Poetik Force "The Mary Jane Project"

LA hiphop has been flourishing as of late. Maybe I’m just paying attention more often but I’m hearing more music from the Capitol of the West coast these days then ever before in my life. Poetik Force is one of those voices. His The Mary Jane Project is a suitably titled affair and Ms. Botwin gracing the cover is hilarious.

This rarely sounds like any weed smoking rap from the left coast you might expect. Poetik Force is anything but generic. He comes across as a considerate fellow, trying to live life and get relaxed every so often. Maybe more so than it might at first seem.

His flow is great. Laid back in style Poetik Force doesn’t rush anything and he likes to give you positive tunes to help inspire better living in the future. Rarely do these wishes come across naively, usually they seem to offer some insight into the struggle of the emcee delivering the words.

The beats throughout the project are melodic and slower in tempo. Full of samples Poetik Force has an ear to the ground snagging up tracks from up and comers who have yet to be destroyed by the business. Sometimes the drums feel a little too boom bap for an LA affair, after talking to Kendrick Lamar and looking at what young music is coming from the city of angels I have to say I think NY hiphop circa the nineties is influencing a lot of young kids who grew up years and miles removed from the second golden age.

The Mary Jane Project doesn’t spend much of it’s time really getting caught up in the details of Marijuana, much like Currensy the weed is just there. Force and his guests are fans of blunts but it all is delivered in a manner that won’t have you wondering what else these guys do, smoking is just a part of the daily routine for this crew.

As an emcee Poetik Force lives up to his name typically. I’m never bored while giving this project a listen. It’s not always the most captivating record, sometimes slowing down to a point that might let you get lost in your own thoughts and forget about what you are listening to. Surprisingly this is especially true for his J Dilla tribute “Playaz”. Whoever cooked up the beat did a sufficent job recreating the SV classic, but the groove is almost too deep, none of the rappers really own it.

This isn’t a common occurrence on the album however. Time is rarely wasted on discussing the little things, Poetik Force is more concerned with addressing life and letting those out there listening know that they aren’t alone for it. The album screams of their own regular life, no one who raps here comes off as though they are bigger or better than the listener. They are just some everyday people spitting life living raps. Inhale deep and put this on in your headphones if you want to feel good.