Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Masterminds: Stone Soup

126

Masterminds: Stone Soup

By

Sign in to view read count
Masterminds: Stone Soup
Following up their acclaimed debut Underground Railroad , the Masterminds’ Stone Soup is an intelligent and refreshing album. On first listen, the grinding production, all distorted guitars, subdued horn stabs and snares rattling like gun claps, is nothing special and even monotonous at times. But what makes Stone Soup one of the most relevant hip-hop albums of the time is the Masterminds’ incisive lyrics, slicing through the artificial hip-hop fakers and delivering on-point social commentaries with wisdom and passion. On "Raiders of the Lost Art", they dismiss the pillaging of hip-hop culture by the frat-rock set with venom, "It’s open mic night so pick your penance, bid that nerd-rap Fred Durst crap good riddance." Stone Soup is a no-nonsense, no frills album that drops knowledge on every track and reveals introspective soul searching that is lacking on most tight-beats-and-dope-rhymes underground albums. Subliminal spits fire on the media, music industry and those that follow it mindlessly, "Programmed musical individuals you are." The highlight of the album is undoubtedly "September In New York", a drum & bass influenced ode to the after effects of 9/11, poignantly describing and celebrating a newfound appreciation for life in the worst of times. Stone Soup shows hip-hop at its lyrical best – observant, witty and thought-provoking.

Personnel

Album information

Title: Stone Soup | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Third Earth Music

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.