Its been a good week since HPM has dropped and I think that the album calls for a review. Usually we would review projects with a few days but I really decided to take the extra time to let the project sink in as a whole. But anyways, for those who are unfamiliar with Hawdwerk & Jansport J, they're just 2 regular guys from West Covina, California. Jansport J is a mastermind of production and Hawdwerk is a lyrical machine. Together they've constructed a major Album in High Power Moves which was released last Tuesday, Nov. 10th. So lets get things started:
Originality: 9.0/10
High Power Moves, unlike most pieces of work don’t fit a particular mold. Neither do we find that when we look into the context of the songs individually. An average artist might feel like a complete project would consist of your basic formula hype song, party single, conscious track reminiscent flashback and repeat. Hawdwerk and Jansport J come out of left field with tracks like She Smiles that sing tales of an era that was probably before your time. The ability of create projects that eclipse just one time period and region gets HPM a 9 for originality.
Many times when we talk about delivery, we talk about the ability of the rapper. However in this case, its actually Jansport J who delivers. The soul of these beats gives the album a sound beyond just hip-hop. Samples prove as the power player here as the crate digging of Jansport seems to add a symphonic sound to the whole album, every sample works well with Hawdwerk’s delivery and rhyme style. Hawdwerk’s bars are definitely what brings the Album together with some vivid storylines and some insane verses that will make you stop the music and make you rewind it until you can put it onto you facebook profile as one of your favorite quotes.
Conceptually this album is exactly what you wouldn’t expect from a FREE album. It explores the deeper and more realistic thoughts of the common person, without hitting any cliché’s or stereotypes. The ability to be sympathetic without becoming an absolute martyr or getting cocky/confident without falling into the “swag” movement is important. This along with an almost random order of tracks for this album allows topics to change at anytime. Life is, as the album is, unexpected, unrelenting and most people in their right mind will enjoy it.
OVERALL: 9.3/10
You can probably get by now that this album is crazy. You can tell exactly why the album took so long to make while listening to it. So many things seem as if they were carefully thought out and planned for their audience to enjoy, which is exactly how hip hop was meant to be. HPM draws a definitive line in the sand as to what an album is suppose to song like, so all you artist who are working on your free debut album, try to stack up. A job well done by Hawdwerk & Jansport J.
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