At last... My survival in the Epinions community has reached its peak. Big D has achieved what few have managed, the amazing feat of 150 reviews under his belt. Im sure its been riveting, and/or boring reading me preach about real hip hop, and doing reviews from AZ to Wu-Tang, to Jay-Z, to Nas, to 2pac, to Eminem, to Gangstarr... ive pretty much touched every single style of hip hop possible. Ive done reviews on underground hip hop, abstract scientific rap, battle rap, commercial rap, triple-cadence lyricism, political rap, and all of the above. For my 150th review for Epinions, i had to choose a special album. One that virtually everybody on this network of reviews loves and enjoys. One that is considered a classic by all... what better album can there be than Ras Kass's golden classic Soul On Ice.  
 
In 1996, Hip Hop was a pretty good, yet bad state. Within the flames of the horrid east-coast / west-coast rivalry, tons of classics were released on this magical year of 1996. Albums by Jay-Z, Gangstarr, Mobb Deep, and 2pac fueled our thirsts for hip hop, but both coasts were not only split by rivalry, but split by style. The east coast of hip hop relied more on complex lyricism and social consciousness, shown by such emcees as Nas, The Wu-Tang Clan, Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, Biggie, and many more... However, the west seemed more jiggy and gangsta, fueled by the emergence of Death Row Records and Gangsta Rap. Emcees like Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Kurupt, and 2pac were giving us the G-Funk style of hip hop. However, it seemed difficult to find any true competent advanced lyricists in the west. With the exception of a cadre of underground lyricists and Kurupt, there were no really good lyrical masterminds from the west.  
 
Along comes Ras Kass. There was so much buzz surrounding the underground west coast hip hop scene in 1993 over this man that it is ridiculous. Ras Kass was known for his freestyles and b-sides he would release in the underground. At one point, he caught the eye of a record executive who listened to his Soul on Ice EP, and immediately signed Ras for a deal. It took a little under a year for Ras Kass to complete his first major label debut, entitled Soul on Ice, which was released in 1994. Ras Kass was on top of the world, until this album was pulled from stores for its extremely graphic, somewhat racial, and controversial lyrics. Unfortunately, it was put out of print and very few real copies were left avaliable on the planet. Unfortunately, many have not heard this album, and those who have can consider themselves lucky, because Soul on Ice could arguably be the most lyrical album in hip hop music... hands down.  
 
 
 
Track List & Rating  
 
1. On Earth As It Is... (5 Stars)  
2. Anything Goes (5 Stars)  
3. Marinatin (5 Stars)  
4. Reelyishm (5 Stars)  
5. Nature of the Threat (5 Stars [10 if i could])  
6. Etc. (5 Stars)  
7. Sonset (5 Stars)  
8. Drama f/ Coolio (3 1/2 Stars)  
9. The Evil That Men Do (5 Stars)  
10. If/Then (4 1/2 Stars)  
11. Miami Life (4 1/2 Stars)  
12. Soul On Ice (5 Stars)  
13. Ordo Abchao (Order Out of Chaos) (5 Stars)  
 
 
 
Soul On Ice is labelled by many hip hop heads, myself included, to be lyricism at its finest. Absolutely no jiggyness, or useless thug rhymes, or money-flashing included here. All you get is extremely well-written, thoughtful, socially conscious lyrics, with a blazing delivery, loaded with a plethora of metaphors, similes, wordplay, punchlines, and a multi-syllable flow. If you dont think that this is the most lyrical album, it definetely gets the trophy for most metaphor used within an album. Because Ras Kass complex biblical and scientific metaphors explode track after track, giving us a more advanced form of battle rapping and braggadiocio, besides all of the intelligent, socially conscious, street-smart moments also included.  
 
Ras Kass kicks it off with "On Earth As It is...". On here, Ras Kass takes the battle rapping style of hip hop to a new plateau. The first thing you notice is the deep, underground production chosen for this track, which is incredibly good. Featuring some thumping basslines, drum loop, and synthesized effects, this offers Ras Kass a beautifully haunting backdrop for his vocals. Ras Kass gives us one of the most creative tracks ive ever heard, as he gives us a battle rap mixed with braggadiocio, loaded with biblical metaphors and similes. Seemingly every single punchline or bar is loaded with a biblical metaphor, where he compares himself to a variety of religious figures, including Jesus Christ himself. His unorthodox skills on the microphone guarantees that your jaw will drop listening to the lyrics more than once on this track. Its clear that Ras does his research before writing a track without having to resort to reading "Jiggyness 101" and "Sell-Out 101".  
 
The hip-hop martyr who sacrificed and gave my life  
But got "4Pac", so I'm livin the "Thug-Life" in the afterlife  
Then I be walking through the pearly gates  
with an infared scope ten millimeter heater  
Cuz if my name ain't in the "Book of Life" I'm snuffing St. Peter  
Drinking the blood of Jesus Christ and p*ssing holy water  
no QUESTION who can come cleaner  
M-P-C plus M-I-C equals holy B-I-B-L-E to me  
Matrimony is getting head but I refuse to break bread  
with Jezebels, my management already gets twenty percent  
so f*ck tieing, go to Hell... I'd rather continue backsliding  
You're not from the tribe of Judah, so why you lying?  
Come watch the Zion, I'm signifying  
the next sh*t to wreck sh*t and see the Exodus  
 
"Anything Goes" is our first showcase of Ras Kass' street poetry. Ras gives us some tight verses about getting ahead of life. He claims that everybody on the planet will do anything to get money, which sort of mocks a lot of people, including commercial rappers who sell-out for money. Ras Kass' metaphors and insertions of battle rhymes complement the track perfectly. Ras sort of admits to following the mentality of taking the easy, yet cheap, way through life, but mocks those who do it because he has gotten more advanced in his mind than he was at that time. The production is well produced, featuring some harmonicly deep basslines, drum / clap loop, low-keyboard violins, and some background vocals, which fit with the dark mood of the song and the lyrics. Another masterpiece.  
 
"Marinatin' is next on Soul on Ice. The instrumental is a slow-paced, jazzy sounding track with some flutes, snares, some synthesized keyboards, a triangle, drum loops and a low bassline. Ras Kass takes the west coast mentality of G-Funk and inserts it into the track, rapping a slow song about a party, Ras Kass' style. However, do not get this mistaken with commercialism, because this is not the case. Ras Kass vividly describes living the good life, very vividly, and separates himself from the other west coast rappers with his use of metaphors, clever wordplay, similes, and utilyzes a more in-tune multi-syllable flow for the third verse.  
 
Ras continues the jazzy tunes with "Reelyishm". Ras Kass drops social commentary of himself, comparing himself to the current state of hip hop music, stating that he doesn't care about selling records as long as he keeps it real and true to the underground. On the second verse, his lyricism improves using a more advanced scientific vocabulary and a multi-syllable flow. Ras raps about the streets at times, giving it a more street poetry feel. The production is very simplistic, but fits the mood. Featuring a loud clap, violins, a hard bassline, and some old school R&B vocals for the chorus. Definetely another classic.  
 
Slides over liquidated grains of asphault caught cranial calluses  
Over analysis leads to paralysis, mediocrity my nemesis  
Try to f*ck every radical feminist I meet, call it engage and defeat  
That's the reason why black men hide in the womb, homes  
Cuz life is all taxes and tombstones  
So as flesh and bone I zone my thoughts explode with rap shranel syntax;  
That'll wax to the past, and present the future of Ras Kass lies in the skull,  
Like the coronal suture... So I write truly fat sh*t for the core audience  
But sometimes I wonder does it really exist?  
Cuz true lyricists in hip-hop Joe Public be dissin  
N*ggas don't relate, elevate and its treated like elevator music  
 
At last, we get to defining moment of Ras Kass career, and of Soul On Ice, possibly the single most controversial track in hip hop: "Nature of the Threat". To summarize it as best i can, Ras Kass time travels back to the birth of humankind in itself, tracing the history all the way back to present day. Ras Kass gives us a plethora of narratives covering the oppression of caucasian individuals / white people towards african american individuals and basically the entire world. Ras Kass raps about nearly all of the mistakes in the past, striking out with tons of a bunch of claims about changing the entire history of Jesus Christ, the Roman Age, the birth of the Smallpox / Aids Viruses, and the myth about Thanksgiving. This lone track has become a pure legend among hip hop heads worldwide. Ras raps on this track, telling the entire story for nearly 8 minutes straight. He mentions so many historical figures, too many to count on this particular review. Ras Kass' research for this track took months, and his effort is extremely appreciate, even though some of the information is a bit off and wrong, but either way he makes you want to go to your local Public Library and actually research these facts yourself, that is how much of an impact this song has. When it comes to the basic hip hop elements, Ras is on point with top-notch lyricism, metaphors, similes, clever wordplay, and a shining delivery. The production is deep and dark, driven by a recurring bassline, low-drums, and church bells in the background. This is a nominee for greatest hip hop track ever recorded, and if you're looking for a lyrical sample.. sorry... try ohhla.com, if not... then buy the album, which is what you should've done a long time ago.  
 
"Etc" is next. On here, Ras switches up a bit. Ras speeds up his flow, almost reaching a triple-cadence style, but slows down at times. Ras uses amazing lyricism to take down all the commercial rappers and materialistic emcees in this venomous battle rap. Ras is extremely clever and loves to use wordplay on this track, for a partion of the track, Ras uses some amazing alliteration, starting almost every word out with the letter "R". His metaphors are of pure genius at times, and he gives us a new one every two or three bars... amazing. The production is more funky, with some vocal samples, scratching, synthesized bassline, flutes, and drum / snare mix. Awesome track.  
 
I dispense dope sentences without a prescription  
prefixes asphyxiate b*tches who flips linguistics  
Representin the West, relevant to relentless sentences  
If renegade rebels resent this wicked syntax (then jack)  
Revert to revolution Ras reverse, reverberates  
Revolvin with written retalliation, rate repetitious  
Reflex flex, regret n*ggaz regress to less than recoup  
When recording, I wreck, records  
Reflect stupid, it's so much more than just another rap and sample  
Cause I model more styles than Naomi Campbell  
See we been burning idiots with lyrical syphillis  
Since E.S.T. was Ackniculous, the nickle slick meticulous  
 
Ras Kass gives us a track dedicated to the lost hip hop coast of the West, with "Sonset". Ras stands up for the west coast on this track, displaying his lyrical skill and exploratory flow, which is amazingly good. Ras Kass sort of declares war on the entire east coast simply for thinking that they had superiority over the west. Ras Kass mocks their superiority complex, which sort of angered Ras. I'm very sure that this not to fuel the fire between the coasts and the Biggie / Pac wars, but is simply standing up for his coast. The production is simplistic, with a haunting snare, accompanied by deep bass and drum loops, which matches with the lyrics perfectly.  
 
Ras Kass is joined by average rapper Coolio on "Drama". Ras Kass gives us a seducing, pimp-sort of song, with a twist. Now, usually this is treading on commercial ground, but Ras Kass is a lot different. Ras Kass gives us a metaphoric masterpiece of females and how they act, addressing relationships and the greed of women. Coolio comes in to drop an average, mediocre verse, further showcasing the talent margin between the somewhat successful Coolio (at the time), and the underground sensation Ras Kass. Ras Kass gives us a more fun-loving, light hearted track, put together perfectly with a light-hearted beat.  
 
This is followed by the introspective "The Evil that Men Do", where Ras Kass pens his eight classic so far on Soul on Ice. Ras Kass changes his tone and raps on a socially conscious level as he raps about the evil that men commit during their lives, and how humankind is leading towards pure hatred as it is fueled by anger and selfishness. Ras Kass addresses racism, hate crimes, physical and emotional abuse, and life on the streets. Each lyric is powerful and preaching, and loaded with clever narratives. Ras Kass raps more about his personal life as he travels through his days watching his own errors, as well as other people's errors. Its an extremely introspective look on life, from a first-person point of view. The beat is one of the better beats on the album, with a hard thumping bassline, drums, some jazzy / organ instrumentals, synthesizers, harps, and low-piano keys. Definetely a masterful track.  
 
Nappy headed n*gga stigmatism at birth  
Born to a family of four and so that makes me one-fourth  
of a dysfunctional home... I had a father who only stayed to see me grown  
When I turned twelve he was gone  
Alone, no role model  
I used to watch my Granddaddy and Uncle hit the bottle  
and then hit each other  
Granddaddy beat Grandmother, but that's before my time  
but I still see how it affected her mind  
As a child I introverted, and drew pictures  
While my mother prayed to Jesus reading King James scriptures  
 
"If/Then" is an incredible, Canibus-like battle rap. Ras Kass gives us venomous battle rhymes, filled with intelligent wordplay, metaphors, similes, alliteration, multi-syllable flow, and memorable punchlines. The chorus is an adaptation from an old Dre track, keeping the west coast mindframe for this track. The instrumental is a very unique, abstract sounding beat with a thumping bassline, background flutes, synthesized snares, drum and clap mix.  
 
Fools lay claim to fly rhymes but I terrorize airlines  
My mind's a porcelain Glock 7 slippin' through the metal detectors  
Ready to wet'cha like baptism  
It's rap pugilism when I be placin' 208 bones in one zone;  
With microphones, I'm like the Blade Runner hunting clones  
I "Beat It" like one glove and a bad nose job  
With more breathin techniques than Lamaze  
Ras still be drinkin' malt liquor brews  
And continues the liquidation of crews  
Wit' a drunken technique like Shun Di's kung fu on Virtua Fighter 2  
 
"Miami Life" is the only single that i am aware of that was released from Soul on Ice. This changes a bit from the pro-west coast lyrics to pro-Miami, which is a big weird. Ras Kass raps about basically "Miami Life", as he gives props to his life in Miami, and the life-style in Miami. He uses metaphors for everything from beaches, to the Godfather, to everything. The metaphors and similes in this track are too high to count and is yet another lyrical wonder. The beat features some sombre synthesized flutes, drum / bass, and some background siren noises. Nothing too special, but really good and complementary to Ras skill.  
 
The title track "Soul on Ice" is next. This is actually a remix of the original, done by Diamond D, who provides a new beat. However, ive never heard the original, so i cant judge the original, but i can say that this beat is nice. It has some chimes, synthesized pianos, and a drum / clap mix. Ras Kass raps in a very "Public Enemy" style, rapping about everything from the problem to the world, to mixing it up with battle raps against commercial rappers, sort of taking the mentality from where the song originated. "Soul on Ice" was originally a book written by former Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver, where he wrote about african americans living in America, loaded with problems (avaliable on Epinions). Ras touches on those topics and sort of does a re-interepretation of the book. Yet another classic.  
 
The final track on the legendary Soul on Ice is the aptly titled "Ordo Abchao (Order Out Of Chaos)". The introduction to the song is a thumping and haunting drum beat, until a horn, piano keys, chimes, hard bass, and some background vocals, which provide the backdrop for the rest of the track. Ras Kass comes on the mic with yet another classic as he points out a handful of conspiracy theories, government cover-ups, mixed in with social consciousness about how its basically towards blacks. Ras Kass raps about the anger and hatred towards blacks for no reason, and how even the government is trying to control us with diseases. The subject matter is amazing and will keep your ears open. Sort of a sequel to "Nature of the Threat", which provides a perfect close to the album.  
 
Now sh*t gets no realer, reality dictates fate  
Gobal Policy 2000 by then, the planet depopulates  
By about 1 billion men women and children  
By whatever means necessary  
Wars, diseases, starvation, plagues etc.  
Set ya watch and watch Lord Matreya ascend  
Been in effect since before George Washington Monument  
 
Soul On Ice has stamped itself as being one of the candidates for being the Greatest Hip Hop Album in the History of Music. Ras Kass provides lyrical classic, after classic, after classic and sometimes i feel that he is the greatest lyricist of all time. However, he sort of killed that notion when he released the extremely mediocre Rassassination. Amazing Wordplay, mixed with intelligent vocabulary, controversy, metaphors, similes, confidence, storytelling, narratives, and a socially conscious eye, and you've got Soul On Ice. This is one of the most highly reccomended albums i could reccomend... to everybody. Soul On Ice is a CD which will forever be declared royalty within the annals of time...  
 
 
 
5 Stars... Pure Classic  
