The Escape Artists - Plot Against Theme

Xczircles, Aamir, Ahmuse, Amnesia, and Trex are the core of The Escape Artists, a DIY hip-hop collective from Los Angeles, CA. Plot Against Theme isn't their first album. It's not even their second. It's more like their third official full-length release. These guys should know how to put together a decent album by now. For a self-produced group, their beats and arrangements are quite well done. However, since most of the melodies that inhabit this album are minor and somewhat dark, to make it through all fifteen tracks consecutively can be a bit wearisome. Furthermore, each of the MCs can at times both lift and weaken the tracks. While they all have a very distinctive style, the verbose rhyme schemes can be a bit overbearing. If you drip water consistently onto a person's head for period of time, they will eventually go insane. In a very similar fashion, if you don't change up the dynamic of how the lines are delivered or phrased, things can become dull. It's just inevitable. Lastly, where's the damn hook? It's almost non-existent on this album. You can't tell me that the hook is not important to a hip-hop song. Even Anti-Pop Consortium had hooks! Hip-hop isn't anything new; it's been around for more than two decades now. As a fan of groups that push the boundaries of the genre, it's hard for me to embrace something that is content to remain behind the shadows of more recognized, influential hip-hop artists. The Escape Artists would do well by themselves to take the ideas they used in "Permanent Grinn" or "Soul Purpose" (minus the horrible verse from Tommy V) and expound on those themes. People just can't keep bringing the same stuff to the table and expect people to buy it. [www.escapingart.com]