avatar.double negative pt.i

avatar.double negative pt.i, originally uploaded by mjane.

One can say that an emcee's lyrics pose as their resume of personal life experiences. It's natural to feel like you're learning a little more about that person, that you're tapping into their mind and the kinds of issues they confront in everyday life. Yet while listening to the bulk of today's mainstream hiphop artists, it's almost too easy to assess that these emcees' personal lives consist of watching MTV programming and that the issues they confront include fitting the data gathered at focus groups of fifteen-year-old girls into their lyrics.

Refreshingly, the opposite is true about Avatar's debut album, Double Negative Part I. Avatar displays a wealth of knowledge in societal issues and doesn't stutter while spitting his opinions on them either. Not only does Avatar have a lot to say on this album, the flow of his rhymes confidently keeps up with, if not speaks faster than his already quick wit. As for the beats, it would be shortsighted to compare them to any one "genre" of style. An eclectic variety of beats are what envelopes Avatar's speech, not to mention enhances the disposition of each subject he presents to listeners.

While he confronts subjects such as the backlash of celebrity, tackling authority, and the pursuit of happiness, the beats that accompany his message create a modern, lulling balance between the two that makes this an altogether ultra-positive piece of work.