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Monday, December 23, 2013
The Snooze Button is definitely not an album to be taken lightly or slept on. It's properly titled and boasts a myriad of tracks that will make any fan of Hip Hop remember why they enjoyed emcees in the first place.
ARTIST(S): Annex (
@annexhiphop)
ALBUM: The Snooze Button LP
OVERALL RATING: 
The Snooze Button is definitely not an album to be taken lightly or slept on. It's properly titled and boasts a myriad of tracks that will make any fan of Hip Hop remember why they enjoyed emcees in the first place. There's a total of 12 tracks, including intro and outro; and the production ranges from hard drops and bass lines to smooth production with insightful lyrics.
The opening track, "Respect My Carpet" jumps off with an authoritative flow and anthemic production. Annex makes it clear he understands the limitations of lyrical emcees, while still demanding the respect for his craft as an artist.
He follows it up with "Over My Dead Body," that features hard hitting production along with the slightly dismissive tone we once knew emcees to thrive off of. In one of his verses, he has the following advice for the younger generation: "
Smarten up young thug / they want you talking about the guns and the drugs / they love to hear you ni**as scream no love / it's fuel for the agenda before they pull the rug"
This album has a lot of gems for thought mixed within the wordplay, and it will take a few listens to catch all the lines. The good part about this project is that most tracks will actually make you want to listen again. The delivery and texture of his voice flows well with the production of the tracks; so, it makes for a good listen. His ability to transform his delivery is obvious in tracks like "On My J.O." and "Don't Remind Me."
The features on this project from Laws, Vayga, imagiin360, Knucklez, Mike Mass, Aja Lorraine, Laz, J. Scriptz, B. Worthy and Jae Luis bring their own style to the respective tracks they appear on. His ability to pick good features was one of the things that gave him a good rating. So many times, features take away from the album, and for the most part, his features didn't water down the project at all.
Nonetheless, the few weak points of the album were on tracks like "This World," where the mellow feel was definitely needed, but it lacked the impact it could have had with a hook was mixed with a bit more strength and the production had a few more buildups in the instrumental.
Some of the mixes on the instrumentals clashed a bit as in the track, "On My J.O." that should have probably had horns on a different octave so as not to take from the vocalist. Other than that, the only lacking element from the album was the fluidity between tracks. This could have been a good storyline album, but it lacked the cohesive interludes to phase in between tracks.
Overall, the project was solid and a must have for any Hip Hop enthusiast that loves raw indie rap with no filters. Annex not only found his voice, but stepped his character up a bit more through the years and it shows in every verse he drops on this album. Seeing the growth from the last project was indeed refreshing.
We'll finalize this review with the following Annex line from his outro track: "You're self-driven if you're doing what you love / but understand that even the best of us benefit from a shove."
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Tuesday, April 10, 2012
From "Bump This" to "Bail My Mind," this mixtape motivates a person to put up the house and cards for the game, so to speak. The feelings of nostalgia quickly rush to any listener that remembers the golden age NYS mind state sound of Nas.
Artist(s): Annex
Mixtape: Plan 4 Success Mixtape (2011)
This mixtape is definitely REFRESHING! It seems like this year's been one with long intros, and this album is definitely no exception (oh lord, sigh); but then the beat drops in and ears go completely at ease again. From the beginning of that drop, it was apparent that this review would be a good one.
From "Bump This" to "Bail My Mind," this mixtape motivates a person to put up the house and cards for the game, so to speak. The feelings of nostalgia quickly rush to any listener that remembers the golden age NYS mind state sound of Nas.
Annex exhibits a strong control over his flow and delivery, and he seems to know what beats fit him best throughout the mixtape. Some of his delivery is reminiscent of AZ, and while that's a compliment, this will be the main challenge for Annex. Stepping away from that sound and creating more of his own will be critical for his growth as an artist.
There are definitely "album fillers" in this mixtape, but not enough to bring the ratings down. Tracks like "Shit Happens" which didn't have the strength of his initial tracks; and "Lights On, Lights Off" seemed to be an attempt at appealing to clubs and a larger demographic. This just seemed a bit out of place on this album, or wasn't the best selection for this particular project.
Overall, the tracks and beat selection were on point with him as an artist, so it's clear the producer had a good feel for the artist and his angle of delivery. This chemistry is so critical, and they pulled it off very well. This is definitely a project you can listen to straight through.
Lyrically speaking, Annex brought his A-Game. His ability to change his pitch and direction will determine his ability to make himself distinct from other artists that are probably influences of his musical preference, but with his talent, there's no doubt he can pull it off.
If you love Hip Hop, you will want to listen to this album. He's got some relevant tracks and shows a great promise. As we looked forward to this album, we continue to look forward to MORE of Annex in the coming months here at BSR. He's definitely become one of our most notable on talent alone.
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Friday, October 7, 2011
Annex is one of those artists that seeps quality in every aspect of his mixtape. For the Hip Hop enthusiast, this mixtape will be a breath of fresh air and a definite "bar-raiser" for many.
Artist(s): Annex
Mixtape: The Lost Era (2011)
OK, so it's been a while since an artist has completely impressed me in both lyrics and delivery. Annex is one of those artists that seeps quality in every aspect of his mixtape. For the Hip Hop enthusiast, this mixtape will be a breath of fresh air and a definite "bar-raiser" for many.
Opening up with soulful melodies in production, and well-delivered wordplay, from start to finish, there's very little bad to say about this mixtape. "History Repeated" sets the stage for his real life outlook on music and artistry by painting the picture of women who are left alone to raise children. We've heard this content before, but Annex's pictures are delivered quite differently as he tells his listeners to, "… remember that knowledge has an infinite wealth and history has a way of repeating itself."
He continues hammering away with track after track of straight heat with songs like "Coffee House" that display his lyrical genius along with a slick swing on production; to "Scratch On Em" that brings his more candid thoughts on other artists as he tells his listeners that his, "… crosshairs are aimed at any rapper that I question..."
One track of notable mention is "Never Be Free" that touches on the various world dilemmas that we at times forget in our pursuits for fame and parties. It can almost be guaranteed that Conspiracy Theory students will LOVE this track without a doubt!
Now, EVERY album and mixtape is never 100% perfect, so there are a few key downsides to some tracks on this mixtape, but most of them have to do with mixes or simply his reaching a bit far to sound a little different. Tracks like "Apologies" were a bit overpowering on the high end frequencies, and "City Life" was a bit overpowering on the low end frequencies. The "Show You How To Rock" track was simply just not fitting any other feel on the mixtape, and probably should have been pushed outside of this mixtape.
Other than a few hooks that could have been done differently and a slight drop in delivery in "Celebrate the BS," there's not much else to criticize on this mixtape. This is a MUST HAVE for anyone who truly loves Hip Hop music. Annex is most definitely an emcee from a LOST ERA!
