Immortal Technique - The 3rd World: Album Review
Immortal Technique, The 3rd World (Viper, 2008)
Can you believe it's been a full half a decade since the last Immortal Technique album? Where has he been, sitting around coming up with 9/11 conspiracy theories? This is a mixtape he's put together to whet the public's appetite for his next official release, The Middle Passage, or Revolutionary Vol. 3, or whatever it's gonna be called.
DEATH MARCH
Officially, this is a mixtape, so you have to deal with shit like the DJ running things back, lest it be like you actually received something of value for the money you (could have possibly) paid for this. Also, I'm not sure what, if any of this is gonna appear on an official album at some point or another.
THAT'S WHAT IT IS
Lyrically, I think Immortal Technique is on point throughout this album. He's gotten a bit more gruff and forceful in his rappin', even when the song doesn't necessarily call for it, but I'm not sweating it as much. I guess that's his thing now.
GOLPE DE ESTADO
This is entirely in Spanish, so there wasn't really a whole lot I could take from it. It's not like a rock song, where you can still enjoy it to a certain degree, regardless of what language it's in. Even if it's Sigur Ros.
HARLEM RENAISSANCE
A masterpiece, except for the production, which is just alright. Immortal Technique breaks down the various forces that are driving black folks out of his native Harlem. Notice how he kicks things off with the Jew/Nazi references, then brings things full circle with more Jew/Nazi references at the end.
LICK SHOTS
Immortal Technique goes crunk! Yikes! Was this a concession to the marketplace? Or was he genuinely convinced this was a good idea?
INTERLUDE
Crap, I tuned out during this.
THE 3RD WORLD
The title track. Immortal Tech flips the classic Jay-Z record "Where I'm From," or whatever it's called, and breaks down how fucked up the third world is. Brilliant.
HOLLYWOOD DRIVEBY
A bunch of battle raps about killing studio gangstas and leaving their dead bodies by the freeway in Jersey. I think this beat might have come from a G-Unit record, if I'm not mistaken. Hmm...
REVERSE PIMPOLOGY
I like the fact that they actually used pimp music on this, even if it's just as flat and unremarkable as the rest of this shit. The R&B nigga on the chorus can't help but sound tacked on.
OPEN YOUR EYES
The new "Poverty of Philsophy," or whatever it was called. This one is even more dense with straight knowledge. He's obviously been reading up on his anti-capitalism during his five year vacation. On the other hand, this one lacks the first one's novelty, and is just not as compelling a speech, I don't think.
PAYBACK
Some guy raps about skeet skeeting across Laura Bush's face, as if he was Peter North. Gross! Then Ras Kass breaks down the US intervention in Afghanistan in the '70s and '80s, for anyone who didn't see Charlie Wilson's War.
ADIOS UNCLE TOM
Like the old Ice Cube "here's what they think about you" interlude, but with KKKramer and Michael Savage in place of John Turturro.
STRONGHOLD GRIP
The production on this one reminds me of the Scooby Doo record on Operation Doomsday, except that it's not interesting in the least bit. There's also weed carrier verses. Yay.
MISTAKES
Immortal Technique gets all instrospective. Which strikes me as much more interesting than umpteen tracks about how he's gonna overthrow the government and what have you. (Though I'm sure he will.) Also, I've never heard a rap song that flipped a classic soul record quite like this.
PAROLE (EVIL GENIUS MIX)
Peep the way the last track leads into this. Then that high-pitched synth in the beat calls to mind an old school West Coast beat, even though there isn't anything about this that's particularly West Coast. It's like that old mixtape track where Biggie raps over a bunch of classic Dr. Dre records.
CRIMES OF THE HEART
Kind of a mess production-wise. The girl who sings on the chorus reminds me of the broad who used to sing on a lot of those old Wu-Tang records. But did I really need to be reminded of that at this juncture.
COMMENTS: Did there really need to be an Immortal Technique mixtape? I imagine everyone who would be interested already knows who Immortal Technique is, and has been chomping at the bit for his next official release. It's been five years, fer chrissakes. You wish they would have just put more time and effort into this and made this the album. The parts that are genuinely great get your hopes up, but then the parts that just plain don't work seem pointless, in the sense that, why would a mixtape that's not that good inspire anyone to run out and cop the album?
BEST TRACKS: "Harlem Renaissance" "The 3rd World" "Mistakes"
BONUS VIDEO: The 3rd World EPK
