer without a motive
The type to move the speed of light without a motion
I’m gone with it
When I spit up on the mic it’s like a cyclone hit it
My flow’s different
This game’s been infected; man you can’t stop ‘em
So consider me the rap antitoxin

You compared to me, I’m the GOAT in this game
Showing no shame with a flow that’s as cold as the name
Holding a flame cause I’ll never have to go with the grain
I’m sick of all these MCs that are flowing the same
You talk about the future and where it is going
You don’t know the instruments; so how do you know then
The past always repeats and you better stay focused
Or end up winding up more broke and homeless
When I heard your song I was looking for substance
I gave a good listen; all I heard was nothing

What You Gonna Do?
Time is money; money to wait for nothing
The paper chase is strong; it seems like I’m always running
I catch myself looking for loose change
My old beat up hems need some new strings
I feel like I’m trapped in a cage
Barely getting paid more than minimum wage
I got ten bucks, but I need to find a way that I can make rent next month
I struggle, everyday is a hustle
Trying to put together all the pieces to the puzzle
I don’t let my chances pass me by
They might just vanish in the blink of an eye
Take full advantage of the chances you got
We all need to live, eat and breathe
That’s why people are obsessed with greed
Leave it up to me, we’d all be equal
Post as one as we grow as people
There’s more than one word, well its evil
Just to get by we do what we need to

Until We Die
I ain’t the type of guy that will jump to conclusions
But life is like a whole entire affair of illusions
What you see may not be as clear as it appeared
It’s kind of weird, but it’s happening everywhere
Trust and faith, two words that I hold close
Toss ‘em out the window, sort of like old clothes
I guess there’s no hope for people like this
She’s on and she’s off just like a light switch
We all make mistakes every day of our lives
I guess the grass is greener when you find the other side

I’ve Given Everything
This is life, it ain’t really a game
I try to live it right but I’m going insane
No one to blame, it’s all on me
So I search inside myself to find the proper remedy
I find it; at least I think I do
I sit for a minute; give me time to think it through

My mind grows with the strength of a cyclone
It’s as if I’m taking trips through multiple time zones
I thought I’d pushed the limits, but maybe I didn’t
I was blinded by the pop culture and its critics
So listen if we’re gonna make a difference
It’s gonna take a smarter strategy in this business
Cause in this industry, it takes more than just a scheme
More than just a dream, it’s more than what you see
The face value isn’t really worth much
Stop using what you see on TV as a crutch
Think for yourself and nobody else
Use the cards that you’re dealt as a way to excel
It’s a rough road and the journey is long
I just keep pushing for it with the strength to move on
I’ve given everything; it’s all that I have
So if it’s not enough I gave it all that I had