Rating:
  Review Date: February 25, 2007
  Website: Ankh Amen Ra Website
  Label: UNI Can Make It Happen Entertainment

Ankh Amen Ra “The Sun Raise in Dark Dayz” Album Review
The origin of this artist’s name is quite interesting, especially when considering the direction of his music. Ankh is the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol that stands for life, or the meaning of life. Egyptian gods are often portrayed carrying multiple ankhs, and the symbol has been found painted on the tombs of several Egyptian royalty. Amen is of course a declaration of affirmation used in most religions and found in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur’an. Ra, or Amon-Ra, was a god in Egyptian mythology who represented the sun, light and, ultimately, life.  

So I would think the name Ankh Amen Ra would symbolize a person who brings life, light and affirmation. And with “The Sun Raise in Dark Dayz,” Ankh Amen Ra does just that, bringing light in the form of knowledge, history, consciousness, positivity and love.

This album covers a wide range of intellectually-interesting and relevant topics, and the artist seems to have a goal of rapping about things most people don’t have the time or attention span to read about. Politically-historical figures such as Malcolm X, Huey P Newton, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Jr., Che Guevara, and Hugo Chávez are mentioned and praised. Events of current significance such as the AIDS and crack epidemics, the state of hip-hop and the murders of Biggie, Tupac and others, prison-industrial complex, the Watts Riots, gang violence, Israel-Palestine, Guantanamo Bay and the Darfur conflict are discussed and criticized. And virtually every type of song is featured, including storytelling rhymes about people and their struggles, get-up anthems encouraging the listener to learn and move forward, odes to mother and child, and verbal examinations of the world, our nation, and hip-hop.

Overall, “The Sun Raise in Dark Dayz” is perhaps the all-inclusive educational and entertaining underground hip-hop album of the year thus far. The production is head-nodding, creative and relevant to the music’s lyrics and themes. The topics are conscious, important and unique. And the direction is innovative and new, and acts as a breath of fresh air to anyone who is fed up with the direction of mainstream and popular hip-hop these days. I highly recommend checking it out.

Album Track Listing:

1. P-Cutta & DJ Vlad Intro
2. The Sun Is Shinin f. Jeda
3. Don’t Cry f. Dashi
4. Marching On f. Dashi & Universal
5. It Ain’t Easy f. Jeda
6. Art of War vol. 4 Freestyle
7. Flying
8. Kenya
9. Determination & Revelations
10. Talk To An Angel
11. Art of War vol. 3 Freestyle
12. The Book (I Gave You Knowledge)
13. UNITY
14. Ready Yet?
15. Can’t Tell You Why
16. Mulu
17. Heru Tafari f. Deshu & Stewart
18. Feel How I Feel
19. 70s Era
20. Hip-Hop Is Outta Control
21. Dream of Egypt
22. We Here
23. Ali Freestyle
24. Yall Aint Gangsta Freestyle f. Illanoise & Universal