Scars Of Life – Album Review
Some of you may have heard of my FREE 29 track solo debut album that dropped January this year, along with my brand new website, imsicker.net, to go with it (where you can also download it. Once again, for FREE!). Now, here is one of the full album reviews, done by no other than novelist and seasoned critic, Selena Maris, author of the amazing book ‘Free Falling Head First’!
'Scars Of Life' album cover - Yes, I know I look serious. It's a serious album. Okay, there's jokes as well.
Introduction - So many artist take away from the art, RAP is no longer seen as a beautiful creation, no longer thought of as freedom of expression through rhythm and poetry. Today’s rappers have slandered what was once a respected and admired genre of music. It’s refreshing to see an artist who gives back to the cause rather then take away the little it has left. This introduction definitely sets the precedent for the rest of the album, as the rain and soft piano in the back ground lend beautifully to the heartfelt words and promise. It’s his vow, that this album will do its best to save rap from its slow, painful, misogynistic and demoralizing death.
Who Am I - Were you wondering? No, but seriously. Weren’t you wondering? Didn’t you want to be able to put a name to the face on the cover? More than a name, it’s an image, a persona, a voice. A rapper who doesn’t follow the brand names of ‘lil’, ‘dem’ or the ever so worn out ‘boys’. In Cica’s own words “label me what you want, Ima stay me/ the only labels I care about are those that pay me//” Doesn’t that one line say it all? You can’t label this track, u can’t bottle this flow and u can’t question the skill. The freshness is here to stay and with or without a coupon, there’s no way you’re putting this album back on the shelf.
Down N’ Up - “I been going tough/Growing up/Down ‘n up/All day/ Yeah, it’s rough/But Ima be just okay/ I’m blowing spliffs/Causing shit/Just to get my mind/Off life/” Who the hell doesn’t feel like that? Everyone has had those days when they’ll do anything to escape their troubles, anything to feel numb in the hopes that feeling numb will let them feel happy. “It’s like I wanna drop a tear but I don’t wanna cry/ and I just wanna lose my life but I don’t wanna die…” That’s the perfect way of explaining those days when you’re so fed up of shit that your having a private breakdown. You wanna smash something just to hear it break but don’t want to pick up the pieces. Or you just want to die for a week and come back to life when everything is ok. You want to cry but don’t want to feel the wetness on your cheeks, the tightness of your throat or the burning in your eyes. We all have that shit whether it’s family, relationships, the rat race leading to the future or just that time of the month. However the message of the track is clear: you’re not alone and just like Cica, you are NOT gonna give up.
A Thousand Tears – An honest track that takes you through Cica’s thoughts and experiences, marking each milestones and obstacle with a tear. The verses are a powerful mixture of anger, hurt, fear and guilt. While the lyrics are backed up by a soft emotional beat and a life time of memories.
Letter To Hell – This is by far the most inspirational track on the album. Each line adds to the message of the previous, while the sung chorus entraps the listener. This track is the song that is sure to keep you going. By the end of this track you will find yourself looking on the brighter side of things, truly wondering “Do you hate God for putting thorns amongst the roses?/Or do you love him for putting roses amongst the thorns?/” This song illuminates the hidden silver lining of even the darkest cloud, with the artist’s positive message to his listeners. “Keep ya’ head up through everything/ Even when it seems you’re not fighting for anything…”
Skit 1 (Do a Cloeb Track!) – It’s humorous. Ps. THIS is what too much of the Ganja does to you! ….
Have U Killed - A club track about how you shouldn’t tell him to make a club track. Ironic isn’t it? “You want something to dance to? Here you go bitch!” Well, you won’t be dancing but you will be singing/ rapping along to the hook. A catchy beat plays host to what has been described by Cica as ‘Everything I’d do if I couldn’t contain my imagination!’ The verses are fun, and the lines are there to make u laugh. While wondering things like: who the hell fucks like an epileptic moose? Or more importantly WHAT exactly IS an epileptic moose?
Just Wanna Love – A very seductive track, clearly put out for all the female fans. This one is sure to make knees shake and hearts swoon. An urban love beat plays host to the sexy slow rapping styles of Cica and Slaya, complimented by Rozz’s uniquely tempting voice on the hook. This song is guaranteed to be played over n over n over by any and every girl. After all… what girl doesn’t want to be treated like a princess?
Don’t Go, Won’t Go - The clapping at the beginning says it all. A fresh and original beat, with clever concepts and unique rhymes. While the flow is flawless, the skill is unquestionable and the point is clear. Cica promises the listeners that he aint going nowhere, and this rapper has no such thing as empty promises.
Flash of Light – The old Anastacia song ‘Pieces of a Dream’ has never sounded nor felt so real. The honesty of this track hits the listener like a punch in the guts. There’s no hiding when it comes to the feelings and very few artists would be strong enough to bare all on a track like this. The heart felt and deeply emotional lyrics leave the listeners listener in a state of nostalgia as their own pain and tears blend in with the tears already falling for Cica.
Beautiful Mind - Amazing flow as Cica really shows off his raw free styling skills in this short acapella verse. Proving that with out without the rhythm, this Mc is still going to show cats a real beat down.
If I Never Wrote - This one is for every writer who had held a pen in one hand and a knife in the other. The person who would be lost without their words, because everything makes more sense once the pen has spilled its guts all over the page. It’s for the shy kid who slowly gained confidence with each rhyme they spat. It’s for the people who can feel and say anything when they hear the beat. The quiet kid on the buss plugged into his music player while staring out the window with cold wishful eyes. This one is for every person who longs to escape through the lyrics and drown their troubles in the flow of their favourite song. For the people who honestly think “without my music I would die.” The title does little when describing the articulate and touching verses that are dedicated to an art that’s been the savior to many from way back in the days of slavery. An art that every true lyrical visionary can count on, a reason to keep living, the artist’s soul: Rap.
Skit 2 (Mary Jane) – How sweet, and she loves you too…
So High- Grab the rizzla and the dro, this joint will definitely make you wanna light one. This is the track that needs to be played at the next “should we legalize marijuana” conference. Smooth lines, a carefree message, and an easy going beat coupled with Cica’s soft singing on the hook. What more could one ask for from the stoner’s perfect lullaby!? (Its dope! hahaha)
Street Love 2 - The first street love was an absolute hit in Cica’s hometown, Capetown. Now, here we have an even better version! Who says thugs don’t give love? Who says thugs don’t NEED love? Young girls are caught by the honesty and compassionate words while young men of business will find it easy to relate to the emotions and desires expressed through unadulterated verses and a silky flow. Memorable lines and an ever more memorable hook that has the listener singing “Baby your heart is safe with me… I wanna give you all of this street love…”
In My Eyes - The flow could have been more powerful, to keep pace with the beat used for the track. However, the hook makes up for all of that. There’s a lot to be said for the cocky, arrogant and aggressive lines of both the verses and the chorus. It easily became stuck on replay because of the attitude, and the lines say it all cause “in the eyes of this rapper ya’ll are NOTHING!”
Impossible – Everyone who’s ever been in love, knows that it’s worth fighting for. They can relate to the feeling in this track, the words, the passions and the emotions. The beat is fast, the flow matches the beat perfectly, I challenge you to try and rap along to this one. The verses are powerfully written and strongly expressed to urge that special person to never let this love die. To convince them that true love like this can overcome any obstacle, so why call it impossible? When the only thing that’s impossible, is the will to give up.
Scars & Tattoos - Take a second to relax with this track. It’s got an easy going flow and even softer verses. Listen to the memories of every scar and tattoo on Cica’s body, while easily getting lost in the Sinistro’s smooth, sexy and rough voice as the chorus. Each verse is seasoned with tempting lines like: “so I got life lessons to help me get through it all/ I’m writing my own bible with my skin as the scroll/ so baby let your hands roll on my testaments…”
Skit 3 (Jive Wreck itz) – This skit is so jokes! I love the threats “take those little royalty looking golden and silver pens…” and the chick on the answering machine message sounds kind of hot, in a flirty, whiney, hair twisting, smacking bubblegum, kinda way.
Pack Poetry - This in a unique track, using hard hitting metaphors and wordplay to destroy any opponent. Packing poetry instead of clocking glocks, or flashing gats, (whatever they call guns nowadays). The verses are packed with nothing but skill and the hook is catchy and really fun to repeat. “BLAH!-BLAH!-BLAH!” The use of the spoken gun affect was really well thought of and Slaya’s verse is funny and entertaining with heavily worded threats and nicely uses my favourite part “please leave a message- I’ll kill u muthafucker”. This track is easily one of my favourites because of all the creativity that went into designing the dangerously lyrical warfare.
3 Stories of Guilt – This is another one of Cica’s tracks that tells a true story with pure emotion and honesty. The sad melody and the soft beat are accompanied by three verses each with a separate story. The listener is drawn in by the conviction in the words and the pain in his flow, while hearing the story of an abused girl, a locked up drug pusher and an apologetic delinquent son. The track invites the listener to empathize with the victims, all the while leading to a shockingly sincere ending.
Boo Say Boo - If you thought Neyo’s “Miss Independent” was a tribute to all the ladies out there then just WAIT till you hear this track! A fun almost gangster styled beat, with an easy flow, another catchy hook- this time its sung by Reflux, and verses that do nothing but commemorate the idea of female empowerment. This track encourages and admires every gangster girl who can handle her own business and you really just gotta love the hook: “you don’t wanna know what gon’ happen when my boo says boo, when she scares you, wants to get you, then what you gon do…”
Waiting for the Rain - This is a track that I’m scared to play, which scares me a bit more because I’ve never been scared of music in my life. Then again music has never been able to make me stop long enough to think. Then along came Cica… It’s like when you look at an abstract painting and some one asks you “what does this make you feel” so you stare at the colors in front of you and think. My answer has always been “nothing, but it’s nice” because music and art have never truly moved me. Usually I tend to like beats and melodies better than lyrics, but not in this case. Cica is different, the music is real, the words are deeply emotional… point is: they move me. This is why I’m scared to press play, knowing all too well that the song will knock down my emotionless fortress and dissolve it into a wall of tears. I know it will because the first time I heard it, I got caught up in memories of a dearly deceased friend and I couldn’t stop crying. This is weird because I didn’t even cry when he died, but now almost a year later I hear this track and it all comes out. This is why I can’t comment on the beat, the flow, the words or the skill. It’s 11:45pm and I don’t want to cry myself to sleep, so I’m scared to press play. You’re just going to have to see for yourself, what Waiting for the Rain will do to you.
Skit 4 (Love You) - This was a brilliant idea! It’s fresh, funny and the ending is a never done before CLASSIC!
My Gratitude – Describing the pain of what happens when one person becomes your entire world, gives you that world, and then just as easily takes it away. I think most of us have been through it, if you’re old enough to listen to this album than you’re old enough to have had relatable experiences. The lyrics for this track stand out against the beat with our very own Cica singing the hook, plus a lot of the lines stand out to me as the type of line you would want to put as a quote on your MSN or Facebook status . One of my favorites lines being: “I say to love is to live and to live is to die/ so in order to love you gotta sacrifice your life…”
The Play Offs – A finely captured video as well as a track. This one actually took a while to grow on me, but once it did I couldn’t stop repeating the lines. This freestyle shows off Cica’s sickest spitting skills. The topic given to him was “the play offs” and he more then stuck to those lines of thought. While the rhymes, wordplay and metaphors are so solid that it’s hard to believe that this all improvised and spat on the spot. That’s why he took the video, because without it no one would ever believe that this track was a freestyle. It’s just too sick.
Run It - I just love this one, if I had my way it would be playing on every radio station in every city in every country. The beat is a unique mix of urban and techno with an easy going flow and enjoyable lines. The accents/ impressions make for a different style of rap, and they also make this track one of my favourites. The hook is simple and ties the verses and rhythm together in a relaxed and laid back style. Actually come to think of it, this track was played over 56 times on the first day I downloaded the album, so it probably IS my favourite.
Skit 5 (Angry B!+%h) - WOW! So this is the aftermath of skit 4! I knew she would be pissed off, although I don’t think you can call her an “angry b!+%h” she sounds like a real cute hood rat, who’s threats never get taken seriously. I’d tap that. haha.
Grave Apology - The dramatic theatre affects really add more to the already amazing story line on this track, and I just love how perfectly the chorus from Christina Aguilera’s song “Hurt”, ties it all together. The use of voices to play characters was another genius idea because it really does bring the story to life. While the lines of each of the five verses, are skillfully written to keep the listener focused and on the edge of their seat, waiting to hear how the story ends. It’s a well thought of conclusion to an already emotionally and lyrically astounding album. Ps. the evil chick Shaniqua sounds cuter on this track then she did in that last skit. (Those giggles drive me wild.)
SCARS OF LIFE - As a seasoned writer and critic, I really tired to find things I didn’t like in the tracks of this album. Afterall, how real can an album review possibly seem without at least a couple of negative aspects pointed out? But there wasn’t much for me to expose, which kind of pissed me off, because usually I’m quick to say “I’m sorry you suck go wrap sandwiches” when reviewing tracks for other aspiring artists. So you can imagine my dismay when there was nothing I could criticize. All in all this is an amazing album with a well suited title, brought to you by an incredible artist. After hearing this album, listeners will soon be spelling the word “sick” with a “C-I-C” – and that’s a birthright.”
Review by: Selena Maris
What more can I say? A review like this speaks for itself. To be honest, I was surprised myself!
If you’d like to check out my tracks and get your free download of the album, pay a visit to my official music website, imsicker.net
Elvis has left the building!
Filed Under: Music
