"Lauded by their label as "the end of hip-hop as we know it," Mood - a three piece from Cincinnati, Ohio - are taking a more political and philosophical slant on the rap game. Of course, plenty of rappers have tried to get deep on us, but Mood's apocalyptic rants have more substance to them than most, making references to journalists and CIA figures to back up their shadowy conspiracy theories. "Esoteric Manuscripts" gives a good pointer to the Mood style, with its eerie guitar strum and tinkling glockenspiel, while the beat provides a crisp crunch as satisfying as a packet of Pringles. 'Karma' shows off the skills of rappers Donte and Main-Flow to best effect, as they overlap and intertwine their solid, flamboyant flows. The production - handled partly by their deejay, Jahson, and also Hi-Tek of Reflection Eternal - also has some nice touches, but what lets Mood down is their beats. Created completely by drum machines, they don't provide enough of a spread of rhythms to hold your interest for 19 tracks. For all their doom-laded tales, Mood are showing us something positive: that hip-hop's got somewhere to go after the big willies have gone limp." Revisit it below...
Full review in Hip Hop Connection (January, 1998) ...
