As a collective, the six-piece San Diego Hip Hop crew Deep Rooted could be looked upon as a dying breed in the recent annals of Hip Hop. Featuring two producers (DJ Artistic and Mr. Brady, who acts as the second rapper), an emcee (Johaz), a soulful songstress (Brea) and two B-boys (CeCe and Boosie), Deep Rooted puts forth a genuine combination of talent and energy that is well represented in their live shows region-wide. Of course, the presence of CeCe and Boosie cannot be felt on a record, so it’s up to the rest of the team to provide this same level of intensity in the booth with their latest self-titled release D.E.E.P. R.O.O.T.E.D. Released on Clear Records, the imprint helmed by Tajai of Souls of Mischief, this release may be the biggest from the San Diego quartet to date.
The album kicks off with a Moka Only-produced “Soul Vibe,” an otherwise uneventful mellow tune that becomes repetitive by the end of the track. This momentum soon changes as their self-titled record rips through with an infectious beat from Mr. Brady. Reciting acronyms that characterize the name of their group, Johaz spits a vicious hook and verse that brings the energy level back up the speed, which in turn serves well for the spazzed-out vibe of “Crazy.”
Taking advantage of their So Cal ties, Deep Rooted connects with Exile and Blu [click to read] on two separate but equally enjoyable records. Exile, who blesses the set with “Closer,” gives Johaz a soulful record to put George Bush on blast with, while Mr. Brady offers his words of personal retrospect. Then on “From the Hear,” Mr. Brady laces a blazing beat that matches Johaz and Blu‘s ferocity on the microphone. Adding her final touches to the hook, Brea‘s vocals catapult “From the Hear” as the stand out record on D.E.E.P. R.O.O.T.E.D.
While the first part of the album transitions smoothly track by track, the middle section lacks a clear vision with the out of place “Squeeze” and a poorly executed performance on “Billy Jean Theme.” On the former, Mr. Brady‘s production falters with forced verses of gun-toting sounding tacky. On the latter track, Brady once again makes a costly mistake by attempting to flip a sample of Michael Jackson‘s “Billie Jean.” The end result is a choppy beat that feels unfinished, and Brea‘s voice sounds much more bewildered than confident.
AD LOADING...
There’s no denying the passion that each member provides in their beats, rhymes, or vocals. With that said, what Deep Rooted seems to be missing on their self-titled album is a true sense of synergy. They have all the right pieces to make an outstanding project; whether or not they find what they’re looking for will be the difficult task.
