By Odeisel

The problem with tributes is that you always have the original in your head when you’re listening.  Successful tributes keep the spirit of the original while drawing an overtly different energy  to the composition. 2010 happens to be the twentieth anniversary of the legendary A Tribe Called Quest. DJ Chong Wizard has put together a project Eclectic Relaxation devoted to honoring this occurrence. It succeeds in some places and fails in others.

The work opens with Complexx produced DJ Chong Wizard “Check The Classic,” scratched intro that melds the different sounds of Tribe over the years. El Da Sensei’s rendition of “Can I Kick It” falters in that it sticks to the cadence of the original, but lacks the smoothness of Tip’s vocals and the quirky delivery of the Phife change-up mid song.

“Lyrics To Go” is done proper justice by Del The Funky Homosapien. The beat is a smooth mixture of the original with new elements that freshen it up. The Bidiridim-produced “Check The Rhime” by Lessondary is pretty much a total departure in construction that works by not trying to outdo a classic, but spinning it a different direction. Smoothe and self aware emceeing by Tanya Morgan on the other verses bring the song home properly.

“Steve Biko” is rendered a bit organic with light bongo drums and a bit of funky guitar additions by Canada’s Muneshine, Roshin and DJ Sonik. The newly added breaks keep the pace beautifully maintained and the rhymes are crisp. Here the different voices add to the production and enhance the work. They keep the bar structure intact and it works.

A similar approach on “Award Tour” falters due to the delivery of the emcees which comes off a bit brusque. While they served themselves by not trying to duplicate Q-Tip, the cadence is a bit rough for this kind of beat. The rappers are not bad but there are three emcees that sound exactly alike.

The drums are brought to the front more and the muzak strings are staccato’d for a dope arrangement on “Electric Relaxation,” but rapper Frank Nitti made it into a corny weed song. That’s followed by the raga infused “Gotta Get Out (Bonita Applebaum)” by Jovi Rockwell. The delivery is a bit awkward but serviceable. The rhyming is a bit pedestrian. Damar Davis R&B’s up “Find My Way” which was a bit smoothed out to begin with.  A bit corny, but not wack. “Sweat me like a chubby athlete” is a weak line but it fits with the rest of the song.

“Push It Along” by Moka Only jazzes up a track from the beginning of the Tribe Journey. His delivery is dope and he actually goes a ways towards improving the original, even though he borrows heavily from the original composition. Never heard of him prior to this but he looks like he has sufficient tools to do damage. Moka returns with Jeff Spec to reimagine “Butta.” The bassline is techno funked up,  but they return to the original horns on the break. Jeff Bodies the verse following the break and goes totally left. Strong finish over synths. Imaginitve reconstruction that surpasses the original.

“Verses From The Blaq ETz” attempts to remake a perfect song. Phoenix Jones and Big Norf abandon the original form and manage to carve out a cool dynamic. Jones returns for a weak rendition of “Jazz” that lacks the gravity and panache of the original. Moka Only returns with Bootie Brown to kill their version of “Sky Pager”. Their vocal tenor is perfect for the Tribe -derived production.  

Donny Arcade goes too far left by remaking “The Scenario” as a love song. Not feeling it but I applaud the creativity. “The Love” by Dutchmassive is smooth, and paced with strings featuring a not so subtle shot at Lupe for flubbing lines on that VH1 Honors a few years back. “Pad & Pen” remakes one of Tribe’s lesser songs, while “A Date Called Quest” by Wax & EOM, which cleverly drafts Tribe lines and songs into a fresh new composition chronicling the chasing of a female conquest. The Brit accent that opens “OMG” is a bit annoying.  

While not perfect, this mixtape is full of respect, creativity and talent. You feel satiated with the beats and rhymes, the production was not over done and creative interpolations of classic musicianship held up throughout. A very solid effort that makes you look forward to future tapes. In this case imitation is certainly flattering.
3.25 out of 5

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