Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Illogic: Got Lyrics?

Illogic: Got Lyrics?

By AAJ Staff
January 1, 2002
View read count

Upstart indie hip-hop label Weightless Recordings, is proving, with Illogic's latest release Got Lyrics? that Columbus, Ohio has got some hip-hop heart. "If your mother saw you know would she be pleased or disgusted?" This is the challenge posed to the hip-hop community by Illogic on "Stop Lyin'". It is clear from the rest of his album that not only does Illogic have lyrics, but his mother would be very pleased with him, as will a lot of underground hip-hop heads. Illogic brandishes hip-hop's forceful energy in one hand and spoken word's bohemian creativity in the other, and brings them together to potent effect. "On The Name Game" he brings forth rhyming order out of musical dissonance in a tapestry reminiscent of Freestyle Fellowship. Blueprint's production is as diverse as Illogic's flow. He manages to work sampled bagpipes into the mix on "Pure Form", while at other times he uses horns, funky guitars and tripped out atmospherics. The real highlight of the album is the hidden track which is a spoken word epic – thought-provoking capsules of self-reflection encased in intelligent wordplay. Got Lyrics? is not a hip-hop masterpiece, but it effectively showcases Illogic's cerebral rhyme skills in a short and sweet 50 minutes.

Courtesy of BPM magazine / DJMixed.com

Track Listing

Introduction, Got Lyrics?, Stop Lyin', The Name Game, Pure Form, Countdown, Figment of My Concentration, Too Many Times, Day By Day, Screenplay, Break Bread

Personnel

Illogic

Album information

Title: Got Lyrics? | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Weightless Recordings

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Ben Monder: Le Monde du Monder
< Previous

Postcards from Christmas 2001
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.