26 November 2015
Chapter 1 – This track by S.I.L.E.N.T. W.A.R. brings
you into a very thought provoking mood.
Chopped to perfection! Blaq spits
some heart felt lyrics about life, experience, and the landscape of music from
his perspective.
Hell or Highwater – Sean Hunter’s key arrangement on the
title track, from jump, feels like there’s a gladiator about to enter the
center of the stadium and defeat all challenges coming his way! Jon Blaq gives you the choice between hell or
high water. What’s your choice? From his perspective, the will of God is here
so I choose to run to that instead of from it.
Sleep Walkn – “You know they say sleep is the cousin of
death”…Jon reaches back to a Nas classic from Illmatic, “NY State of Mind”,
with this opening statement. With Baby
boy Clark on the production, it gets into a boom bap/underground feel. Cop killings, Ebola, friends, foes…it’s hard
to decipher it all and Blaq is trying to figure out which stance to take in all of
this. It’s God helping him to right or
(write) these wrongs though.
Hide & Seek – Watkins Da General gave Blaq a track to
blackout on with this one smh. You can’t
come halfhearted on this track and the homie didn’t disappoint! We can’t fake who we are and we have to come
to the realization of our true selves. I
can’t hide my heart from you guys anymore; I’m going to open up and allow you
to look inside and see it! One of my favorite tracks on the
album!
Running – Smooth in the pocket flow that we are used to hearing from
this artist. Jon Blaq taps the services
of DevilLion for the left coast sound.
Pressure, coping, trying to keep everything in control yet on the verge
of losing it is the lyrical backdrop.
Oblivion – Smh…I mean really bro? Really? Have you been following me through life in
2015? After listening to this one, this
has become the soundtrack to my life this year bro! Another favorite of mine but just one
question: Equinox, what did you soak your hands in before you made this track?
Requiem for a Dream – This track…ok I’m done
S.I.L.E.N.T.W.A.R.! Is this really the
world we live in, or is there a world inside a world? The Matrix if you will. Jon Blaq explains, “I feel like I keep trying
to describe something to you, but I don’t know the words to describe it!
My Interpretation – If you hear this track you know I like
the way it swings. Equinox & 12th
Doc I need to holla!
Could It Be – Bob Da Wizard taps a sample from the 1986
hit from Alexander O’Neal, “If You Were Here Tonight”, and the homie goes in on
a confessional of how he feels about life and not waisting one moment of it! “The
beginning of the end...I’m just reading the last chapter”.
What
Happened – And I ask
again, Equinox what are you soaking your hands in bro? Dude is doing some type of new wave manicures
or something! Over this track Blaq takes
you into the delusional mind of Bobby and his fantasies about being in love and being loved back. However, in an attempt to bring fantasy to
life things don’t quite end up the way Bobby planned!
Realize Remix – Sean Hunter huh? I’m trying to figure out how long you hunted
for that kick and snare bro! What in the
world? Dope key arrangements as well. Jon Blaq is making an attempt to understand
the masses need for mediocre music when his has substance. He projects at one point, “Even if it’s me
that I seem to be criticizing…I would rather be aware than to run around being
blinded”.
BlaQCinema
– This sounds like a score
to a blacksploitation movie. WOW…W.A.R.,
we really need to have a talk homie!
Blaq gives you a biopic of his life and it’s worth the price of
admission!
More
- SMH…these drums bro! D.J. J. Lone finely crafts this composition
as Blaq raps about making a name for himself in the music game as days
continuously go by…the clock keeps ticking!
Predator
Intro – Produced by
JonBlaQ himself leading you into the next track…”Predator”.
Predator
– This track is hard! Dan Status is his name and making hard beats is his game I guess...geez! B tees off beasting on commercial rappers
and back packers. Is this 8 Mile II? What a dope way to end an album!
From
all of the Jon Blaq albums I’ve heard, this is my favorite one! I love it!
Inspired by the title and album cover “Hell or High Water”, I will have
my own way of grading this: instead of saying it’s hot (Hell)…nope; I’m going
to say this album is “water” bro! It quenched
my thirst of dry rap music! I give it 4 1/2 splashes! The only reason it didn't get 5 is because the masses may say, "it got 5 splashes because he was partial"!
