Fear Itself

Amazon.com
Compared to the complex psyche of Del and the Souls of Mischief's interwoven rhyme schemes, Casual was the most conventional of the Bay Area's Hieroglyphics, yet few would to be foolish enough to dismiss him as any average MC. The very essence of a battle rapper, Casual was a braggadocio maestro who badgered the competition into submission with his freestyle-infused lyrics. Fear Itself perhaps represented the zenith of the Hiero's abilities. The most lyrically and musically consistent album the collective ever put out, Fear Itself had no end of impressive lyrics or tracks. On the latter end, producer Domino and fellow Hiero members put many of their obscure breakbeats to use, filling the album with thick, rolling bass lines ("Me-O-Mi-O") expressive jazz melodies ("Thoughts of the Thoughtful") and crashing drum marches ("Chained Minds"). Holding up his end of the bargain, Casual was relentless, straight-smacking MCs down on "That's How It Is," "You Flunked," and "Lose in the End," but still taking enough time to sleep with his best friends' girls ("I Didn't Mean To"). --Oliver Wang

Reader Reviews
Oakland rapper Casual released his solo debut "Fear Itself" in early 1994 following noteworthy appearances and production on Hieroglyphics projects. "Fear Itself" displays the pure appeal of Hieroglyphics. Although Casual isn't the endearing character that Del tha Funkee Homosapien is, and the album lacks the timelessness of Souls of Mischief's 93 'Til Infinity and the musical beauty of Extra Prolific's Like It Should Be, it is an enjoyable album on multiple levels that captures Hiero's genius. Casual is a pure battle rapper, and one could imagine him in the Souls of Mischief lineup. He has a soulful, rich voice (imagine a very deep Cee-Lo Goodie) and an excited delivery, and he is full of clever punchlines. He's a skilled freestyler, and most of the album consists of battle raps. Production is consistently great. Domino, the man behind the Hiero sound, produces 7 tracks, Casual does six, and Del and Jay-Biz each do one. With these duties kept inside the family, the vibe is fluid and coherent, usually upbeat and always using classic soul and jazz samples for a deep and rich sound. It's not too far from the music on 93 'Til Infinity, but with Casual manning the microphone, the effect is unsimilar. Guests are also kept within the camp, and on collabos Cas shines. Without a classic single and a few less-memorable tracks that run together, "Fear Itself" isn't quite of the same quality as its more revered early Hiero brethren, but for the fans of the artistic Hiero sound, I highly recommend it. Following a dope intro, the album opens with "You Flunked," asserting his superiority ("You're weaker than seven days / You should find a way to bring a weaker thought like crime pays") on the mic over a rich, spinning track. Further insight is provided on his self-described autobiography "Me-O-Mi-O," which has a great drum pattern. "Get Off It" is clever and polished, and "That's How It Is" provides some honest criticism of concurrent MCs ("Enough with the wackness, enough is my check / Enough with these garbage rappers bitin' Das EFX"). Newcomer Saafir kicks a nice freestyle on the brief "That Bulls...," followed by the solid "Follow the Funk." The best song is "Who's It On," a catchy collaboration with Pep Love and Del tha Funkee Homosapien and an excellent sax sample. "I Didn't Mean To" is a highlight both lyrically and musically, telling the story of a noteworthy female encounter over a soaring trumpet line. Another of my favorites is "We Got It Like That," a fast, funky production boasting wonderful sax instrumentation. Del gets a brief spotlight on "A Little Something," and the decent "This Is How We Rip S..." precedes the fun "Lose in the End." "Thoughts of the Thoughtful" is a nice song, and the LP closes strongly with "Chained Minds" and the storyteller "Be Thousand." "Fear Itself" is an awesome LP of battle raps, Hiero antics, and excellent production. Bottom line, pick up 93 'Til Infinity first, and if you enjoy that album, add "Fear Itself" to the collection. It's one of the albums that helped to build the Hieroglyphics legend and possesses all the qualities of their best albums. Hiero's product was one of the best to be found in the 90s, and it's easy to see why on albums like these. Cas has released numerous solo LPs, rapped on Hiero group albums, and is still doing his thing today, but most fans will admit that he has yet to top his debut effort. Hip hop heads are sure to enjoy "Fear Itself."  Comments (2) | Permalink |  (Report this)


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