Real.Life.Music

Sho Baraka, Swoope, J.R., and Suzy Rock? That is one High Society! When I first heard that this group/label/society was getting together I was thrilled! I love every one of these artists and I figured that if they are good alone they would be great together. High Society proved me right with their 1st release as a group, Circa MMXI. The album, which was released January 1 for FREE DOWNLOAD, was a daring step away from the “Christian Hip Hop” name. Rather, the High Society wanted to establish themselves as a group of musicians, not a group of Christian musicians. The audacious step toward mainstream rather than Christian music was a good one, in my opinion. If nothing else, this group will turn heads in many cultures of music. I applaud the HiSoc for what they’re doing. But, if you’re a group and you are going to do a daring step like this you have to have really great music to back it up. High Society has that really great music. 

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Download Link:

http://noisetrade.com/highsociety

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Track by Track Review:

1. “High Intro” - This is a really, really cool spoken word intro. Take time to actually listen to the words. Really good stuff to establish who these people are as a group and what they want to accomplish. 

2. “One Moment” - One of three singles that was released, this track has a good feeling about it. Production is solid, J.R. on the hook does a great job. To be honest though, this is a good track, but not one of my favorites. There are much better tracks on the album.

3. “High” - This is the closest thing to a “trunk banger” that you will find on this album. This is a really cool track and one of my favorites. The 808 hits pretty hard in this song and the verses are sick. This song and the last one are mainly there to establish who the High Society is and what living “high” is.

4. “Devil” - Another one of the singles, but I like this one much better than “One Moment”. There is a ton of changes in the production of this 6 minute song. Really nice synth over the screaming voice in the background gives a unique feeling, almost like a chill up your spine. The verses are clearly directed to all the haters of this group, mainly those who are saying that going away from the straightforward Christian music means that they have lost their faith completely. Not quite a diss song, but I believe they address the haters pretty clearly here. This is a nice track.

5. “Mad About” - A great track with a simple drum loop and 808 kick to start, the focus on this song is the lyrics. The lyrics talk about what each artist is mad about within the world. A great song to draw attention to all of the real issues that everyone deals with today.

6. “Press On” - Need some motivation to press on in your day to day life? Well this is your track. Simple production again focuses on the lyrical content of the song, which encourages everyone to not give up through their various trials. 

7. “Applause” - As a fan of Swoope I immediately recognized that they sampled Swoope’s song “Applause” here. By basically chopping the original up and layering some addition sounds they achieved a nice beat. The lyrics touch on the selfish need that everyone has to receive “applause” from those around them. More specifically, Suzy address the things that artists struggle with such as having people clap for them so that they can feel good.

8. “YDLM Interlude” - Suzy has a cool spoken word type intro. I think everyone has felt the emotions that she talks about here. This is a nice prelude to the song itself.

9. “YDLM” - Standing for “You Don’t Love Me”, this song touches on something that not enough Christian music does, relationships. Specifically, this song talks about the hurt that comes from a failed relationship. Sho’s verse is crazy good, while the production gives the song a gloomy feel. 

10. “Before Goodbye” - Another song touching on the trials of relationships. An elegant piano rift sets up some really nice verses by Swoope and Sho Baraka. Swoope’s verse is quite simply, amazing. What an ability he has of telling a story!

11. “Dedicated” - After showing what a broken relationship can look like, HiSoc takes a turn to show us what a real solid relationship looks like. A nice ballad, giving J.R. a chance to shine. 

12. “Take Off” - This is a really fun song, and the fact that the whole song is Swoope doing his thing gets extra points from me. The production is really nicely done, giving the listener a feel of outer space. One of my favorite tracks.

13. “Winner’s Circle (feat. Propaganda) - This 7 1/2 minute long single has an interesting vibe. I’ll be honest, I’m not feeling this track. But, the verses are tight and the feature from one of my favorite MC’s, Propaganda is solid. Many will love this track, but it’s not my cup of tea. 

14. “TGC” - The production on this track feels almost like a concoction that someone through together in the dark, but it gives the song a unique feel. A fun end to a solid album. 

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Overall, I was happy with this album. There were a few tracks that I wasn’t feeling, which were the singles, interestingly enough. But, the originality, slick lyrics, and production quality carried this album into the top echelon of music. I’m looking forward for more new material from the HiSoc within the upcoming months. 

4/5 Stars