I Self Devine
LA State of Mind
4/5 Stars
What a better way to begin 2012 than with a fresh new mixtape from one of the smartest, smoothest top dogs in the underground game, I Self Devine. While simultaneously representing the Twin Cities, Atlanta, & Los Angeles, the Rhymesayers Entertainment guru released LA State Of Mind on January 5th in hopes to give some new year inspiration to plenty of appreciative ears.
LA State of Mind is part of a bigger picture. It is the first in a series of four mixtapes, entitled “The Culture Series” and I honestly wouldn’t have expected I Self to call a dope project like this anything different than that. This first tape features producers of pure gold, including Alchemist, Oh No, Emazin, Benzilla, and of course I Self himself! All four digital EPs will be free to download and will continuously be put out through April until the release of his upcoming album, The Sounds of Low Class America (Rhymesayers), in May 2012. This is another aspect I love about I Self. He matches his social consciousness with his desire to spread good Hip Hop and his love for music in the biggest, best ways possible. The easy accessibility of this project will no doubt be a staple of its success. With a title like “The Culture Series”, in a cultural melting pot such as America, why should you hold back what the people need to hear?
If you’re not too familiar with I Self Devine’s works, don’t worry! It’s never too late to be educated. You can immediately realize how politically awake and socially driven he is on tracks like “Justice”, “Mecca”, & “Thingz”, in which he talks about party alignment (or lack of) and government oversights upon diverse communities. On this track, I Self doesn’t just complain about the corporate-driven politicians who ignore social problems that they feed into, BUT, he encourages us all to get up, get out, and get something as he says “get them thingz/if you a Laker/ get them rings/ flip them thingz”.
My chosen tracks, however, are “Zero To 5ive” and “Diamond Movement” which both demonstrate his lyrical intelligence and social awareness growing up in Southern Cali. He begins the track reminiscing about the earliest times of personal transformation and how he learned to fend for himself in this sometimes cold world. However, this loss of innocence resulted in an indisputable drive to do what he loves most, Music: “Life for the taking/I came too far to fake it/ some didn’t make it/I lost the innocence of sacred”.
On another note, the instrumentals and voice-overs on “Diamond Movement” make me so happy, which is ironic, considering Self spits lines like “in the need of constant refinement/ everyday a funeral recession/ can’t sleep/ in constant depression”. In his trademark manner of raw storytelling, he rhymes about the humility and love he’s learned from at one point being at the bottom while feeling undersurface. He also gives thanks to his adolescent influences such as The Black Panther Party and his L.A community, for better or for worse.
I Self, whose real name is Chaka Mkali, is truly a “jack of all trades, master of none”. He’s also a very talented graffiti artist & muralist in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis), around Los Angeles, and deep down in Atlanta, as well. His various artistic forms of expression only reflect the many wise things he has to teach, preach, and let seep into our minds… all in the name of Hip Hop.
Already this year is chalk-full of potential and new dopeness. I Self Devine’s LA State of Mind and the whole “Culture Series” mixtape project marks the beginning of a much anticipated and hopeful year in Hip Hop! If any of you lovely readers are in the Twin Cities area January 22nd, you’re in luck… I Self will perform material from each mixtape at the EP’s release party along with the Rhymesayers “Familia” including Brother Ali, Muja Messiah, The Endevours, Alicia Steele, and DJs King Otto, Just 9, & Kool Akiem at Minneapolis’ own 7th ST Entry…
Knowing what he’s capable of, I’m looking forward to what I Self does next on mixtape #2… Nonetheless I confidently give L.A State of Mind four out of five stars! And if you’re not in reach of that “Minnesota Nice” release party, it’s okay, just download the new mixtape today and do what YOU do best!
Review by: Stephanie Nicole Jones – journalist
@Stephnicojones
