Masamoon is an underground hip hop supergroup consisting of Big Left, Aztek the Barfly, Billy NoJokes & Frankie Fadeless. You may remember Big Left as an original member of La Coka Nostra or perhaps Aztek the Barfly for his 3rd album Line King starting Middle Finger Music's dominance of the Detroit hip hop scene. Billy NoJokes just teamed up with Admiral Atlas last spring to properly introduce themselves as MC/producer duo Billy Atlas & Frankie have been doing singles/features for the past few years. The group debuted closer 'Get It' from Big Left's comeback effort Massacre of the Innocents, which I now infamously call wonderfully ignorant irreverent shit. Two and a half years later, the group recorded an entire full-length debut LP named after my analysis of this track.
“Call 'Em Out” is a funky boom bap opener that drops aggressive hard hitting bars for 4 straight minutes while “Born Killa (You Lack Damage)” works on some kicks, snares and ominous horns from Stu Bangas talking about the reproduction of all 4. to be murderers. Ill Bill joins Masamoon for '52 Steak' which smashes every studio session hard and turns into a sword fight leading up to a follow-up to the 'Shook Me' remix uploaded to their YouTube channel in Fall 2021.
Meanwhile, on “Gunpowder,” we have Masamoon likening their level of lyricism to that of the titular chemical explosive over a dirty bum-butt cooked up by Aztek the Barfly just before “Wasabi Wolf” keeps it organically dusted thanks to demonstration of Pig Pen. their flows. The Billy NoJokes-produced “No Answers” has to be one of the hardest moments on the album that talks about how you don't have the answers and neither do you, but then the heartbreaking “100lbs” brings that exact pain and pressure remains ready for it.
“Shadow Soldiers” makes an eerie boom bap vibe talking about being the shadow soldiers themselves, while “Doké” incorporates a Moog synth with kicks and snares that ask just how much business you've actually seen and that you can take it to the streets or both if you have a problem with them. “The Enemy Within (Arch Nem)” brings more of a spacious boom bap vibe, talking about gun talking and running, while “Reveal the Snakes” leaves them devastated and disgusted.
Kicking off the final leg of the LP, “Metaphysical Fly Shit” jumps over a guitar sample with kicks and snares woven in so they can stay in their lane while “Ready” menacingly talks about Karma being a very hot looking bitch . The song “Dive Bar Dojo” lives up to its name as a revelry to get everyone drunk on, while “88 Assassins” finds the 4 delivering 1 gruesome verse after another for about 3 and a half minutes. Final track “Jimmy Conway” wraps up the group's debut with one last boom bap cut to go the way of the samurai.
Chances are, if you'd told me a decade ago, when I was on the verge of graduating from high school, that I'd started writing music reviews, at least someone out there would have made an entire album inspired by one of his song breakdowns, wouldn't you? would i ever believe you As for Masamoon's debut, it's one of the bleakest LPs of the year and reveals itself as an unstoppable force in the underground. Everything about him lyrically and in terms of production choices is embodied in his title: BIDS (Beautifully Ignorant Disrespectful Shit).
Rating: 9/10
