:: Lawless Element - Sound Vision: In Stereo

Lawless Element

Hip Hop is going through a real renaissance period with rappers and producers increasingly looking back at the past for inspiration. But at the end of the day these musical trips down memory lane cannot be labelled as anything else without lyrical substance. Unfortunately, Detroit natives Magnif and Griot, who make up Lawless Element, fall into that category. The beats are all satisfyingly old school, the flows are effective, but the lyrics are nothing special. Magnif who handled production on all but two tracks does a solid job in producing a sound that is a constant throwback to hip hop's golden age with his bass heavy and keys driven compositions. J Dilla and Madlib also chip in on production duties with a track a piece and both tracks do an effective job in lifting the record when it begins to lull. But despite the stellar beats and good soul samples, LE's debut cannot be appreciated as anything more but a pleasant rehash because Griot and Magnif lyrics are all run of the mill braggadocio and lack any real originality. If in their second outing the Detroit duo pay as much attention to their lyrics as they do the production, their career will be promising indeed.