Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The Awakening

The Awakening EP, the newest release from Anti Citizens, comes with all the underground hip-hop bells and whistles that you could ask for from the duo. Grandiose dystopian beats ("Blackout," "2012 Armageddon"), impressive double-time lyrical gymnastics ("Verbal Assassin," "The Awakening"), and an abundance of solid guest features from both national acts (Apathy and Ras Kass on "Effortlessly") and local hip-hop heroes (Black Mikey, Orko Eloheim, and Johaz of Deep Rooted on "Underground Jugganautz"). From here, you could pretty much call it a day. As Phonte once said, "Dope beats, dope rhymes...what more do y'all want?"

But then you hear "All That I Am." Now, this song is by no means a highlight on a highlight-laden record. This gentle guitar-and-piano track feels absolutely limp amidst the rest of the epic production. Actually, when you first hear the song, it sounds so bizarrely out of place that you can't help but take notice. Then the two rappers, Mr. Ridley and Bazerkowitz, do something you don't expect at all — they start waxing philosophical about man's purpose in this world. And you realize this is the only point when either rapper lays down the braggadocio and relates on our level. It's the most human moment on the entire album. Without it, the album is a great display of empty tough talk. But with it, both the album and the artists suddenly gain definition. It's without a doubt the heart of the album.

Sponsored
Sponsored
  • Album: The Awakening EP (2010)
  • Artist: Anti Citizens
  • Label: 2012 Dynasty
  • Songs: (1) The Calm Before the Porn (2) Effortlessly (3) S.A.D.R.A.N. (4) Blackout (5) Verbal Assassin (6) All That I Am (7) DJ Artistry Beat Mash (8) Underground Jugganautz (9) 2012 Armageddon (10) The Awakening (11) Goodbye
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

A poem for March by Joseph O’Brien

“March’s Lovely Asymptotes”

The Awakening EP, the newest release from Anti Citizens, comes with all the underground hip-hop bells and whistles that you could ask for from the duo. Grandiose dystopian beats ("Blackout," "2012 Armageddon"), impressive double-time lyrical gymnastics ("Verbal Assassin," "The Awakening"), and an abundance of solid guest features from both national acts (Apathy and Ras Kass on "Effortlessly") and local hip-hop heroes (Black Mikey, Orko Eloheim, and Johaz of Deep Rooted on "Underground Jugganautz"). From here, you could pretty much call it a day. As Phonte once said, "Dope beats, dope rhymes...what more do y'all want?"

But then you hear "All That I Am." Now, this song is by no means a highlight on a highlight-laden record. This gentle guitar-and-piano track feels absolutely limp amidst the rest of the epic production. Actually, when you first hear the song, it sounds so bizarrely out of place that you can't help but take notice. Then the two rappers, Mr. Ridley and Bazerkowitz, do something you don't expect at all — they start waxing philosophical about man's purpose in this world. And you realize this is the only point when either rapper lays down the braggadocio and relates on our level. It's the most human moment on the entire album. Without it, the album is a great display of empty tough talk. But with it, both the album and the artists suddenly gain definition. It's without a doubt the heart of the album.

Sponsored
Sponsored
  • Album: The Awakening EP (2010)
  • Artist: Anti Citizens
  • Label: 2012 Dynasty
  • Songs: (1) The Calm Before the Porn (2) Effortlessly (3) S.A.D.R.A.N. (4) Blackout (5) Verbal Assassin (6) All That I Am (7) DJ Artistry Beat Mash (8) Underground Jugganautz (9) 2012 Armageddon (10) The Awakening (11) Goodbye
Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor
Next Article

Tiny Home Central isn’t solving the San Diego housing crisis

But it does hope to help fill in the gaps
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.