TEAMDAR Genesis Review

TEAMDAR
Genesis
Released September 21, 2014

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September 21st. A day that will live in infamy. The release of the free TEAMDAR(TrueGodImmortal, SpeedOnTheBeat, Jeff Axel and Shokus Apollo) album Genesis has arrived. 20 tracks of great music and diverse styles, something that's not usually heard in today's musical climate. My review will be NOT be graded, being that I'm the general of the team and slightly bias, but I feel as if I'd be able to give an open and honest review. I think for one, everybody should check out this album and draw your own opinions. If you aren't feeling it, then cool. It is impossible to appeal to everyone when you put out something with such a diverse and versatile group of artists. If you love it and enjoy the music, then pass it on, share it. This is an underground movement, where we thrive off the people and their love and support. Now, onto this album......

From the "Dream Team Intro", we hear that the team is focused and ready to take on the competition. Speed starts off the track with an aggressive verse that leads into Axel's unorthodox flow and style, which complement each other very well. I make a brief appearance on the track to talk and re-introduce Shokus Apollo into the fold, who was my first rhyming partner back in middle school days. Funny how things come full circle. After Apollo's verse, you hear a familiar voice(if you listen to DAR Radio ) talk about the takeover and what DAR represents, and that's TEAMDAR Radio co-host Joe aka Filthy_Cent. After the intro has arrived, we then get a chance to see the rest of the team shine, as Apollo's solo track "Falconry" follows the intro. Apollo brings his own flavor to the track with a catchy hook and solid verses, as "Wasn't Meant To Be" comes next. The song details lost love as Axel speaks of a broken relationship that he doesn't know if he can recover from, Apollo talks of a woman with a child that he once loved, and Speed goes off about the situation with the mother of his son, ending on a slightly hopeful note. "Another Day" sees the teaming of True and Apollo over a smooth soulful track that screams out HIP HOP. Apollo chooses a slower flow to make his words connect even stronger, while True goes for a faster, tongue-twisting flow, where you have to pay attention for the quotables in his 8 bar parts in the 2 verses. "Discover Me", is Speed's solo track, and on verse 1, Speed goes in and faces all his detractors with poise, while the second verse sounds underwhelming a bit, the beat definitely keeps the listener engaged. "Cloudy Skies" is up next, with Speed leading off with an extremely aggressive verse(the nigga even speaks Spanish randomly), as Axel brings his signature animation to the track and True finishes it off with a possible verse of the year candidate.

"You Don't Want None" is Axel's solo track, and if you pay attention, you'll see that the focus in the beginning is introducing the team more, so that fans get more and more familiar. True, who's an indie hip hop legend on his 5th album, takes a backseat in the early stages, and the team shines in his absence early on. Axel's track is hard hitting and allows Ax to point the finger at some haters and fake niggas. The mood in the beginning is aggressive and dark, but it starts to change as we arrive to "Don't Trust Em", which is an anthem for just about everybody who doesn't "love them hoes", so to speak. The knocking beat from Speed, the anthem/chant like hook from True, coupled with strong verses from True, Apollo and Axel signals the first song on here so far that screams "No. 1 hit". It's been said that Speed and Axel are definitely the most unorthodox artists in the team and they team up for "Glide", which is full of animation, diversity, and the usual aggression that's lacking in hip hop today. Up until this point, the entire team had yet to be on a song all together rapping, and this is where "P.L.W." comes into play. Apollo, Speed, True, and Axel glide flawlessly over a bouncy Speed beat, with a screwed up hook done by the engineer, also known as Saint Luke. The song is fun, catchy, and full of hilarious lines, which was the point of the track. The team on a night out having fun inspired this track and it's definitely what it was intended to be: FUN. The "Do Better Remix" is Speed and True together and both shine greatly on the song, though it does sound slightly mixed off because Speed recorded his parts at his home studio, while True did his in the main studio DAR uses. Great verses however from both. "Nightmares" might be the most slept on song on this album, as it's pure hip hop beauty. The smooth track allows Apollo to coast on such a catchy hook, followed by an amazing verse. Apollo's strong suit is his wordplay, which can go over the average listener's head(same goes for the rest of the team). True spits a heartfelt verse that could bring the listener to their knees, and the wordplay as well shines from him. In almost a perfect sequence, "Whatever You Like" follows up changing the mood from painful to one of potential happiness as True, Axel and Apollo kick some fun verses over Speed's cool, smoothed out track that screams out "play this in the club". "Talk My Shit" sees another True and Apollo pairing with a Just Blaze-like beat from Jay Splash, as True hits the most aggressive hook on the entire album, and both come with immaculate verses.

"Late Night Adventures", is a hilarious song in essence, and one that was thought of from the countless strip club runs or wild parties the team has encountered. Apollo's verse is laid back and relaxed, while True tells the story of the night, and Speed speaks about the things he'd like to be doing with his lady on the late night tip. The hilarity comes most from Speed's verse as he harmonizes and even sings near the end. Being in the studio to witness it was just a great experience and the way it translates on the album, you can tell that we had nothing but fun recording this album, as it should always be. "Be For Real" is another song that screams out HIP HOP, as Apollo, Speed, and Axel hit with some of their hardest verses over a boom bap soul Speed beat. Each verse tells a different story, yet it all flows. "High Off You" features a Trey Songz sample on the hook and honestly seems to be the ladies' favorite track so far. Apollo, True, and Speed kick some sex talk to their respective lady(or ladies) and while True's verse lyrically shines the brightest, it's Speed's verse that will garner a ton of laughs here. "Runnin Out Of Time" features the team of True and Apollo again, and allows both men to do what they do best. True's verse is another possible contender for verse of the year, and you'd have to pay attention to catch it all. "Since You Came Into My Life" is surprisingly the overwhelming favorite song from everyone(ladies love this and High Off You, and even the dudes seem to rock with this), which is a big shock since we weren't initially going to even put this song on the album. Funny how that happens. Axel, Apollo, and True glide over a soulful upbeat Speed track, and express their love for their women. Apollo gets visual with his lady of choice, and Axel speaks directly to her, while True's approach is to speak to the lady..... who hasn't shown up yet, but is probably on the way. Each artist on the track takes a different approach all in the same idea, which is DAR's strong suit. The diversity in the artists. The album closes out with the certified hit "Celebrating", which is smooth as hell. True's hook just flawlessly flows as he gets into a catchy singy-songy mode and delivers one of the best hooks heard this year(without having to bite anyone's style or add a dance to it). Both True and Apollo spit short but effective verses, and the track is amazing to just ride out to.

Overall, the free album is one of the better projects released this year, and while I'm biased because... well, I'm the general of the team, I still see where criticism might come. Axel's style can be seen as an acquired taste, as is Speed's. Apollo's been criticized for his deeper voice, but that's just his voice. Takes little away from the bars, I'd say. Some of the songs here aren't mixed perfectly, and the beginning of the tape is a lot darker, which I'm sure will not please some. But, that's the beauty of music, and the beauty of DAR. There's something here for everyone. In a land of Shmurdas, Durks, Reeses, Keefs, Migos, Future, and the artists who stick to their formula(some of which are all too similar to each other), DAR is a welcome breath of fresh air. Open up your minds. Take a listen. Share it. This is music for the people, by the people. Defining A Revolution. TEAMDAR.

-TrueGodImmortal