Nero - Relive It

Back in February, I wrote a little something about this guy Nero that I came across and his mixtape album type thing, Alive & Vibrant where he rhymes over some classic 90's beats (an idea that unfortunately is starting to get a little old now, by the way, as several MCs have done the same thing - Luguz, Skillz, and a few others that I probably don't care about as much - On the other hand, what does it say to you that so many of today's MCs would rather rhyme over beats that are 10-15 years old).

Either way, I was impressed with the rhymes this guy spit on that album. I still don't know much about the guy except for the fact that he's a lot younger than I expected (still not legal, if I'm not mistaken) meaning he has a mature flow for his age, and a knowledge of hip hop that matters, which is a plus. Oh, and he's from NY - state? city? I don't know. Yesterday, I nabbed a copy of the re-release to the album called Alive & Vibrant: Relive The Moment . Mostly the same as far as I can tell w/out pulling out the original because I don't feel like it right now. A few new tracks though too. Mark my words this guy is someone to check for in the future...or actually right now. My previous criticisms still stand, since it's pretty much the same album. But, at least he's showing his ability to keep up and deliver with different styles. The real test now will come when he has a clean slate of fresh beats on his own album. We'll see what he does with that. I'm feeling good about his ability to craft a great album though. Relive The Moment was posted for free, so here's a link:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/ehct4zhgnez/Relive

Go ahead and d/l this and have a good time. Then go and buy each of the albums these beats are from (if you don't already have 'em) and have an even better time.
UPDATE: I listened a little more closely to the title track - he was born in Queens, if that matters to anyone.

Nero's Alive and Vibrant

So far this year, hip hop is looking as promising as it proved to be in '08. A lot of talented MCs out there dropping enjoyable music. One that I've been checking out recently, and got playing on the PC speakers right now is an album by Nero called Alive and Vibrant. I don't really know anything about the guy at all, so feel free to educate me. I just came across this online while searching for new stuff, and the blogger seemed to think a lot of it. You'll recognize most of the beats Nero rhymes over - a bunch of classics, "Dead Presidents", "Straighten it out", "Buck Em Down", etc. There were only a couple I couldn't place. Who knows? They may be originals.

The lyrics though are definitely his own, and Nero has a pretty impressive, laid back flow. He kept me interested throughout, and ready to hear some more from him. The only complaint I could maybe come up with is that he seems of take on the flow of the MC that famously spit over the beat he uses, which I could do without. I'd like to hear him really make the track his own. I think it's important for an MC to remember that there's more than one way to flow over a beat. It's not necessary to go along with what's been done already. Ultimately, Nero does a good job of introducing himself (assuming he hasn't been around for years - again, I don't know much about him). If you like jazzy hip hop you can lounge and listen to and solid lyricism, I recommend checking this one out. It's one of my favorites so far this year (yeah, I know it's February, but still). I seem to remember the cover having an illroots.com tag on it, so maybe check over there for a link.