The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
CD Reviews  |  Classical  |  Live Reviews  |  Music Features
Nominate-best-2010

Jaysaun and DJ Revolution | Game of Breath

 Brain on Drugz (2009)
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  October 21, 2009
3.0 3.0 Stars

0910_jaysaun_main

Jaysaun is my best proof that Jay-Z is mediocre, as well as the first MC I play for hoodlum friends who accuse me of favoring white-boy art rap. Not only is the former Kreators ringleader and Special Teamz crewmember vocally and verbally superior to every hip-hop artist who gets mainstream burn, he’s also hardcore and ghetto-savvy, right down to the accurate drug references peppering his rhymes.

Although more of a mixtape spun with sharp original production than a proper album (that’s coming soon), Game of Breath is a provocative demonstration of an MC whose flow and cadence combination is unmatched in the game; dude sprays onomatopoetic shrapnel across “All on Ur Face” with the same emotion and aggressive nonchalance with which he rides through the tear-provoking tribulation “Close 2 Ur Soul.”

For more than a decade, Jaysaun has been a quintessential rapper’s rapper — which is half a shame, since his skill set is as commercially viable as it is lethal. But with DJ Revolution on his back, at least he’ll continue to reach underground aficionados who appreciate raw talent when we hear it.

Related: An abridged history of the Roots' collabs, The bulletproof cred of M.O.P., Beef stakes, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Celebrity News, Entertainment, Music Stars,  More more >
  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • RSS feed
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article
HTML Prohibited
Add Comment

[ 02/08 ]   Main Street Cruisers  @ Wolf Den @ Mohegan Sun
[ 02/08 ]   2nd Annual Middle Eastern Festival  @ Berklee Performance Center
[ 02/08 ]   Collage New Music conducted by David Hoose  @ Longy School of Music
[ 02/08 ]   "Beat Research"  @ Enormous Room
ARTICLES BY CHRIS FARAONE
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   THE WAR OVER PEACE  |  February 05, 2010
    In the early infancy of this five-week-old year, Boston has been rocked by four homicides and 10 non-fatal shootings. By the time this goes to print, there may well be more.
  •   CEASE AND DESIST  |  February 03, 2010
    In its five years from conception to unraveling, the Boston Gun Project's Operation Ceasefire became one of the most respected urban defensives in American history.
  •   APE & UNDU | JAW & ORDER  |  February 03, 2010
    This is not your typical bi-racial indie-rap duo with a whiteboy who rips and a tandem token black guy who holds the honky's jockstrap.
  •   FRESH VETZ | VET STATUS  |  January 27, 2010
    It's a bright sign for hip-hop when at least three promising subterranean sluggers ride flows comparable to that of the almighty Nas.
  •   BOSTON TEEN IN HAITI STRANDED WITHOUT A COUNTRY  |  January 27, 2010
    Jenny Ulysee was inside her stepmother's hair salon in Mariani, Haiti, when the January 12 earthquake caused a nearby building to buckle and collapse onto the roof of her family's business.

 See all articles by: CHRIS FARAONE

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2010 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group