Posted on 12/14/2005

 

“I woke up from that dream I was living/and thanked the universe for all that I’m given…” Sometimes it does take a lot for a person to come full circle to realize the adventures they have been through, and the realizations they have arrived at to get to where they want to go. Ernie Rhodes originally did this on his first release called This Journey, My Mission. And now with his 2nd effort, The Orbital Effect, Ernie plans to make his knowledge known about coming full circle with his journey and mission, and making a stellar 2nd effort from those realizations. Ernie covers various topics on this release. His passion of doing the rap game right appears on the thunderous lead off single “Renaissance Man”, and follows it up on “The Works (Get Movin’)” and on “Do Better/Damage & Stress”. There are also personal topics covered, such as relationship woes on “Jen Once Again”, and on “Girl Trouble.” This release is filled with more narrative raps and battle hungry songs, as can be seen on the two contrasting songs, “Connected” discusses two different people in perilous situations and “Solid” featuring POS of Doomtree fame and Snakebird is a battle hungry squad rap.

The two highlights on this disc come on “Never Really Gone”, discussing how he seeks to bring out the same leadership in the hip hop community as he does by the people he is inspired with, and “Through It All” featuring New MC of the Kanser/Interlock troop, describing his move from rural Missouri to Minnesota.

The production also stands out on this disc. Beats from Last Word, Hydraulic Jack, Medium Zach and Lazerbeak vary at times and provide a lot of different soundscapes for the listener to keep them entertained. The only two efforts that could leave the listener wanting a little more is “Back Up” which is a little too reminiscent of “Chariots Of Fire”, and “The Return” which is a 3 minute instrumental, and doesn’t really match the vibe of the CD itself. But don’t let that distress you from not picking up more Minnesota rap such as Ernie Rhodes, you may be missing out on a very good release like The Orbital Effect. It’s a full circle comeback that’s worthy of the praise.