From exile, Grow man

Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus

It was a no brainer to place projects surrounding El-P on center stage during the month of October and what better way to start the month off than with collective that started it all, Company Flow.  Compared to the rest of the year, this was a massive shift in tone, atmosphere and lyricism.  The soundscapes are darker, the lyrics seem to be a little more emotionally unstable and the samples are used in often incredibly disconcerting ways.  Give it to El-P for being the MC that would shake things up in the late 90s.  Mr. Len and Bigg Jus only add to the dynamic of this amazing album.  Having only listened to El-P’s I’ll Sleep When Your Dead before this album, I can definitely see the roots of El-P’s solo material in the dark and heavy waters of Company Flow. 

Another brilliant part of this album is just how subtle the flows are.  They seem to slip right by your ears before you catch exactly what they are describing.  And when you do figure it out, you find yourself either depressed or disturbed.  You say Eminem created a dark world, Company Flow made his world look like a episode of Bob Ross (and, yes, with happy trees!).  I seriously do not think there was a bad track on this album, though the ones that had me busting my speakers were “8 Steps to Perfection,” “Blind,” “Krazy Kings,” and “Last Good Sleep.”  This album single-handedly set the tone for the month of October for me.  It is no longer just about ghoulies, ghosties and long-legged beasties, but not it is about weirded-out space vibes, talk of population control and Shelley Duvall’s voice scratched over lyrics about El-P’s messed-up childhood.  Thanks, El-P, for making me cover my ears in tears.