By shelz.
It’s easy to look at young rappers these days who don’t have a different BS promotion posted on the net every 12 hours and say, “They aint on their grind.” Or you could decide that since they haven’t been interviewed by every Tom, Dick and Jabari three times that they aren’t really trying to make success happen. But the back end work takes time and practice. What if they don’t have an oppressive net presence because they are actually somewhere honing their skills? Or what if they actually believe that over saturating the web with non-musical irrelevance might be detrimental to their longevity? It’s quite the novel approach and one that few ascending rappers take, well maybe except Pacific Division.
There isn’t that much honestly; an interview here, a video there. So those who are already in the Pac Div loop were most definitely chomping at the bit over this new mixtape they had been getting peaks at for the last few months. And then a couple of days ago to the sheer delight of their growing posse of followers, BAM! It fell out of the sky. No pomp and circumstance. No countdowns. No search and sweep of every Hip Hop site known to man. Just a 13 track heater that shows what can happen if you actually work at being a rapper.
Church League Champions is a very telling release. The title of the tape refers to the idea that they are still not ready for prime time players, big fish in a small pond that are approaching the next level. The modesty is refreshing. The production is generally original, unlike their former blendtape, Sealed for Freshness. And the lyricism, while not ground breaking is fun and fresh with pensive sprinkles.
The underdog status they declare is echoed by “Dick Vitale” on the intro as he suggests the trio don’t have a chance in hell at making it to the next level. But the following 12 tracks beg to differ.
“We the Champs” is a drum line driven song that borrows from school sporting event chants to proclaim their Church League Champ status. “Whiplash” is a slow moving, brooding tale of thinking, planning and scheming on a path to a better life. There is “No No,” a crafty and humorous social etiquette lesson. “Young Black Male” tackles the rough path most youngsters take to becoming a man and is more of an honest account than a bemoaning.
The production is retro, with a mid tempo kick. “Mayor” will take you waaaay back. It’s pure late 80’s simplicity reminiscent of early Dre. “Knuckleheadz” will remind some of their friends at the high school lunch table kicking it extemporaneously. There is one beating on the table. There is another on the beat box and one lacing the lyrics. This is just the synthesized version. “Pac Div,” a self entitled track, is a simple beat with a lilting horn loop that fades in and out. Its simplicity lays a bare bones backdrop so you can actually pay attention to what the lyricist is saying.
Now there are a few drawbacks. If you don’t know Pac Div’s work, you probably will have a hard time telling them apart. Especially since they well…sound alike. The crew has yet to differentiate and carve out unique deliveries. Some of the hooks drag a bit. The trio’s (I’m assuming that’s them) singing on “For You,” the obligatory dedication to the naysayers, leaves a little to be desired. And “Shut Up,” a rather harsh indictment of the ladies in their lives isn’t all that great.
Minus the few hick ups, it’s a great offering from a group who should have an actual album dropping this year with Universal Motown. And if this tape is a foreshadowing of things to come, Dick Vitale might just be wrong.
Out of 5
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