Saturday, September 20, 2014

ANM - Let The Message Rize

ANM which stands for Anti Nigga Machine is a group from the infamous streets of South Park in Houston, TX. The group's moniker pays homage to the Public Enemy song by the same title. ANM consists of Roderick "Alquarr" Banks and Micheal "Jameen" Dixon. The duo was discovered in the late eighties by Troy "Lil' Troy" Birklett, who is also the founder of Short Stop Records. Let The Message Rize is their debut album and it was released in 1991 on JR Records. The production crew is led by Lil' Troy along with the help of Bruce "Grim Reaper" Rhodes, and Def Jam Blaster of NoDoz. Together they provide a decent dose of rhythmic melodies. Some are derived naturally while others are driven with help of samples. The two most notable being Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and Led Zeppelin's "When The Levee Breaks." Also the scratching and mixing by Def Jam Blaster is done with utter precision and perfection. Lyrically the album is very well rounded. Both Alquarr and Jameen are quite capable on the microphone although Alquarr seems to be two steps ahead of his counterpart. Their rhymes are presented as dope stories depicted from their everyday street life. This artistry is displayed over eleven quality tracks and it is equally entertaining. This is one of those releases where although the group accomplished what they set out to do, they did not gain any recognition for it. They eventually lost their sense of direction and did not provide a follow up release. All in all the record is still kept in high regards and cherished by many due to its originality and obscurity. Member Micheal "Jameen" Dixon would later change his alias to Mike D and would also join the legendary Screwed Up Click.

Deadly Verses

No comments: