Review – Tunnel Rats ‘Underground Rise: Vol. 1 Sunrise/Sunset’

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The concept is simple, the Tunnel Rats have traveled a long road to make a name in the industry. Now, they wanna give back. To offer a helping hand, the TRz crew creates a platform for up-and-coming heads in the game. With more emcees stepping up than your average compilation CD (somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty-five come through), it’s easy to forget that this is a Tunnel Rats release. But once the music begins, the identity shines through. Deep thumping Dert tracks throb behind the distinctive verses of the Tunnel Rats Crew. After opening with spoken word, the CD kicks into the gripping track “How We Get Down”. The journey continues to hold you as the first couple tracks are solid efforts. There are a few spots that may lose you as the CD at times falls prey to repititious beats, but there’s enough bangers mixed in to keep you on board. The album closes with another taste of spoken word, coming around full circle. Fans of the underground sound will eat this disc up. Lyrically, the album provides plenty of food for thought. Some standout lines include Macho’s opening line (“20 years from now…”), Playdough’s “eject knows your crew” line, the Listener’s “lawn gnomes” lyric, and plenty of other gems along the way. There’s even a six and a half minute “cypher” that showcases some of the talent that you’ll want to hear on solo projects. After months of promotions via banner ads, message board hype, and even a fancy eCard, ‘Underground Rise’ had generated enough buzz to catch the interest of hip hop heads. Skeptics said it wouldn’t work. Doubters said it would flop. However, when all is said and done, the Tunnel Rats hit their mark and made ‘Underground Rise’ a project worth copping. A genuine snapshot of where hip hop is at, and a glimpse of where it’s heading. (And word on the street is, volume 2 is on the way).

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Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. How We Get Down
3. You Don’t Want That
4. Southern Brutality
5. Kick Kick
6. Devil’s Advocate
7. Concentrated
8. Lost
9. Real Money
10. The Knack
11. Ladders
12. Interlude
13. One Voice
14. Suffocation
15. Mission Pen Possible
16. Cyphers
17. Doing Life
18. Remember This Day
19. Outro

Steven
Steven
Steven is Christian Hip-Hop's Wizard of Oz, breaking more unsigned talent than anyone you know.
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