Posted on 09/04/2008
When Minnesota’s Muja Messiah emerged from the digital fluster-cuck of Myspace with his incendiary single, “Patriot Act,” he appeared poised to establish himself as a fiery new voice, capable of branding the North Star state with a musical identity outside of purple synth funk. A tense fusion of jittery drums, eerie choral samples and brooding strings, the song felt like the split second when the first molotov cocktail lofts into the air, poised to explode, and uncork the riotous rage of the people. Muja’s incisive social commentary, delivered with icily calm intensity grabbed listeners by the throat, eventually landing him in Vibe Magazine as one of the top 50 Myspace MCs. However, fans expecting B-Boy D-Boy to pack the power punch of “Patriot Act” will have to settle for a series of tentative jabs.

Understandably aiming to avoid quick pigeonholing into “conscious rapper” purgatory, Muja goes to great effort to make his debut a diverse affair. “Get Fresh” plays like an out take from a Mannie Fresh/T.I. studio session, clearly made for the whip. “What’s The World Coming To” features Muja and Slug trading playfully contemplative verses over a bass heavy jazz bounce. Meanwhile, “Royalty” lifts the drums from Slick Rick’s “Mona Lisa” for a rollicking bilingual flirt-fest with Maria Isa. Muja is a skilled enough MC to handle the whole spectrum competently, yet, we can’t help but feel that we’ve heard it done before, and better by MCs who excel in the respective milieus. The same can be said about the production, which feels very 2002 with it’s heavy reliance on sped up samples, stuttered drums and pseudo dramatic strings.

There are certainly some gems to be heard. “The Madness” explodes with defiant energy, “So Far, So Good” offers well rendered insights into Muja’s life, and he holds his own with Black Thought on “Give It Up”. “Patriot Act” is included, but by track 19, many listeners will have returned to the guilty pleasures of Lil’ Wayne long before it assaults the speakers.

Muja Messiah’s desire to stretch himself as an artist is commendable, and with time and refinement, maybe he will become an MC capable of firing on all cylinders. For now, he would be best served by maximizing the intelligence and intensity which lifted him above the e-pack in the first place.

- Jeff Harvey