Here we have the 3rd full length solo LP & Fat Possum Records debut from Queens, NY emcee/producer Elucid. Since 2007, he's been making a name for himself whether it's his 10 mixtapes and 2 self-released EPs or being 1/2 of the abstract duo Armand Hammer. His debut album Save yourself came in the spring of 2016 and returned a few years ago for the sophomore effort I told Bessie. Armand Hammer released a highly acclaimed sequel to his Sacred via Fat Possum last fall he called We buy diabetes test strips & Elucid has signed a solo deal through the label for Revealing.
“The World is Dog” is this self-produced industrial abstract hip-hop opener with added rock elements and a hint of drum & bass that speaks of a forced past that will eventually eat us all, while “CCTV” featuring Creature maintains an industrial vibe August Fanon's organically kind who wants you to tell them the lies are really the truth. “Yottabyte” links a heavy piano beat that puts out fire with fire, but then Armand Hammer's “Bad Pollen” reunites the duo over a blaring vocal sample saying you're crazy if you think you're crazier than them.
The fusion of rap clouds and sonic collages on “Slum of a Disregard” is pretty cool and the abuse of power comes as no surprise, as Elucid's owner happens to be a Zionist who drives the buzzy “RFID” and talks about knowing where to dig if it's war & where to lie if it's love. “Instant Transfer” by Armand Hammer from BLK LBL sessions like these right before “Ikebana” returns to boom bap feeling all new with him.
“In the Shadow of If” tops that slow, guitar-driven instrumental talking about opportunity without a reminder, while “SKP (Some Kinda Power)” embraces a darker vibe making it clear that he's not fazed at all. “Hushpuppies” serves more as a tracklist interlude with the goal of finding fried fish, while “14.4” featuring Skech185 is this drumless, industrial hip-hop hybrid with a last-minute switch that tells those who want to meet him whatever it is doesn't work.
Kicking off the final leg of the LP, the song “Voice 2 Skull” takes it back underground mixing heavy sampling with kicks and bending snares, getting up before everyone else and losing their minds first while “Xolo” jumps over those voices guitars from The Lasso warns to get the hell back and stay down. “ZigZagZig” ends the album on a dark industrial note thanks to DJ Haram talking about survival like a moving target.
Save yourself has always been my favorite Elucid solo effort even above I told Bessie. That said, the raw urgency rattling through Revealing like an underground electrical cable filled with the energy of now with a refusal to look away is enough to surpass even its predecessors. Spiritual rabbit holes have been filled with concrete and reverb with nowhere to hide and no ramp from the sonic Autobahn that Elucid created.
Rating: 9/10
