Album Review: Grand Sunz – “Forever Shining”0
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Fluent and Gigio are both Associated Fresh emcees (check “Fresh Produce“) and shine in their craft as solo artists, as well as together. Together, they are the Grand Sunz — a hip hop duo based in Fairfield, California. They are Grand Sunz of hip hop, Mother Earth, the Universe, their ancestors, the fallen leaders, and of the movement.
Not long ago they released their album, “Forever Shining“. Packed with a grand total of 19 tracks, it features mic spots from White Mic (of Bored Stiff), L*Roneous, Telli Prego (of Gas Mask Colony), Do D.A.T., Erin G (of Vandal 9), and The Mighty Leeban. Most of the production was handed by All_Key and Joey Shellz, with a few others from Bean One, Brian Tronic, Dren Doh, and a remix from Joe Blow.
And now I hit you with a little review of the album, which include my opinions and interpretations. So be sure to listen to the album yourself, and throw down $5 if you like it.
Kicking the door open with warm guitars and dirty drums, the album begins with the familiar track “Holla“. It’s a handshake introduction to who they are with the open welcome to reach out to them. The production work reminds me of a number of songs from India, which I think is pressed into other songs too (“Unreleased Heat”, “Recession Proof Flowz”, etc). Real cool track.
All_Key slips in some similar warm high and low guitars in the title track (“Forever Shining“, video), alongside whisper-like tamborine shakes. Once the vocals pick up, so does a polished drum pattern. All the instruments lined up together give it that sly, calm groove. It’s like a dark alley beat, with the vocals being that light at the end. “Forever Shining” is a representation of diamonds in the rough — that Fluent and Gigio are real, always progressing and moving forward in a positive way. “Forever shining // Kind of like a diamond in the rough // Brush off the dust when I unearthed it // But the purpose was obscured, til I hit it with precision cuts // Polished it up, and now the light’s coming through so clearly…”
Switching tempo, my ears immediately went to the beat in “Grand Combo of Sunz“. It has an upbeat asian influence with its cleeeean xylophone and bell pattern. A deep bass drum, like a heartbeat, pounds its way in with some small bursts of cymbals that resonate underneath. The slappin’ beat (handled by Joey Shellz) combined with the slick delivery has that west coast sway — which fits, because they rep the Bay Area.
Beats are important to me, they’re basically on the same level as lyrics. My ears go directly to the beat first. With that said, close your eyes and focus on the beat for “Recession Proof Flowz” for a minute. Got it? Now open your eyes — I imagine that you’d be transported right in the middle of an urban street in India. To the left is a skillful, focused snake charmer, hypnotizing a deadly cobra with his flute. To the right, there’s a small band of fellas playing drums and tapping hollow wood instruments. Together, they create a heavy jazz flow with a strong Indian flavor — kind of within the same caliber of Madlib’s “Live In India” album, but turned up a few notches. So fresh. And with all the hard times and on-going recession, Fluent and Gigio won’t let that effect ‘em… they’ll always give you what you need. These lyricists are metaphorical cold orange juice that’ll quench your thirst in the heat. Nah’mean?
“Keep It Poppin’” was next on the plate. Twenty seconds in, my mind was thinking back to The Coup’s “Me And Jesus The Pimp…” (and I LOVE The Coup, and that song). You know, that old school funk, gangster lean type of beat. Something you’d listen to late at night when you’re riding with your windows down, your seat reclined, and heading home. Perfectly paired with smooth, laid-back vocals. Really dig this style of sound.
Make a u-turn for the day-time, and blast this crunked-out track. “Damn skippy, but my CD don’t skip // My shit don’t scratch, yeah, I’m feelin my own shit // No shame, I got my shit on repeat // I’m rollin’ through the streets with the Unreleased Heat.” … cue the last bit of vocals with lower pitched vocals x 5. I don’t really like chopped-and-screwed ffect, but since it’s used minimally, it goes with this song.
“Fuck the red carpet! // What’s the next target? // Heads must’ve bled when we bust, and we’ve got your dead walking // What you said, sargent? // Keep it on hush now, too hot to touch now // Doubled up what I started // I’m big as fuck now, feeling like a giant // Nice on the mic, like I’m killing you with kindness.” From the beginning, Gigio attacks the beat with an aggressive flow on “Superstarz Don’t Phaze Me“. Fluent steps in, where he elbows aside, and attempts to educate, foolish and phoney rappers. Grand Sunz make it clear that they’re not intimidated and they challenge you to outshine them lyrically. “Superstarz don’t phaze me, I’m a Grand Sun“.
If you’re listening to this album, the Grand Sunz already have your “Attention“. And now that they have it, they’re making good use of it, by providing you with good music. White MIC on the track, too — he’s new to me, but now I’m inclined to search for more music from the dude. Good song, with a hard beat.
“Nuyeerzevefresstyle 2011” is a rough recording of a freestyle, as you may have guessed. Six minutes in length, and it sounds as if it’s in true freestyle form… nothing written.
L*Roneous gets scientific and jumps in on the master plan of “Inventions“. They make songs and redefine excellence. Slick track, and if you’re still not familiar with L*Ron, you should be.
A frustrated Telli Prego teams up with the Grand Sunz on “So I Heard” — A he-say-she-say track, about people that do a bunch of side-talking, creating rumors that people believe, without gaining facts or truth. “Tell me what you know, man, fuck what you heard.” They’re fed up with the bullshit that people spew from their mouths (verbally and/or what ends up getting buzz on the internet), and those that feed into the rumors.
The Grand Sunz rap to the ladies in “Young Man Rap (4 The Grand Daughters)“. Erin G on backup vocals and on the hook. It’s about being young, taking responsibility, pushing towards dreams, and being the other half to a beautiful woman. It’s all over playful beat, equipped with horns, that reminds me of ’90s hip hop.
Grand Sunz and The Mighty Leeban look towards the sky in “Heavenly Glory“, as they celebrate love and life. Light and happiness is rooted within the beat, between gentle tapping on hand drums and dancing piano keys. “Count your blessings, not your toes // ’cause if you look down, you’re going to miss all that heavenly glory.”
“Beam me up, Scotty // Beam me up, Scotty // I’m trying to get back to the mother ship quick // Beam me up, Scotty // Beam me up, Scotty // I need to take a long break away from all of this” Yep, Star Trek references throughout with a boom bap drum pattern. This song is about taking a break from all the hard work or stress that surrounds you. Shitttt, there are times where I often wish there were a transporter that could beam me up from certain situations or rough times for a moment to just breathe and relax.
In “The Essence“, Grand Sunz show and prove that they’ll continue to shine brighter. The essence is about one’s self — you are in control of you. You have the power to grow and to do positive things like sharing your knowledge with the youth. “You are the answer // The essence // You are the key to bring the wisdom of our ancestors to the present // No second guessing // Take a chance, learn a lesson // Expand your understanding, while we bridge to new dimensions”
The last song of the album is a Joe Blow remix of “Holla!“, where he gives a jazzy, hip hop vibe.
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Now let me inform you of some things that weren’t among my favorites or liked-tracks: In the beat of “Intergalactic Buspass“, there is a this familiar store beep/bell that rings through the entire song. Let me paint a picture for you: You know when you open certain shop doors and there’s a beep sound that alerts workers that someone has either entered or exited their shop? THAT SOUND. It just over-powered everything else in a bad way. Somebody should remix that song, so I could properly enjoy it.
Track 13, “Burn” with Brian Tronic on the beat and Do D.A.T. featuring, didn’t really grab me. I listened through it about 3 times, and I just kept wanting to hit next to move on.
“Dream Raiderz” was alright at the beginning for me. I was kind of hoping that All_Key’s beat would stay within that mellow, jazzy groove on this song. But immediately, more instruments were added and increased in energy. An it just fell off. The song is alright, like I said, but for reasons I don’t really know, this is one of those that I hit next on, too.
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Overall, the album was a hit for me. 15 of 19 tracks deserved thumbs up and were among my favorites. If I had to rate it as a whole, I’d give it about 4 out of 5 stars.
Stream and buy “Forever Shining”
