When I first heard Lifesavas around five, six years ago, I liked ‘em so much I had to find anything else like ‘em. That group was Libretto or so I thought. For all these years I thought Libretto was a group, but now that I researched a little, I find out the ‘group’ was actually just one person. I guess it just shows what I thought a group could do one man pulled off.
What he pulled off would be the funkalicious album, Ill-Oet: The Last Element, back in ’04. Libretto’s also releasing some new singles soon, but until we can get our hands on them we’ll stick with his first album.
Ill-Oet: The Last Element has the quality of a Lifesavas album with two exceptions. Lyrically, Libretto doesn’t stack up to what Vursatyl & Jumbo, the two MC’s of Lifesavas, can do. Libretto’s Ill-Oet: The Last Element also doesn’t have the consistency that each Lifesavas LP does. He may not have the amount of hits that Lifesavas does, but he does have a few. Check out the two best, “Last Drop” & “Volume” – the latter actually features Lifesavas, and see what impressed me so much by this one-man band.
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I wanted to feature another song from Lifesavas’s latest album, Gutterfly: The Original Soundtrack (2007), but I already featured “No Surprise” a while back, so I wanted to go with something from their first album, Spirit in Stone. I haven’t been listening to these guys as much lately, mostly because they haven’t come out with anything new for a while, but this feature, as well as many other tracks by ‘em, are a must have for any hip-hop head.
So, I was debating between two songs from Spirit in Stone – one with a better beat, one with the a better storyline – and unlike my usual self, I went with the lyrical selection. Sorry “It’s Over“, maybe next time, this one goes to “Hellohihey” for its well crafted story and witty dialogue. The song portrays an egotistical MC, played by Vursatyl, who thinks he is God’s gift to hip-hop. Typical rapper right?… well, the story comes together in the end with a humble closing, which is refreshing to hear amongst all the misogynistic rap coming out these days.
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Another group from the well-respected Quannum label, Lifesavas may not be as well-known as some of the members on the label, but they sure are just as good. Lifesavas is a fine mix of hip-hop, funk and R&B. The two MCs mix exceptionally well together with Shines funkified, soulful sounds. Vursatyl has a smart & crafty delivery, supported by Jumbo’s groovy & soulful sound. Lifesavas is considered more fun & free will than my usual selection, and this is exemplified in No Surprise.
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