MAGNIFICENT MONDAY: WILLIAM ROBI
This Monday's feature artist is none other than Richmond's own William Robi. He's a very cool and smooth brother who represents the 804 in an very stylish way.
William (aka CJ) and I met initially at Popkin's Tavern on Broad Street back in 2010. He was hosting an Open Mic event and Rahshon and I (back in the Smooth Individual Clique days) went out to perform and mingle.
Instantly, I could tell that this gentleman had a different and refreshing style that was not common in this area. His demeanor is very down to Earth, yet his wisdom and presence at such a young adult age allows him to take you to new heights right off the bat.
penmanship
William was kind enough to allow me the opportunity to feature his album this week. I'm honored to have this be the first underground review and I must say, this album was a very good initial entry and solid addition to the RVA music scene. Here's my full breakdown of 'penmanship'.
ENJOY!!!
NOW!
Entry
Nice Intro. Spoken Word is pretty cool... not my cup of tea, but cool.
Tune Me Out
Attention grabbing intro that leads to some smooth listening music...
Then hell breaks loose! lol... William starts going off. *Wait a minute... is this a Common album?!*
Hot...
"You're a king hold down your aces, life's a deck of cards when you playing hearts...
Call a spade a spade when all your Queens are changing faces..." [O__O]
This intro track is extra dope. Some cool wordplay all over the place to be heard.
The beat has a spiritual feel to it. Very soulful.
B+
Shakedown
Again the smooth track comes in and sets a very mellow mood. Makes you drift off into imaginations world... The spoken word transition throws me a bit and brought me back, but I respect the transition. I like the delivery of it though... Nice fade out.
B
[c.oa.c.a]
This reminds me of Outkast's Spottieottiedopalicious in a way. But this is a standout track on its own. Everyone's been down this road before. This is a REAL track. Mad descriptive. I can see everything as its happening. This is probably one of the best tracks I've heard on the new music scene. Definitely an
A+ Track.
MUST HEAR...
A+
Look Out Your Window f/ J. Dangle
Mellow Real Old School Hip Hop. This sample screams classic hip hop. Very chill and mellow track. J. Dangle comes in with a very alluring flow. Will follows the hook with reminiscing on hip hops glory days. Cool wordplay. The vocal double up feels a little over done. Could have been more subtle. It overcontrasts J. Dangles smooth approach. Thats an engineering issue though... What he says is on point. Can't take away from that.
I love when people intertwine a verse. Cool.
Overall Nice Track though.
B
Interruption
Nice interlude break... can't critique it much... lol. (No Grade)
Allegiance
I appreciate what was said. I also appreciate the audio snippets. This was not done to be liked, but more-so to get a point across on an artistic vibe. Not really a song, but... art. (No Grade)
Infantry f/ Michael Millions
This track starts off WAY TOO SLOW. I had to wait through a very long and confusing intro.
The non music listener will skip this.
Then they hit you with a strong beat drop and Michael GOES OFF. I love the energy in his voice. Makes me think I'm listening to Black Thought for a second. William follows up with strong passion in his verse. Here the vocal double up is perfect.
The spoken word... I have mixed feelings about it's presence in this track. I believe the track would have been a little stronger with a verse instead of a spoken word break. Personal opinion. Otherwise a very passionate track. I have to take points away for that tiring intro though.
C+
Progression f/ J. Dangle
I love the beat. The kid J. Dangle is ill. Perfect choice for this feature.
William GOT THE SMOOTH FLOW ON THIS JOINT!!!! I'm wit it... I can't stop bobbing my head. Cool, ill, dope, fun, poppin, everything is good about this track.
The only throw is the terrible hiss in the background. It's absolutely throwing to the overall quality.
B+
Church.Hill
HOT TRACK HOT TRACK HOT TRACK HOT TRACK!!!!
I love this joint!!!! Respect to the sample! The verse is extra hot. This is by far the best full song on the album. The break in the middle is cool. I'm having fun listening to this one. The flow is ill. Love this beat as well. The sample + flow is ridiculous. The only bad thing is that this track gets really good and then abruptly ends... Loved all 2 minutes... lol...
A
Good Music f/ Ooh of BF
I got a strong feeling about the first verse. Good stuff.
This Al Green sample is very cool. I'm with it.
Ooh comes in slowly... I feel what he's saying, but the delivery isn't on point at all. A little more life and word thought would have done more for me.
B-
Nodders
I love the way this track comes in. Another classic type track. True Hip Hop feel. Very simple yet meaningful beat. William Robi def has flow. No question about it. Tracks like this are perfect for listening on a lazy afternoon.
YO... who put the banjo in the background?!?! Give that guy an award. This is absolutely beautiful. I feel like I'm looking through a wheat field with a blue sky. Random, but that's what music should do... take you away.
Love the verse after the break. Simply love this. Everything about this track is beautiful. The percussion at the end is very welcome.
This track morphed four times and kept itself together. Very impressive. Solid work here.
A-
Departure
Spoken word to end the album. William Robi is very poetic with solid imagery. Much respect.
(No Grade)
Final Results:
To be very clear, I am NOT a huge fan of spoken word. With that being said however, I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard on this album. It was a good mix of imaginiation, fun, love, politics, and life... which is all what Hip Hop is supposed to be in the first place. There are a couple of small breaks in continuity but it doesn't take away from the overall solid effort put forth in this album.
Overall Grade:
B - AWESOME
Picking up this album will significantly increase your music collection. This is a solid album with some great thought and energy. You will not be upset with your purchase. If you like classic hip-hop and spoken word, you will LOVE 'penmanship'.
Big Ups to William for a great contribution to the music scene! RVA all day!
To listen to/purchase it, please visit:
http://williamrobimusic.bandcamp.com/album/penmanship
Grading Scale:
A+: Flawless
A: Classic/Excellent
B: Awesome
C: Average
D: Needs Work
F: Complete Fail
