Journal: An Eklektik Journey [Free Download]

Never has a hip hop album that I have copped been so aptly titled. With his first release [LP] Conscious takes you on a wild trip between two genres- Spoken Word and the art of Mic Mastery. From start to finish Conscious not only shows his versatility on the mic but he also shows he's not green on the boards- blessing your ears with his very own produced tracks.1. Intro
2. Penmenship
3. Hero
4. Spoken Word Piece [untitled?]
5. Confusion
6. Journal Interlude
7. Opal
8. When We Met
9. Brown is the Color of My True Loves Hair
10. Rapid Transit ft. Thinker
11. The Change Up
12. Futuristic Man
13. Red Light Football
14. Love Misinterpreted
15. C+C ft. Crooked Schallah and Cousin AustinMy words do no justice to the twisted writtens that come out of Conscious' grill piece. Case in point is the opening track 'Penmenship' that is spit over a very eccentric but catchy beat. The snake like rhyme schemes will have you pressing repeat as you write down the numerous profile quotables that are unleashed on this opener and those to follow. The first problem I found on Conscious' disc is the songs are too damn short and have you on cliffs edge hanging on by your headphone cord wanting more.

Penmenship- 4/5

Track 3, Hero, has definitely been blessed with the best beat on this record as well as the strongest message. Conscious speaks on racism, struggle, and why his own people refuse to listen to his words.

"They once mimicked us and minstrel called us coon
now we play the same role
sell soul and act bafoon
if it were up to them baboon would be scrawled on our tombs."Is a simple yet tough line that hit me when i heard it. Very dope track. Beat is on that nightcap tip. Fresh.Hero-- 4/5Conscious makes the the ladies lower waist section melt in a short but lovely spoken word piece on track 4. Without a doubt a talented and mind bending poetic sorcerer.Track 4- 5/5

Another thing about this disc is that its refreshing to know 'originality' is not extinct. Conscious shows this in his production- style of delivery- and subject matter. Confusion had me confused with the robotic echo to his voice which i think took away from the track as a whole but still enjoyable none the less. Beat is '?'.

Confusion- 3/5

Journal Interlude lets us take a break and take in what was just brought to the table. Very nice beat with a jump to it. Reminds me of a Drunk Rabbit.

Interlude- 4/5

You really gain respect for the production after about 2-3 listens. Another chillaxed eargasm comes through on Opal as Conscious speaks on everyday happenings in life...hard times...but you must lift.

Opal- 5/5 One of my favorite tracks.

I dont know about anyone else but I love tales of love spit through spoken word. Conscious rips a tale in this track over a kind of irratating beat in When we Met [because of the scratches] but the story takes you away from the beat and hits you well and good.

When we Met- 3.5/5

Browns the color of my true loves hair is a nice spoken word piece. More quotable lines. Conscious really has a strong voice that stays with you after the track finishes and goes onto another.

Browns the Color of My True Loves Hair- 4/5

Rapid Transit is another personal favorite of mine. Featuring Thinker who I think steals the show with his verse. One line that I can remember is--

Thats ill like all the money we be spending just to stay up on fashion
with no ends to justify the rations
We're the people divide them like fractions
I want a job because im better qualified
not affirmative action."You just have to listen.Rapid Transit- 5/5The Change Up is a solid beat. When I hear Conscious' production MF Dooms flow comes to mind for some reason.The Change Up- 4/5

Another thing about Conscious as he splits spoken word with rapping-- you really want to hear him spit more. In Futuristic Man Conscious' flow is simply hypnotizing leaving you wonder-- why doesnt dude rap more often?

Futuristic Man- 4.5/5Red Light Football was hard to decipher for me to be honest. But the flow and rhyme scheme on that hard beat is '?'.Red Light Football 4/5"When sparring with love make sure you got your cup on
It be some low blows and elbows..."

Love Misinterpreted has some lines that really hit me good as i deal with relationship drama. I love this track just because i can really relate to a lot of the things said. Another dope track. As you get towards the end of this album-- youll realize it hasn't lost power. Consistent.

Love Misinterpreted- 5/5

How does Conscious end an almost PERFECT first release? With FIRE. C+C is blessed by Crooked Schallah and Conscious over a dizzy but 'blazin beat'. No doubt Con has AMAZING talent as a spoken word wizard but Im more appealed to his rapping. Voice and flow is on point on every track especially this one. Im definitely glad I didnt sleep on dude for too long. Dope ending to a CLASSIC first release. Check my final comments.

C+C- 4.5/5

Final Word: Conscious comes at you with a lot of originality, beauty, and words that make your head spin and press repeat. This review was spawned from my 5th listen of "Journal: An Eklektik Journey" and I found not only is it DOPE as fuck- but it is definitely a disc you can keep in the changer until his next release. Conscious really makes you a fan of his work with this album and makes you wish Journal had more body. The only problem I had with the disc is that it was short [mind you not short of substance]. It came off as more of a sampler cd because of the length of tracks- but never lost its bite none the less. I have to admit I slept on Conscious until I heard/saw the video for 'Latchkey' [which is on his digital album 'Vinyl Destination']. Til this day its one of my favorite tracks but Im glad i got to hear it because i wouldve missed on a classic disc aka Journal. Im definitely not blowing smoke here fellas-- shit is raw and I think you all would really dig it if you have an open mind, love original hip hop, and definitely if you can appreciate Spoken Word. Onto listen # 6...thanks for peeping!!

Overall Rating: 4/5 Near perfection.How can you purchase or Peep Conscious?? Check it....

http://www.conscious.freehiphopnow.com - Conscious's homebase.