Check out what the good folks at Exclaim! had to say about my latest album FSTS:
Maryland producer ScholarMan (who likens his style to artists such as Large Professor, Common and J Dilla) is out to school other so-called rap artists on his latest release, Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul. Armed with a gritty flow and organic, soulful production, ScholarMan creates a sound that harkens back to the ’90s Golden Era of hip-hop. On “I Love Hip Hop Music,” featuring K-Mynez, Scholar and his homey spit easy over a nice boom-bap backdrop that seriously gets your head nodding. If you aren’t feeling this track, ask yourself again if you actually like rap music. Elsewhere, ScholarMan switches it up and gets street over some stellar production anchored by a hypnotizing chorus of cooing. There’s no doubt that this dude needs to get his shine, because after four previous albums and numerous mixtapes, it’s a shame that real hip-hop like this gets overlooked because of a lack of budget. Take notes: ScholarMan’s got next. (Soganic)
Im proud to say that the latest vid is here.. I presented my vision to Marques of QueFilms and we made it happen. Again, thanks to everyone who helped with this project. We threw in a little surprise at the end as well.. Enjoy!
I was building with my homie Marques over at QueFilms.com in February and we came up with an idea for a video for my track Hopes & Dreams from my latest album “Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul.“ I was fortunate to actually make the shoot happen over this past weekend. Check out some of the behind the scenes flicks that my new friend Moses Djeli took during the shoot. More flicks and the new video coming soon. Many thanks to Marques, Giacomo, Karmia, Lagbara, Moses, Pierre and others who made the shoot happen!
My homie Nat at HHL took the time to bang the latest, here is what he had to say (I corrected some of the errors in the lyrics):
“Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul” is probably the perfect title for this album. ScholarMan has created a happy, feel-good, relaxing, soulful hip-hop record. While most of the albums I’ve been bumping recently have been ones I listen to on the train to work, shit that helps get me amped up for the hustle, this is the one I listen to every night when I come home to unwind from often busy and stress-filled days. It’s got a real peaceful vibe that helps me relax, and we all need that type of hip-hop from time to time.
Rating:
Retrospection
One thing I noticed about this album lyrically was that ScholarMan drops a handful of retrospective verses surveying past events and experiences. And I guess that his ability to look back on this positively is one of the things makes “Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul” a feel-good album. One good example is in Just Me, where Scholar drops the following verse about his beginnings as a hip-hop artist:
Remove the line in the sand/
Climb to advance/
Execute plans/
Maintain your stance/
Not easily swayed, sometimes I’ll called stubborn/
Other times Superbad McLovin/
Penny for your thoughts/
Lyrics of all sorts/
I remember the first bundle of records I bought/
The small Casio cassette deck I used to record with/
‘Cause studio time, yeah I couldn’t afford it/
Recorded in my room over hip-hop tunes/
Mic hanging from the ceiling, from the streets hear the boom/
Boom bap, boom bap/
I reminisce back/
The Earth spin like wax/
I’m writing on my Maxwell tapes, my first demo/
Dreaming of the camera and lights, and yes the limos/
Now my music’s more mature from the things I endure/
Reach realistic goals is the things I look for/
Storytelling
ScholarMan is one of those emcees that was just blessed with a good rap voice. His voice, his flow, his cadence, his rhyme patterns – all just sound very natural over his soulful production. So when he tells stories in his tracks, it makes them very easy to follow and comprehend. Tracks like Hood Stories Vol. 4 and Remember When, which could be my two favorite tracks on the album, tell good stories. For an example, check out former HHL quotable of the week Hood Stories Vol. 4.
Introspection
When listening to this album, I got the sense that “Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul” was ScholarMan’s response to some hard times in his life. While the album maintains the vibe of positivity and hope despite potential hardships, Scholar devotes a handful of verses to observing and examining his own mental and emotional states. One good example is the following verse from Love Potion:
Sometimes I feel cold like I’m living in the arctic/
My destination mark it, focus stay on target/
Switch lanes to gain and bring change/
My thoughts rearranged to cope with this pain/
I talk with my pops ‘cause wisdom he has lots/
And life’s a gamble, we all got a slot/
At times we take risk to bring joy and bliss/
Like that precious new kiss from that sweet new miss/
Or from that new child/
Watch her grow for a while/
I lead by example so mimic my style/
Repeat my words, truth that is unheard/
Something new for the kids to learn/
Nothing absurd/
But instead something real that they can all engage in/
It’s so amazing to journey through these phases/
Motivational
Above all, ScholarMan’s “Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul,” like all his past records, is a motivational album. Tracks like Just Me, Set Above, Nowhere to Run and Love Potion all contain positive vibes and motivational rhymes. One good example is the following verse from Nowhere to Run:
Sometimes to move forward take two steps back/
Your game plan you attack/
Gotta stay on the map/
Underneath the radar/
Show ‘em what you made of/
True faith determination is the state of/
My state of mind/
PG my county line/
Paint pictures for the blind/
Through the use of the rhyme/
Regardless the time/
I spit it for broken clocks/
Can’t stand back and watch/
Good deeds to help the block/
I’m not content with the game so I’ma speak it/
My thoughts Im a leak it/
Truth to those who seek it/
And elevate my mind with something new/
New place to travel to/
You’re welcome to come too/
New lives passing through/
New recruits for the crew/
Hard times we subdue/
The past we hold true/
Overall
ScholarMan has never disappointed me. Through five albums and more free mixtapes than I can count, all of which were among my favorites of the time they dropped, Scholar is easily among my favorite underground hip-hop artists. I definitely recommend picking up a copy of “Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul.” My favorite tracks include Just Me, I Love Hip-Hop Music, Babydoll, Hood Stories Vol. 4, Hopes & Dreams and Remember When. Peace.
Album Track Listing:
1. Just Me
2. So Explosive
3. I Love Hip-Hop Music (feat. K-Mynez)
4. Set Above
5. Reap, Sow
6. Babydoll
7. Hold Me Back
8. Hood Stories Vol. 4
9. No Where To Run (feat. K-Mynez)
10. Hopes & Dreams
11. Love Potion
12. Remember When (feat. Teisha Marie)
RapReviews.com took the time to check out my latest, here is what they had to say:
Written by Emanuel Wallace
Although he is known for socially conscious and soulful music, Maryland-based artist and producer, ScholarMan, refuses to be boxed in a specific sub-genre of hip-hop. His message and lyrical style has conjured up comparison to the likes of Common, Masta Ace and Chuck D, while his production has been compared to that of Hi-Tek, DJ Premier and the late J Dilla. Pretty good company there, but instead of resting his hat on those laurels, ScholarMan is intent on getting better. Considering himself a student of hip-hop and an advocate of the culture, this emcee shares his beliefs and views through his music. After several local releases, his first international album, “Candy Medicine”, was released in 2007. Due to the response by the fans of that release, SM now religiously drops an album annually. In 2008, he released “Soul Purpose” and 2009 saw “GameShift: The Movement”. This time around the Soganic Music revolutionary is exploring the “Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul”
The album kicks off with the introductory “Just Me”, which essentially takes the story of who ScholarMan is and where he comes from and truncates it down to three minutes and thirty-seven seconds. He flows effortlessly over the beat, and the cuts do in fact remind me of the aforementioned Premier. He does seem to have a slight obsession with the 2007 movie, “Superbad”, as he references it in the album’s first two songs. K-Mynez makes an appearance on the call and response anthem that is “I Love Hip Hop Music”. Both “Set Above” and “Reap, Sow” feature strong production and the latter showcases more well placed cuts.
Scholar flips the script on “Babydoll”, at least lyrically, as we find him courting a lucky young lady. The track features a Curtis Mayfield sample from his song of the same name. The tempo picks up a bit on “Hold Me Back”. This is followed by one of the albums standout tracks, “Hood Stories Vol. 4″. I would assume that there were previous “Hood Stories” installments on his previous releases, but this time around, Scholar tells a story similar to the 1995 film, “Dead Presidents”. The song actually starts off with a clip of dialogue from the movie before going in-depth about the despair of a disillusioned war veteran, as he raps:
“Fresh off the plane, he’s hopin’ to get some sanity
His country tricked him, said he fought for humanity
Like you can guess, he got post-traumatic stress
Hard for him to breathe, lost a lung through his chest
Plus he drinks now, slowly, killin’ his liver
Bad dreams, just to wake up to a shiver
His daughter scared of him, and his shorty’s worried
Can he maintain with the strife that he carries
Before he left, he was far from a mess
Church every week, that’s his fam, they got the best
Now he can hardly hold a job cause he’s Kirkin out
Seein’ things, weird words that he’s blurtin’ out
So that means bills are stacked, then they stack more
He wishes he was dead, what he come back for
All he think ’bout is ‘Damn, I’m a veteran
Iraq..two tours, I deserve better than
Uncle Sam owes me, I’m gon’ take it
Guarantee I’m gon’ make it, rob this muthafucka naked’”
The album starts to wind down with “Hopes & Dreams” and “Love Potion”. The closer, “Remember When” features the vocals of Teisha Marie. Bearing a vocal resemblance to Chrisette Michelle, she provides the perfect compliment to Scholar’s flows about lost and would’ve-been loves. Overall, I think that ScholarMan does well enough to avoid being aimlessly tossed into any particular sub-genre. Being that he does his own production, he has the ability to craft and rock beats that best suit his style of rhyming. It’s not difficult to tell that he’s studied hard, and it probably won’t be too much longer before he’s getting A’s across the board.
Music Vibes: 8 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 7 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 7.5 of 10
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