Tag: Wisemen

Bronze Nazareth – “Elysian” review

Here is the 7th solo LP from Detroit, Michigan emcee/producer & Black Day in July Productions founder Bronze Nazareth. Known for his membership with the Wisemen alongside his late brother Kevlaar 7 & eventually the Wu-Tang Clan’s in-house production team the Wu-Elements, he made his solo debut The Great Migration almost 2 decades ago & then School for the Blindman only 5 years later. Bundle Raps & Ekphrasis produced entirely by Leaf Dog & Roc Marciano respectively became his strongest output since his debut, coming off his childhood friend Apollo Brown producing Funeral for a Dream in tandem with Escapism Recordings last summer to have his sibling behind the boards 1 last time for Elysian.

After the “Elysian Invocation” intro, the opening song “Soul Stirrer” hops over a boom bap instrumental talking about being next in line whereas “Adesanya” shows some love towards UFC Hall of Famer & former UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya. “All I Could Do (Open 2)” whips up a sequel to a track off Illah Dayz’ 3rx album Ponch’e leading into “Lupus” featuring Hollywood Dots the Oncelor talks about the disease that killed the late, great J Dilla over 2 decades ago.

“Jacob’s Ladder” combines elements of soul boom bap to hit us with a flow smoother than cologne & after the “Kevlaar 2” intermission, “Bad Boys ‘04” featuring Salute da Kidd finds the pair likening themselves to the Detroit Pistons back when they won their last NBA Championship to date. “You’ve Been There” continues the 2nd half of Elysian with another soulfully dusty crossover talking about superstition not having a place within the journal inside his head.

Kevlaar 7 himself appears posthumously on “So7o” so the Cross siblings can rock the mic together 1 last time while “House of Legends” runs it back with Salute da Kidd provides an audio visitation rather than performing verses talking about feeling alive again inside. The final song “My Dead Brother Superhero” featuring Lord Jessiah preceding the “Elysian Benediction” outro ends Elysian with a soulful boom bap closer remembering his brother.

Nearly a dozen years since Kevlaar 7 passed away around Christmas 2014 of a blood disorder, his younger brother Bronze Nazareth digs up some of the final batch of beats he made giving them everything it deserved from his perspective & I don’t see how anyone who’s been down with them since the Wisemen days would be disappointed with the results of Elysian if he were here. Bronze ambiguously tackles streetology, life in the Motor City, aspirations, the wins & the losses while simultaneously making it clear K7’s sound hasn’t left.

Score: 4.5/5

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Bronze Nazareth – “If You’re Worried, You Should Be” review

Bronze Nazareth is a 42 year old producer/MC from Grand Rapids, Michigan who came up as a member of the group Wisemen alongside his late brother Kevlaar 7 & eventually the Wu-Tang Clan’s in-house production team the Wu-Elements. He would also go on to build a solo career for himself beginning with The Great Migration in ‘06 & then School for the Blindman only 5 years later. But after returning from a decade-long hiatus a year & a half ago by enlisting The 4 Owls’ very own Leaf Dog to produce Bundle Raps alongside Ekphrasis produced entirely by New York titan & current Album of the Year holder Roc Marciano last fall, he’s bringing Apollo Brown & Roll Blunt with him to help produce his 5th album.

“Ducks” is a classy boom bap opener to the album as Bronze boasting that he’s rare as fuck whereas “Contact Sport” takes a more soulful route talking about that’s exactly what business is to him. Killah Priest & Recognize Ali tag along for the triumphant “Guard Your Food” taking a shot at the vultures, but then Ty Farris & Illah Dayz both come into the picture for the dusty yet symphonic “Cold Canvas” spitting some braggadocio.

Meanwhile on “Heart Full of Misery”, we have a more vulnerable look at Bronze talking about heartbreak over a piano/boom bap hybrid leading into the soulfully produced Wisemen reunion “You’ll Never Know” following the “Scars” interlude referencing WWE Hall of Famer & former Tag Team Champion Brutus Beefcake. “Snub Nose” with Hus Kingpin weaves a relaying sample into the fold talking about needing the whole pie & the plate just before “Talk My Shit” returns to the boom bap with the title saying it all as far as subject matter goes.

“Moroccan Hash” throws a drumless, crooning loop into the mix talking about what he’s smoking on while “Dome Windows” brings back the soul to speak from the heart. “The Guv’nor” compares himself to that of a Wolverine over some organs & horns while the penultimate track “Rest” with Hollywood Dots the Oncelor, Kurt Solid & Kurupt to drop a barfest on top of strings & a vocal loop. The bonus cut is just a decent “Moroccan Hash” remix with heavy drums.

Ekphrasis ended up being one of my favorite Nazareth albums yet, so it had me intrigued to hear what he was gonna do next. Needless to say, this is a solid follow-up. Couple features I could’ve done without, but the production that he manages to cook-up with Apollo Brown & Roll Blunt sticks to their signature sounds very well dropping giving a wide range of emotions lyrically.

Score: 3.5/5