Scene

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, the Flatbush Zombies have been simmering in the underground for a number of years now. The beauty of modern hip hop (and music in general) is that artists or in this case a group are able to operate in the underground while also establishing strong followings through the interwebs. The Flatbush Zombies, consisting of Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice and Erick The Architect have been tearing up shows, dropping mixtapes and gathering a following since around 2011.

3001: A Laced Odyssey is the Zombies' first album which follows on from a couple mixtapes and follows many of the same ideals/values/musicality of those mixtapes in a much more cohesive manner. If you've never tuned into the Zombies before, they are different and operate in their own niche within New York, let alone hip hop which could be off-putting if you lack any sort of imagination, or have never smoked the herb, or done acid.

Songs

1. The Odyssey - General intro to the Zombies' trio of spitters.
2. Bounce - These dudes exist in a fantasy world
3. R.I.P.C.D. - "Selling out all these shows, never selling out who I am".
4. A Spike Lee Joint ft. Anthony Flammia - Indie route is difficult folks.
5. Fly Away - Keys, Erick flexing on the keys.
6. Ascension - Peep the music in the second half, soothing.
7. Smoke Break (Interlude) - Bless the herb.
8. Trade-Off - Zombie motivation.
9. Good Grief ft Diamante - Getting personal, still funky.
10. New Phone, Who Dis? - Enjoy the twists and turns.
11. This Is It - "Don't be chillin' on the couch".
12. Your Favourite Rap Song - Best beat, best raps, best ending.

Vibe

The title suggests a crystal clear vibe and there's definitely elements of it as the Zombies take you on musical odyssey that is just as grim as it is entertaining. That grim vibe is a reality of much of Zombies' music and while they certainly aren't pigeon-holed, you'll be smacked in the face by the honesty and themes that pop up repeatedly. What really stuck with me and this blends in with a few 'music' ideas below is the group vibe of Flatbush Zombies, with their cohesion the shining light from this album.

To be honest, this Flatbush Zombies album reminded me of what I love about hip hop groups. Each individual can go back and forth like a well-oiled machine, however what I really enjoyed is how different each individual is both in terms of their delivery of their bars and often in their content. Meech is perhaps the darkest with his raps and his verse often comes last, you'll instantly recognise Meech with his gravel-like delivery. Juice is unpredictable as he switches his flow and general style up with each song while Erick offers a more classic delivery. Each individual part fits together seamlessly and each song has more twists and turns in it thanks to the unique nature of Meech, Juice and Erick.

Music

Erick is responsible for producing the entire album and many, many times through A Laced Odyssey I encountered a thought regarding Erick's production; he's a genius. Just like there's a gang of really good rappers in the game right now, there's many top-notch producers and Erick simply has to be part of that conversation after dropping A Laced Odyssey.

Each track is graced with a hard bassline which immediately gets you in the mood to nod your head and you'd be sleeping on the Zombies if you didn't play A Laced Odyssey very loudly.

Erick combines that hard-hitting thump with a wide range of instrumentation that you'd have to assume comes from Erick, whether it be keys, strings or even a little hand drumming in a beautiful musical interlude. Erick is a craftsman who lays a great foundation from which he, Meech and Juice can all flex their creative muscle on as there are many nooks and crannies for each rapper to explore. 

And he raps, this guy aye?

Pardon bruh, I was nervous and this is a new beginning
We fly so come feel the turbulence
Never bow to that serpent
Dreamed and found out I'm worth it
Short circuit, love lurking and close curtains
And I be that bigger person
And this my seed, she nurse it
I stimulate her mind, she challenge me while we rehearse it
Smoking on this weed got me feeling like a wordsmith Erick - Good Grief

Rosemary's baby the hand I rock my cradle to the grave
I had six exorcisms this year alone and I feel the same
I'm high and sleep deprived, having nightmares while I'm still awake
40 ounce, sipper, until my liver give away
I think I lost my mind and, I'm willing to trade my soul if you can find it
An even exchange I'm young and deranged
All these drugs in my body
Rawer than the kilo under my granddaddy pillow Meech - Trade Off

Finale

I had liked the Zombies up to this point and I was looking forward to getting my mits on A Laced Odyssey. There's always interest in a first album as artists pump out a few mixtapes to announce their presence, the album is home however to a cohesion and craft that mixtapes tend to lack and I wasn't disappointed with A Laced Odyssey in that regard. 

You get everything you'd want in A Laced Odyssey. You get unfiltered Flatbush Zombies which is something that no one else in hip hop offers, you get a combination of though provoking/pure entertainment raps and you get a musical canvas that shoots Erick into a production upper echelon. 

Whack it on in the car and let it bump or have a few drinks/light one up with this on in the background, you'll enjoy it.