There are three very important things that you need to know about Alabama emcee Black Native. The first is that he is very intelligent. You'd be hard pressed to walk away from a conversation with him without learning something new (I learned the word "despotical" by listening to the intro). The second thing that you need to know is that he's extremely multi-faceted, hard to categorize. He's a gamer, frat member, military brat, PK, and music enthusiast (all of which make its into his music). The last, and possibly most important thing that you need to know about Laz, aka The Black Native is that he looks exactly like Laurence Fishburne...........no punchline, he's the spitting imagine of Morpheus. Like to the point that if he started a rumor that Fishburne was his father, people would run with it. Check the album promo poster if you need proof..
The album opens with "Undivided Attention", which has Laz giving us straight bars over a banger crafted by Rafeal Andres. Fans of Black Natives previous projects (Inuk Chuk and The Goatee, respectively) are treated to a bit of bonus insight, seeing that all of the intros on his projects are somewhat intertwined. When he raps "I look at my fiancee' and I want to give her everything/But this time, I can finally afford the engagement ring", you realize it's the connective lines to an intro from almost 5 years ago.
The next song that you hear is without a doubt the most controversial record of Black Natives career (which speaks volumes when you consider the Klu Klux Klan parody that he and partner in rhyme Frank Yeiger put out a few years ago).
"Black Confederate" finds Laz on massive double-duty as he attempts to both strip the ever controversial Rebel Flag of it's power, while at the same time separating himself from droves of southern rappers who rap about redundant subject matter. raps like "They say, rap like them, rhyme irrelevant/Do some B.S. to get on, I'm screamin' f it, mayne" let you know early that he's not the typical trap rapper.. The second verses' breakdown of the makeup of the Confederate Flag is worth the price of admission, regardless of how you feel about the topic. Natives Black Confederate movement includes merchandise that he has created, which displays the Confederate Flag in all black and white. There's also an accompanying video for the song. Check it out below.
The quasi title track of this album is the hilarious "Laurence Fishburne". Props to you if you caught that "Furious Styles" was Fishburns character in Boyz In The Hood (I can understand if you youngsters didnt, though). Before the song starts, there's an interlude of a live recording during one of Natives performances, where as soon as he gets off stage, the DJ goes in on him about looking like Tre's daddy. "GIMME THE GUN, TRE!!!! GIVE ME THE GUN!!!!!!". The frenetic beat then comes in, with Black Native describing the constant comparisons that he gets on a daily basis. he raps "If I got compensation every time I had that conversation/I could pay my bills by walking outside as my occupation". Comedy.
"If" is a heavy mental song in the same vein as Jadakiss' "Why". this TRUEscribe crafted track starts off about as expected with lines like "What if Adam wasn't approached by Eve? slapped the fruit out of her hand and told the Serpent to leave". The song takes on a new life as the third verse get extremely personal. "What if I, missed out on blessings, cause I thought I knew best/What if God was tryna teach me and I just failed the test?".
The standout track on the album is the stellar "Hard Work". Aptly produced by The One N Only, the track discusses the hardships that aspiring artists face in the pursuit of their dreams. Lines like, "Friends and associates, they pay me no mind/But be the first to claim me when I get that famous co-sign" will resonate with those who know the frustrations of trying to get on. S.L.A.S.H., whose probably the best rapper in the state of Alabama, delivers the best guest verse on the album. She serves as a Devils advocate of sorts, telling Laz that fame and fortune shouldn't be an emcees ultimate goal. "have a deeper purpose, for your beats and verses". On its' surface, the track comes off as being conversational, but it's really two very dope lyricists sparring with each other.
The album isn't without it's flaws, though. The most glaring of which come from the guests Black Native allowed on his project. "DSA PSA" was supposed to be the triumphant return of Alabamas most talented rap group, but a slightly off beat verse by Shaz (me, lol) takes away some of the songs thunder. "The Chase" is an excellent song about the rules of engagement between the sexes, but there's something missing. I personally think that the second verse would've been perfect for a female to jump on a tell her perspective, but instead we get newcomer poet/singer P.E.D.Z., whose verse isnt bad by any means, it just seems to reflect the same thing that Laz says on his verse. I'd love to hear a remix. On "Rideout", Native and longtime partner .EXE get open on a lyrical free-for-all. Lyrically, they both impress, but EXE doesn't sound completely comfortable on the track. If anything, Black Natives biggest fault is being too loyal to his people. Good flaws, I suppose.
Of course, this is all nitpicking. The bottom line is that this album is full of dope beats and dope rhymes (which is all I care about, honestly). Beyond that, there is plenty of content (the very relevant "N*gg@ Season"), comedy ("?!"), story telling ("Game Goofy" will make you hate the opposite sex for the duration on the track), and trunk music ("The Groove"/"Christmas Groove"). Overall, I rate this album a 4.5/5.0, with standout tracks being "Undivided Attention" and "Hard Work". definitely worth the purchase. Follow the link below to checkout this album, as well as the rest of Black Natives catalog.
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