Earthgang - Strays With Rabies

Earthgang
Strays With Rabies
2015

There definitely has been a vacuum int he Atlanta Hip Hop scene for the oddities since Outkast's seemingly never ending hiatus. Sure Trap and more mainstream acts have been somewhat filling the void but that razor sharp, witty and weird hole was never filled. Earthgang want to fix that, and realyl are doing so. Saying the group is influenced by Outkast is an understatement, besides a different vocal tone this new record Strays With Rabies could be ATLiens, which for any Hip Hop Head is high praise. The mind numbingly slow drawl of Trap is no where to be found on this record, because these are lyricists looking to hone their craft with words rather than vibe. The speed of their tracks is also a real breath of fresh air; instead of dragging letting beats linger long after they have made their impact Earthgang stick more with a classic pop format and limit the tracks length (even when they do get over four minutes). This type of music also seems to limit the posturing, because they are really attempting to say something with meaning the idea of just wasting words on bullshit flossing takes a backseat.

"Lady Nectarine" featuring Marian Mereba is soulful and important. The track slides in like one of the classic neo-soul songs and gives you visions of a time when Lauryn Hill was at her very best. It is hard to keep the praise for this album under control because in all honestly it is absolutely refreshing and exciting to hear this kind of music is still being made and made at a high level. If there is one complaint it is again the skits, they really do not add much and take you out of what is an otherwise really great album. At 14 tracks the record is super concise, but it does suffer with the skits being included. If Trap music has hit critical mass and it is time to move on than Earthgang is the answer, get your hands on Strays With Rabies and do it quickly.

 8.9 out of 10