Los Angeles-bred rapper/producer Eligh has stayed the course as an indie Hip Hop torchbearer since the mid-nineties. During the heyday of other eccentric and trailblazing California collectives such as Freestyle Fellowship and their Project Blowed associates, The Pharcyde, and Hieroglyphics, the Living Legends emcee has consistently been both cryptic and vivid about his absorptions of the underground hip hop scene and the social milieu of the City of Angels. Since his last solo album Grey Crow, and now on his eighth solo project 80 HRTZ, Eligh may be directing us into his deeper perspective on his past life, present and future aspirations more than ever.
This fourteen track project is Eligh’s ode to never meeting an 808-bassline that he didn’t like. Combined with his slabs of electronica and drum breaks faster than Usain Bolt, and you have the backdrop for 80 HRTZ. Eligh channels the influence of his hometown’s socioeconomically diverse population, racial strife, vibrant yet laid-back energy, personal battles, and battle rap-ready vigor. His monotone double-timed signature rhyme is alluring to rap purists, but could be confusing to listeners that may neither have the capacity nor patience to be cerebral when sitting through the album. But that does not mean the record is a boring listen.
The album leads off with “Henchmen,” and immediately explains how he has been all about that bass from day one. With the sound clip samples of gears, the music feels like remnants of Eligh’s erstwhile “Gandalf” persona who created beats that had an extra-terrestrial, mellow funk with an airy sound similar to The Matrix. This sets the tone for much of the album. This time-machine ride with Eligh is a journey into his formative years as a child to his present home in underground paradise. The standout tracks include the staccato rhythmic and futuristic “Hello.” Eligh maintains his typical calm nature while he decries the success and fandom for wack emcees in the rap game, while pining to gain some of his own (“You do your raps with the same lame speech / I’m looking for another way to maintain peace”).
Another standout cut is the album’s lead single and most danceable track “On My Lap” featuring Bay Area legend Andre Nickatina. With producer DNAE Beats sampling Jay-Z and Punjabi MC’s 2003 hit single “Beware,” as well as a lyric taken from Aceyalone’s 1995 underground hit single “Feet Up On The Table” for the song’s chorus, both Eligh and Andre personify Hip Hop as a woman they dearly adore. Both Nickatina and Eligh muse romantically, plus are willing to fight for Hip Hop’s honor against the corruption of the mainstream. This is similar to Common’s 1994 smash hit ballad “I Used To Love H.E.R.” or The Roots “Love Of My Life.”
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Eligh impressively uses the Das Efx-sampled chorus in “Pacman,” a verbal attack on racist Los Angeles policemen who are “spirits on your back, poltergeists on the vice” unjustly profiling his group of black friends that he frequently hangs with. Like Macklemore’s song “White Privilege,” Eligh shuns the socially stratified advantage that he’s allotted by white America. One song that is most notable is “If I Still Smoked,” which continues his crusade to discuss lessons ofconquering his past weed and opiate addiction. Eligh eschews drug use in his immediate circle and explains how he get his ultimate “highs from treble and bass” when making music. This renunciation is an 180-degree turn from his musings on his 1999 song “Chronic” off his Gas Dream album.
On “That’s My Seat” featuring underground stalwart Locksmith, they rip through the beat about their uncompromised integrity as artists in the ever-fickle music business and loyalty to their niche fanbase. Also, the uncharacteristic slow-singing from Eligh and piano backdrop on the album’s final cut “Clouds” shows off how he has grown beyond just an artist, but also as a motivational speaker. He talks about how to be true to yourself, despite not being told by peers that you’re great at what you do for a living.
Surprisingly, Eligh’s frequent collaborator The Grouch does not appear on this album. And aside from other songs that sound uneven or too busy in their production such as “Get Like Me” featuring Busdriver, Nietzche Cortez, and Open Mike Eagle, or “Kin With Silver Skin” featuring Los Angeles underground rap legend Abstract Rude, this album is a worthy listen, if just to appreciate avant-garde with dissonant sounds and mature songwriting.
