Posted on 08/27/2008
Everyone, at least every major hip-hop head, remembers the album, The Cold Vein, by underground group, Cannibal Ox. One half of the group, Vordul Mega, is back with his second full length album, entitled, Megagraphitti. Though long awaited, Vordul Mega, comes back with the same grit and grime, with a tinge of abstraction, that he’s displayed since day one.

The album kicks off with a banger. “Stay Conscious,” a piano sampled, offbeat drum- laced track is perfect for the seemingly undisciplined style of Mega. On this song he expresses how “all he wants to do is rhyme” which is, well…obvious.

From there it only gets better. The second song reintroduces the sound of Cannibal Ox as collaborator Vast Aire joins him for, “AK47.” The two go back and forth, describing unhealthy living conditions, and how it’s time for a revolution, no matter how violent.

Songs like “Hattori Hanzo,” “Beautiful,” and “Learn,” are all slightly more basic tracks, where Mega’s flow is heard crisply, and without the bombardment of dramatic music. These songs work in his favor, giving just enough flavor to the album to keep it from becoming monotonous.

Though Vordul Mega has a unique rhyming style (some would say comparable to MF Doom or even Ghostface) it’s still very apparent that it is just that, a style. It has nothing to do with a lack of skill, but instead an abstract approach to writing. But that doesn’t mean that it always works. Especially when the emcees featuring on the songs have similar styles, creating an abstract overload. Luckily, this doesn’t happen often, and there are enough Cannibal Ox songs to provide pacification.

Megegraphitti,is more than a tag. It’s a permanent splatter, staining every mind that listens. It’s a mess to some, but a masterpiece to many. It’s a proclamation, that Vordul Mega is still mega indeed.

- Jason Reynolds