Marujah x Crhymes embark on a wild, animalistic fury with “Blind American”. Within this space they merge a whole slew of different styles, textures, and rhythms into a singular whole. The hip-hop aspect of the work goes for an old school approach, with elements of hard rock, alternative rock, metal, pop, and more thrown in for good measure. Vocals rest right in the center of it all. A careful balance between hip-hop and rock is struck over the course of the entire journey. Riffs aplenty help to anchor the heavy-hitting beats. Less a must and more a given, volume blasts forth with a nice sense of righteous, complimenting the carefully crafted verses with ease.
The influences that emerge throughout add to the vibrancy of the work. With nods to Mike Patton’s chaotic energy there is a distinct Faith No More aspect to the craftsmanship of the arrangement. Stopping and starting on a dime further add to this sensibility. On the more hip-hop side of things comes hints of Cypress Hills’ weirdest output, for once more they remain unpredictable. A degree of gleeful reckless abandon helps to give the whole experience an almost carnivalesque quality in the rising and falling energy.
On the fiery opener “The Trails” sets the tone for what follows, with the great degree of dramatic flourishes added for effect. Ringing riffs have a jagged edge to them. By far the highlight comes from the no-holds-barred rush of the title track “Blind American”. For the multiple layers intermingle to create a kaleidoscopic array of colors. Done with sheer delirious decadence “Serpent” proves how good a hip-hop/hard rock collaboration can be and how few reach this level. Guitars bounce off each other with “Tip of the Spear” featuring biting humor that takes a nod from Frank Zappa. “How Low” features a flawless build up.
A looseness gives “Estadio” an unpredictably, incorporating a punk ethos into the sound. Brutality of sorts comes into focus on the unhinged “120 Days” as guitars scream through. Bizarre and pop-like “Jihadi Bob” takes from the Pop Group’s dub ethos with an absolutely no fucks given approach to the lyrics. Sarcasm brings “White Girl Wasted” together featuring some rather impressive guitar licks that have a hypnotic quality to them. Neatly bringing the whole thing home comes the hyperactivity of “Syriana”.
“Blind American” shows off the duality of Marujah x Crhymes for they draw from the past while remaining firmly rooted in the present.
