Quasimoto Album: “Unseen”

I've been a fan, follower, and believer of Hip Hop for over a decade now; and I am sad to admit there are definitely times when I think that Hip Hop is dying a painful death. The seemingly endless loop of standard beats; standard topics; standard deliveries; standard skits; and especially the standard, saturated-color, bikini-clad, booty-shake, rap video (et tu Nas?). But there are definitely times when a album comes along to restore my faith and remind me of why I love the genre in the first place. I am happy to say that Quasimoto's "The Unseen" is one of these albums. It's sneaky. Slick and unassuming. Sometimes as soothing as "white noise". Madlib/Quas composes in a way in which the voice, samples, and beats weave in and out; each equal in importance. The whole album is strung together by musical interludes making it run like one long composition/tapestry/variety show. At the same time it bears a studied rawness of an improvisational jam. It is somehow reminiscent of Tricky's work. Taking the rules (and baggage) of Hip Hop and turning it on its head. Sometimes reinventing it, sometimes discarding it. A mass of contradictions. "The Unseen" is metaphorically and musically complex and layered, yet surprisingly seems so effortless. It is like seeing something out the corner of your eye or moving in the shadows... but you can still recognize it as Hip Hop.

Listening to Quasimoto's Unseen is sort of like looking at a magic eye poster. At first glance, the poster is just a jumble of incoherent colors and shapes, without ostensible rhyme or reason. But once you stare at it long enough, the magic eye picture begins to form an image that you didn't see before. This is exactly what The Unseen is like. When I first picked it up, I thought it was awful-- the high pitched voice of Quasimoto and the odd samples that he uses didn't vibe with me.

A few listens later, I think this album is fantastic. Madlib, taking the sobriquet of Quasimoto, has made a wildly creative and daring album when it comes to hiphop. Jazz samples dominate the album which he acknowledges in "Jazz Cats pt. 1," making for really great music to chill to. But he also sneaks some far out and funny sounds into every song to keep you alert and on your toes, playa. "Come on feet" and "Mhbs" are verbally wacky tracks, and at the same time, the production is killer. The Unseen is not hip hop as usual. Its a mixture of disjointed sounds that come together in ways you never would have expected. Somehow, the end result is an amazingly smooth album.

Definitely peep The Unseen for its creativity and effrontery and innovative music making. The array of different sounds make it one of the best hiphop CD's I've ever heard. His annoying voice will even make sense, trust me.

There's not a lot of good hip-hop music out there. And among the selection which we choosy underground cats have to pick from, there has not been an album that has created a slew of talk among true hip-hop enthusiasts in awhile. Quasimoto's "The Unseen" is the big exception here. 24 cuts deep with jazzy beats and lyrical sweeps ever so unique is the best way to describe this addictive masterpiece coming outta Madlib's headquarters. The most interesting aspect is all the speculation buzzing around who Quasimoto is. I've come to the conclusion that it is Madlib, through articles concerning the topic as well as slowing down my "Basic Instinct" 12-inch on the turntables. Be sure to pick this album up immediately, because it's great. Big up to Stones Throw and Madlib, keep crankin'out this sweetness for our ears. Peace.

A friend of mine advised me to purchase this album after I expressed my interest in "underground" hip-hop, which I really do not have but expressed in order to make conversation. To make a long story short, I bought the album on a whim and was initially un-impressed. From the first listen, it just sounds like a black guy getting his teeth pulled. The voice was kind of unnerving and the beats were a little trippy. The samples seemed out of place or out of touch and the melodies seemed almost random and at times incoherent. I was, in short, not impressed.

After giving it about two or three more listens, however, this album grew on me in a way that few albums ever do. I am not a fan of hip-hop in any way or form; in fact, I barely can keep up with the latest mainstream releases, and I despise most of them. Yet, this album's quirky beats, melodies, and samples actually form together when you take the album as a whole. Give it a listen from the satirical first track to the tripped-out final track and enjoy. It is one of the most relaxing hip-hop albums you can experience and yet one of the most intriguing. The lyrics leave much to be desired at times, but you must realize how unimportant they are to this album, which is all about the beats and the melodies.

If this album is to be enjoyed, it is to be enjoyed as a whole. However, I can't help but name some exceptional and rather creative tracks. The album starts out as a confessional of the Madlib alter-ego Quasimoto but descends into madness, which makes it rather humorous at times. So, I have grouped notable tracks into two categories "Traditional" and "Experimental."

Traditional - Return of the Loop Digga, Real Eyes, Green Power, Astro Travellin

Experimental - Goodmorning Sunshine, Come On Feet, Astro Black, Put A Curse On You (*I would say this is probably the best of the experimental tracks and among the best on the album)

This album deserves your attention, regardless of whether or not you have ever enjoyed a hip-hop album before. Give it a try!

Alternative hip-hop has gifted us with so many jewels, that it'd take paragraph after paragraph to fully describe the impact gems like this had on the culture. This could be seen as progressive hip-hop in ways, as just like progressive rock bands struggle release after release to further the genre, so do alternative hip-hop releases. Whether it's Dr. Octagon, Deltron 3030, A Prince Among Thieves, The Cold Vein, any of MF DOOM's release, or any of the dozens of classic albums that've come out as the product of this extremely intelligent, and creative genre, any one that knows anything about hip-hop cannot deny that these albums are musical perfection personified.

Quasimoto's debut is even strange by alternative hip-hop standards. This isn't a rap album in the traditional sense; in fact, it's far from it. This album is just as heavy on samples as it is on Quasi's rapping. The samples are perfectly chosen for each track, intertwined in the tracks seamlessly. The production itself is some of the most hypnotic ever produced; this album will truly leave you in a trance as you listen to it, and put you in Quasimoto's highly blunted world.

Quasimoto himself is, well, he is. I have no idea how to truly explain Madlib under the Quasimoto guise. His flow sounds like an ill concoction of Q-Tip and Eminem, while his lyrics are usually just as spaced-out as the album's production. Quasi does drop knowledge on quite a few occasions, but that knowledge is usually obscured by his zany flow, and magnificent production; Quasimoto is an essential part of this album, but at the same time, the production is the number one aspect.

There's 24 tracks on the album, but each is under 4 minutes long, and still iller than most tracks you'd find on any other album; proving GZA's "too many songs, weak rhymes that's mad long; make it brief son, half short and twice strong" theory completely true. The songs, and the raps are half short, but they're quadrupably strong on this album.

For those not acquainted with 'Lib, this may take a few listens to get into. For those who are into abstract hip-hop, and also have felt Madlib on any of his other projects, this album is easy to get addicted to, and it gets better on each consecutive listen. One of my all-time favorites, and a true hip-hop classic.