A-Class is an emcee, and Grindtime veteran, who’s widely known for his extraordinary wordplay and creativity. I have been familiar with his material and music for a few years now and I can truly say that he’s an artist I tend to keep an ear and eye out for. This album, Deathsuit, is no exception and I’m very glad that I purchased it. First off I should mention that A-Class has a pretty solid set style, in terms of the type of Hip Hop he makes. His forte is making music that sounds raw, rough, and rugged. This project definitely does a good job of showcasing his ability to comfortably own this type of Hip Hop and make it his own. This is his second release under Brake Fast Records. I was thoroughly impressed with the fact that he only has one emcee feature on the whole project. This, to me, shows that he’s confident in his ability to sell an album based upon solely his talent. Majority of the production on this project was done by fellow label-mate Tom Delay, but DMV representatives DJ/Producer P-Nyce and IllMeasured added their fair share of contributions.
1) “So Filthy” – This joint was exactly what the title says, filthy. The punchlines are creative, like usual, but the line that stood out to me most was: “..Them fresh pair of J’s, I’d rather see the kid who made ‘em shoot you b*tches in the leg..”. This line is powerful because it gives the listener insight on Class’ personal views of children in sweatshops, without saying it directly. I like when an emcee is able to allude to an idea or thought rather than saying it directly. This helps the listener to add their own thoughts and imagination to the track at hand. I enjoyed the fact that this track allowed the listener to think for themselves.
2) “Laugh At Me Now” – This song is possibly the one that portrays most emotion out of the whole album. Class does an exceptional job of letting his listeners in on his views concerning people who attempt to make themselves out to seem better than him. He makes sure to let these people know his frustration, while also using creative similes and metaphors and an ornate choice of words. I also enjoyed the fact that Class didn’t lose himself in emotion. He did a great job of portraying the emotion he was trying to get across while keeping his persona intact.
3) “Sniper” – Sniper is a short, but dense, set of bars. The effects added to Class’ vocals only made the joint more appealing. In this brief display of lyricism, Class also does an excellent job of showcasing superb word choice and word-placement. I believe this track was the perfect breath of fresh air to add to an already lyrical project.
4) “My Name A-Ron” – This track brings something of A-Class’ that I’m used to seeing, which is his story-telling skills. He uses his imagery skills to paint a picture, while also using creative punchlines. I’d say this is something he has been able to refine over the last couple of years. He does an awesome job of proving his growth, in his punchlines, on this joint.
5) “Interlude” – This interlude was a bit interesting and creative. It added an edge to the grimey project, and actually helped balance out the grunginess of the project.
6) “Deathsuit Tux (feat. Great Muta)” – Class uses this joint to simply drop bars, on bars on bars. Hahaha. He drops punchline after punchline with no breaks. This is something that I find rather impressive because he’s able to keep them rolling in while being able to connect them to each other. The fact that “..Punch you in the face, knock your eclectic off..” was included close to the beginning of his verse automatically hooked me in. Great Muta brings forth a unique delivery with stretched syllables and notable onomatopoeias. Anyone who knows me, or at least what I appreciate in Hip Hop, will tell you I love onomatopoeias.
7) “Membership Miles” – In terms of rhyme schemes, this track stood out to me most. Class switches between different rhyme schemes and also applies a couple onomatopoeias. I also appreciate the fact that he payed close attention to his adlibs. Many emcees nowadays believe that spitting a few bars will make a song complete. Adlibs that actually coexist with the bars are what holds the song together, sort of like a skeleton. This song is a nice display of a structured set of straight bars. This proves that just because you have raw bars to spit, doesn’t mean you can’t have some sort of organized structure.
8 ) “Next Factor” – In terms of beats, this track seemed like the most difficult one to ride. And of course, this beat was laced by one of my favorite underground producers, Tom Delay. It seems that Tom Delay and A-Class make quite the team. One would think this type of creative beat with a futuristic sound would overpower the emcee, but A-Class does a great job of coexisting with it. I dig the fact that he plays around with different rhyme schemes on this joint also. Considering how risky the beat is, it’s a brave move to make and pull off. I should also mention that A-Class’ punchlines included so much variety on this joint. He drops punchlines in relation to things such as movies and sports.
9) “KRK’s” – If I’m not mistaken, a small snippet of this joint was used as A-Class’ introduction music on his Grindtime Now videos. Anyway, A-Class shows a different form of flow on this joint. He’s definitely more laid back on this one and it’s quite evident that in this joint one of his main focus’ is to take his listeners for lyrical loops, not to say that he didn’t do that throughout the project. It seems as though he was more mindful of the listener possibly “listening too slow,” and as though he meant to deliver this at a moderate speed so that everything could be digested easier on the first spin.
10) “Diamonds” – This track was the perfect way to end the project. Sonically, this joint is completely different from the rest of the project. This left me wondering about what else A-Class is able to adapt to, in terms of a variety of beats. To all A-Class fans, be prepared. This track definitely sounds different from his usual work, but it definitely works! And the sudden beat change at the end? Yep, perfect concluding element.
Overall, this project is the perfect project to pick up if you’re up for some dope lyricism, lyrical loops, and grungy/raw emceeing. Not to mention Tom Delay, P-Nyce, and IllMeasured blessed the project very nicely with their production. Click below to listen and purchase the album. You can either click on the bandcamp link, or the iTunes link. Enjoy!
