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J-Live "Reveal the Secret"  Hip Hop triple threat, former middle school teacher and all-around classy individual J-Live returns to the shelves after a two year hiatus. Live's prowess in the art of boom-bap is no big surprise, but the Reveal the Secret EP comes out of left field to stir up his fan base before Then What Happened strikes in '08. Sneaking out a quick 12" must seem like a cake walk compared to the endless red tape that was involved in releasing his celebrated debut, The Best Part. The shortened EP is chock full of larger-than-life production credits. DJ Spinna, Da Beatminerz, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Marco Polo and Oddisee each branded their names on the finished product . Who knows what else J has in store for the album. "The Incredible" manifests the humble yet cocky side that every Hip Hop artist must exhibit. "Since 3 Feet High was a Christmas gift, I've been knee-deep and hellbent to uplift. Never bigger than my britches but I still rip, trying not to burn bridges cause we going round trip." The second Jazzy Jeff joint is "Practice", a tribute to perfecting one's craft which migrated over from Jeff's The Return of the Magnificent. The Allen Iverson sound bytes work as an intro but play out fast and kill the buzz in hook form. Marco Polo takes a crack at "Practice" with the Spaghetti Bender Mix. It doesn't address the awkward A.I. quotes but does shore up the seams. The gifted storyteller takes us on a ride through the culture with "Once Upon a Mic". "Meanwhile the father had an affair with Jazz, a freaky ass orgy with Soul, Funk and Rock. Married Music and named their first daughter Hip Hop, his ex-wife ran off with some n---- named Pop." J-Live's forte' has always been swerving between the throwback assault of tracks like "Feel Like Spittin'" and maturity of "Red Light Green Light". Despite his increasing presence behind the boards on All of the Above and even producing half of The Hear After, J relinuqished control to beatmaking legends Jazzy Jeff and Da Beatminerz, along with two names of today, Marco Polo and Oddisee. This formula worked in the past for The Best Part with contributions by Pete Rock, Prince Paul, DJ Premier, 88 Keys and DJ Spinna. Good ole Spinna, a J-Live project isn't the same without him. As for Reveal the Secret, J is an artist who captivates from start to finish. A slice won't do the trick, listeners need something to sink their teeth into. The EP is a nice refresher and precursor to a full-length, but it won't stack up side-by-side with the meatier offerings in his catalogue. When the dust settles, he accomplished the goal of reminding heads that J-Live is still bringing that True School Hip Hop. 2.5 out of 5 andy |
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