Artist: Main Flow
Album: Hip Hopulation
Record label: Brick Records
Rating:
Reviewer: da MetroGnome

Main Flow was one of the MC’s from the former Cincinnati-based group, MOOD, with the likes of Dante and DJ Hi-Tek (yes, the same Hi-Tek associated with Talib and their own Reflection Eternal). I came across them many years ago while livin’ in da ‘Nati as Main Flow and MOOD dropped the noteworthy “DOOM” and Main Flow hasn’t lost a step since. Even more, his street knowledge and witty thinking lead to some fresh, thought-provoking, and complex lyrics. That’s not all he brings though as he also has plenty of low brow or any-man lyrics for those that don’t get into the intelligentsia-rap. Don’t sleep.

First off, I will again state that in my opinion, guest appearances can often add credibility of an unheard album to a random viewer, BUT it also has the tendency to draw away from the “main” MC(s). In other words, do they really need THAT much help? Now that I got that off, I will say that Main Flow must know what certain people think b/c he addresses this by stating that his newest record, “Hip Hopulation,” has a ton of guest appearances of a myriad of styles solely to represent the true diversity within Hip Hop’s population. I suppose I can live with this justification of having MC appearances by Talib Kweli, Black Thought, Defari, Planet Asia, Killah Priest, Dante of MOOD, Esoteric, Mikah9, Soulstice, Masta Fuol, and eLone. Don’t get me wrong, the line-up is incredible, but sometimes you just wanna see how well they rock their own shit by themselves, you know? Still, he’s right about the fact that this is a middle-ground record and should appeal, in more than one way, to both those subterraneous music fiends and those that are united solely behind the main-station, heavy-rotation players.

This record also has a variety of producers on it which can be really refreshing with the many different production styles and musical modes of thinking. For instance, in “Seen It All,” J Rawls (of Lone Catalysts) shows us his uncanny ability to capture a relaxed ambience, turn around, freak it, and package it as a track with percussive beats and the feeling of exhalation. Now compare that to the club-friendly sound of “Such A Fool” produced by Da Riffs. Here, Main Flow and Soulstice lay their lyrics over a beat full of thumpin’ bass, keys, jingles, and a melodic music-vocal hook. And appropriately, their verses are less conceptual, and more aesthetic-driven, in reference to money, sex, clothes, and even love, which is also what makes this a club joint. The lead single, “She Likes Me,” is about his difficulties with oh-girl and his homey tryin’ to break the truth to him that she’s out for the papers, status, and devious plans.

Here’s a run-down of some other track highlights: “Loving the Game” ft. Planet Asia – each MC discusses the reciprocity that exists between Hip Hop and themselves over a light, layered composition of strings, keys, and heavy low ends. They rhyme “Hip Hop…we’re like one in the same” and match each other’s verses with an aggressive flow and the desire to be heard. In “The Wire,” Main Flow describes the inner city life habits that could be risky and lead to one getting’ dealt with by the cops, gettin’ got, gettin’ shot, gettin’ narc’d out, and so on. And, “the wire” alludes to how you gotta watch out for cats and cops that wear that wire and will lead to your arrest. About stayin’ hard. About stayin’ on edge. Another notable has to include about any track Black Thought blesses. “Classic” features Black Thought & Donte (of Mood) on the mics and with production by Vin-Roc. Here Vin-Roc opens up with some cuts “that classic shit, hip-hopness/ just bless the mic/” and leads the production with a variety of sounds to aurally diversify what you hear (xylophone, jingles, synthetic drums, claps, and a deep bassline). It has a rugged, Boom-Bap feel to it, and each mc sounds comfortable over the beat. Next, we come to “Hip Hop Worth Dying For” ft. Talib Kweli. This track is one of my favorites, no doubt. Okay, I’m biased to shit that Talib rocks on as well, but still, it’s theme is about the divisions that have surfaced between the “backpack rap” cats and those that don’t want to be pigeon-holed into that category. Plus, the lyrics are written in a story-telling, question-response framework that are part of these type of run-ins with certain heads. Talib rhymes about a run-in with this white, backpack rap kid that fronts on him a little bit while suggesting whom he does and doesn’t appreciate. Talib tells him to step the fuck off and sons him as to what hip hop is all about to him, stating “you don’t preserve the culture/ you disturb it!” The freshest part about the song is that if Martin Scorcese would’ve put a hip hop track on any of the Godfather soundtracks and hip hop existed strongly in that era, then this would have had to be at least considered. See, Reason (the producer) was definitely diggin’ when he came up on the sample(s) he used for this joint. It sounds like an accordion was used for the musical structure and some Italian operatic lyrics sung by a gentleman were over-dubbed in rhythm with “You wanna battle? I don’t Think so. Cincinnati. Are you ready for Kweli? Heads wanna battle. Rock with Main Flow. San Diego.” Okay, so you have to hear it to understand, but it sounds like they could be loungin’ with a glass of red vino, waitin’ on some Sicilian food, and overlooking a valley of olive trees and wine grapes. Nonetheless, they both bring the heat; pretty much what you’d expect from this pair of old friends.

In conclusion, Main Flow presents a solid collective of material with his first solo LP. Having listened intently to this record, I think that Main Flow’s advantage, like other mc’s out there, is that he can write and rhyme in a way that incorporates a variety of styles. He’s street, but not too rugged; he’s a lyricist, but not the most commanding ever; he’s intelligent, but not beyond the point of listener confusion. What I do know is that there’s a lot of people out there that will like this record and I expect it to move some units, even though many people may not recognize the name. I guess it’s too bad he didn’t get on “Soundbombing” after all, but his name will start to appear more often now.