Alcatraz is well known throughout the world as the notorious San Francisco Bay prison built in the 1930s. In addition to housing such infamous figures like Al Capone and George Machine Gun Kelly, the house of detention is best known for being completely inescapable. Given the state of artist/label business relationships in rap music, its no wonder that Bay-area rapper Rasco found the federal lockdown facility as a perfect metaphor for rap recording contracts  big names restricted to unfair conditions with little hope of freedom.  
 
Fortunately, Rasco joins an elite minority of rappers able to escape the Rock with his career still intact. After tunneling his way out of an unbalanced recording deal with Copasetik Records, the Cali Agent found his way into a more equitable agreement with Coup DEtat that allows to make the music he wants to make with less restrictions. This year, Rasco celebrates his newfound freedom by dropping his banging new LP, Escape From Alcatraz.  
 
The story of Rascos contractual incarceration is told in Snakes In The Grass (The Jon Sexton Story). A combination of street narrative and slick diss track, the emcee recounts the bad situation he was in at his previous record company while sharing some choice words for his former employer. Its a topic he touches on often on the LP, but dont make the mistake of presupposing Rasco just uses Escape From Alcatraz to lash out at the industry out of self-pity; he manages to cover a variety of other relevant topics as well. On My Life Rasco contemplates complex issues such as morality, race, and politics over a bouncy funk-electronica loop. U Got The Time expresses the artists desire for people to take control of their own destinies, rhyming with conviction over undeniable soul guitars and vocals.  
 
In fact, though the open hostilities toward his former label are liberally peppered throughout Escape From Alcatraz, Rascos music is generally upbeat in nature. The majority tracks have an infectious jubilant feel, like Ras has just escaped from prison, made it across the border to Mexico, and is throwing one hell of a party to celebrate. The party mood is captured perfectly in San Fran To The Town featuring Hieroglyphic Casual tearing up the rich, warm guitar grooves with his cleverly slumpy vocals. Put Your Hands Up and Real Hot also exemplify the festive vibe with the former a triumphant return to the game over summer anthem-style accompaniment, while Real Hot features an innovative modification of the classic soul sample that Eric B and Rakim made legend with Microphone Fiend.  
 
Naturally there are a host of celebrities on hand to participate in the revelry, including long-time partner and fellow Cali Agent Planet Asia. The west coast Wonder Twins activate Endless with their gruff-voiced Cali big talk, trading sixteen bars of venom over echoing strings, chopped samples, and hefty drums. Chali 2na of the golden age-reminiscent Jurassic 5 lends his reverberating baritone to The Sweet Science, the two rap heavyweights unloading a flurry of battle raps spiked with boxing metaphor. Rascos lyrical footwork here would make even Roy Jones Jr. proud: I stick jabs in your abs and stay in the lab rhyming/ going for feints and bad timing/ this be the team that can shatter your spleen/ I go twelve rounds, baby, till your clock is cleaned, knaamean?  
 
Its mystifying why some record labels would rather let artists spin their wheels doing trendy crap or nothing at all, rather than allow them to make quality albums like Escape From Alcatraz. Rascos latest effort proves his ability to skillfully craft lyrics that dance between aggression, introspection, and social awareness, while recruiting producers that can adeptly balance his gruff demeanor with rich soul, jazz, and funk-based production. Rascos situation should prove encouraging for other artists  you may be smashing rocks today, but stay diligent and youll be making smashes tomorrow. 
