Carved into the ethos of the DMV-area emcee Oddisee is the spirit of something old. There’s the focus on lyricism, for one: The kind of straightforward talk that blows through trite gimmicks and bravado. The eclectic production constructs for another, as though Odd’ has finally managed to craft through all his influences (his father’s Sudan; the Washington D.C. of his youth). So after many-a-listen you can’t help but think Oddisee is an artist whose time has come, and you can’t help but think The Good Fight is an album whose unrushed happiness is the kind you wish for in your own life. There’s art and there’s understanding, yeah?
But, really, there’s also artifice and dread, and while Oddisee sometimes veers slightly off course into talk about what music is doing instead of letting his music speak for him, he more than makes up for these meanderings elsewhere. When he is rapping about his life or his mind (which is 99.9% of the time) the album is a brilliant turn of phrase. And The Good Fight has to mean all our fights. The one between loving a parent and knowing you’ll never be able to pay them back. To know, with deep fear, love and loathing, that you’ll never be able out sacrifice them, and you feel the deep imprint that leaves on your bones.
For the making of The Good Fight, Oddisee shut out all musical interference. This is a difficult thing, but like an actor going on an extreme diet to unnaturally slim down for a role, dedication is the womb of great art. So it goes, then, that the lava pit of anger lurking a fortnight under Amir Mohamed el Khalifa has been replaced by a certain contentment — calm that lingers over his new work. On “Want Something Done” he illustrates the trap of success endlessly repeated in different works of black art. If it’s not Kendrick having a debilitating case of success anxiety, it’s Bamboozled’ take on the absurdity of becoming part of a system that seems to despise you. He also reveals the calm spoken about earlier, letting the anger of having to do it all himself wash over him without chasing it to the detriment of his music. He starts the very next song featuring Maimouna Youseff with “I wanna make non-stop profit. l wanna make a non-profit” as he dives into the complicated miasma of modern choice. The concept of choice is also one of this album’s strong suits. It asks you a question over-and-over: Are you willing to sacrifice for your dreams?
Here’s something they don’t teach you in school: Dreaming is the most selfish thing a human can do. And, while you are doing it, the entire world will come to test the mettle of that dream. Oddisee didn’t give in, despite having been one-third of lowkey D.C super group Diamond District and still having to book his shows (his own European tour, mind you) on his own. With that in mind, The Good Fight becomes something a bit different. It’s the wake of one man’s journey to the acceptance of things. “That’s Love” is just that, dancing into and out of the ins-and-outs of love like the jazz rhythms buttressing the song. It is also the avoidance of the apathy trap; that place wherein you sacrifice joy for the cheap elixir of numbness. There are the tangible aspects of the album as well. The production is exquisite. A lush, cosmopolitan collection of sounds spread out and allowed to coalesce. The album is quiet, subtle and monastic. The boom-bap sections are more ruminations than anything else, and the soul stuff gives far more than it takes. Sure, songs like “Book Covers” are off center commentaries on what people shouldn’t do, breaking the overall rhythm of the album, and “Worse Before Better” is the kind of grime experiment better left off the table, but those mishandlings are rare enough that they fall out of your mind exactly when the beat breaks.
So, in a mature, jarring exposition on zeal, experimentation, life and truth, Odd’ connects the dots in his music with what’s happening both inside and outside of himself. With that a kind of alchemy, a kind of magic takes place, where an album extends beyond its borders into the wild, open air. What happens now is anyone’s guess for Oddisee, but with The Good Fight he seems to have reached a new level, and given us the blueprint on how we can do the same.
Was there even a question that this was gonna be supremely dope? One of the best in the game today. Truly gifted producer, and growing better and better on the mic, with shit that needs to be heard.
IMO it’s his best work to date, and if you know his past projects you know how much of an accomplishment that is.
Album of the year. Maybe of the century. Maybe of all time. The beats are so precise boom bap. Oddisee’s lyrics are substance and mayhem at the same time. DC bangers on this joint. Cop it.
Great album, Oddisee so underrated
ODD finally got the 4.5 he has deserved! solid album yet again
Amazing. Def better than Kendricks album.
very good.
There you go. This album is phenomenal. Saw Oddisee a few weeks back in BK, this guy shredded the mic for an hour straight with no hype man. Amazing album, and a well-deserved review.
Amazing Artist and and Amazing Album… Solidifies the notion that Hip-Hop is still alive
One of the best albums to come out this year. Oddisee never disappoints, from production to rhymes. Greatness
Hip-Hop hasn’t been this strong in well over a decade, so many dope relases this year. This one is top 3 for sure.
Just dope. Simple as that.
People saying the golden era was 92-96. They stopped looking and digging. Hip hop nowadays is as good if not better. This is proof. Excpetional. Possibly better than Lupe – T&Y.
This album is dope but it’s not better than Lupe Fiasco T&Y.
HARD!! Been riding to it as much as TPAB
Incredibly DoPe album probably one of the most cohesive hip hop LPS since Below The Heavens
Amazing work
Honestly, this album is top 3 in MUSIC tight now.
Only a matter of time he gets signed by Atlantic or Interscope and selling out The Roxy or Cervantes
well, so this album is crazy! TPAB level if not higher.
Dude produced everything by himself and raps as hard as this?
okaaaaay this is another level
Oddisee is the most underrated hip hop artist of our time. He is a genius and his work is on the level of masterpieces.
Amazing album,. Oddisee once again proves why he’s the best in the game. This might be my favorite project from him.
that’s one of the most cohensive hiphop albums of all time.
His Tangible Dream album already was very very good but this new one right here, no words. I saw him in LA last month at the Echo and he is one of the best performers i have ever seen. killing it. He needs to shine very bright as Odd is one of the greatest of our time, period. great to see XXL, HipHopDX, Complex, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and the radios finally catching up on him.
This album IS dope.
BUT: HHDX is full of illiterate fools. Every comment on this review is the same dude. I hope it’s an Odissee fan, and not him himself.
CHarles Hamilton pulled the same stunt on his own music.. going nuts over his own stuff from different alias’, all in the exact same writing style, and NOTHING like the way every other idiotic HHDX discussion.
Odissee, if that is you writing all the posts, or one of the boys in your crew.. that’s not cool. Don’t make me not respect an artist who makes such great music.
Peace!
This kind of comment makes you look like the most illiterate one on here. Quit that shit.
itdontmatter has a point… all these posts look fishy now…..
OR, the reception of oddisee’s music from his fans is overwhelmingly positive, and basically everyone is saying the same, true thing. Which is that this is an amazing album(No, I ain’t fucking oddisee but imo this is the best album to come out of 2015 so far–Yes kendrick, I’m looking at you)
It says something about an artist when people are genuinely convinced that the artist himself must be posting all of this stuff. Seriously though, what negative critique can someone give this? Hating on this shit would be like hating d’angelo.
Seriously, odd is HANDS DOWN the most underrated thing in music period right now. He’s been making heat for years without anyone paying him any mind, and has just recently started to break out to a wider audience. And with albums like this, the only people you will find arguing that point are people who argue just for the sake of it.
Seriously though, I feel as if I’m oddisee writing this shit myself. The level of fanboy I think alot of us feel for him is just out of excitement that he’s finally starting to get the recognition he deserves.
This album is the best one he has created. Its close to perfect. If you had a rank of 4.75 i would give it that. Its a great listen!!!
album is flames and so is Oddisee
Excellent record by one of the last decade’s consistent musicians/-producers.
No matter what DD or MMG is releasing, quality is signature ……since long years already!!!
4/5
DOPE LISTEN.
ODDISSEE HAS IMPROVED AS AN MC.
GREAT ALBUM.
Odd getting better and better, best producer and top5 mc right now next album gonna get 6 stars
GreatAlbum
Incredible. Absolutely fucking incredible.
too bad no1 has even heard this irrelevent bum. Too bad he doesn’t matter. Get a drake feature or stop trying to make a carreer rapping.
I know you’re trolling. But come on.
You funny dukes
You’re stupid if you believe that. Odd is accomplished and well off. Sure it’d be great to get some mainstream accolades, but dude will get his moment sooner or later. His talent level will make sure of it.
What an album, touches on so many thing, that are mind-provoking. Mos def one of the hottest nigga’s in the game right now. Yet to be recognized smh…
Flawless. Too original.
This album is pure genius. Do not sleep y’all. Forget the commercial crap. Peep this.
Superb album as always.
Great album doesn’t get the credit it deserves i would say one of the best if not best album of 2015 oddisee speaks the truth in each song withe great music to accompany his poetry this album is pure ART a masterpiece