Blood Money
Major League, a Tanzanian artist by way of Washington DC and New York, is a throwback and
refreshing artist reinforcing the mantra the real hip hop is alive and strong. He deftly
blends the independent spirit of the underground artist with the feel good antics of your favorite pop artist. He jumps from party tracks "Here We Are", to the anti-government ramblings of "They Hungry", to a suicide song ("Life and Death") where life and death are personified as two women he is dating, without skipping a beat.
The result is an ambitous, entertaining but often contradictory ride with an artist beaming with potential. League would do well to dig
deeper into himself as on the Stevie Wonder looped "Put it Down" and the dark "Intermission". League success is in making intelligent accessible music and will be an artist to look out for 2006.
B
-MusicMonth Magazine
Major League has a typical grandiose rap moniker but his story and music is all but normal. A
self proclaimed student of the mid 90's school of Hip Hop, he has done his homework. His
lyrics are complicated, intelligent and edgy largely over the head of the current "Laffy Taffy"
generation of hip hop. Case in point "Intermission":
"Sit back and analyzed life/
the perceived wrongs/
cannonized rites/
which cant apply to life
when lawbreakers glamorize nights
fast women gamblers of dice....."
its been said before but not like this.
Marketability-wise his saving grace is his
musicality and good ear for beats. On "They Hungry" he may yell "the truth is brain
cancer...."but you cant help but nod your head to the infectious Bob Marley sample running in the background. Even the "Laffy Taffy" enthusiasts can get a kick out of the mysoginistic undertones of "Ex To Next", where he stays for "the chicken.....cause she good cooking".
Here and there the album lacks a little polish and some songs should be left off entirely.
But overall this is an impressive debut.
4/5
The Sunday Standard (Newspaper)
Major League out of New York may be on to something here. Here is a kid born in
Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania (in East Africa) one of the poorest and crime ridden countries in
Africa (and that means the whole world). He was a scholarship recipient to a top 50 school
and got a Compuer Science degree. But when you listen to him he has an ability to be smart
and progressive without losing the audience like many an underground artist. League has a lot
to say about politicians ("They Hungry") like a 2005 Chuck D. He speaks on Suicide ("Life and
Death") like a 2005 B.I.G, where "Life and Death" are his girlfriend and his girl on the
side. He vents on the struggle like a 2005 Tupac on "Cant Keep" (which is hot but too long).
Some of the songs sound like they are missing a few things here and there. Lyrically he is seeing
anyone in the game right now. He has a strong voice, good delivery, a flow and a good ear for
beats. You should definitely check this one out and support a real artist.
8.5/10
HipHopJunkies
