L’oreille de moscou review (professionally translated by Manuel Sinor)

L’orielle de moscou (French blog translated)

Some boast, on the pretext of whatever, necrosing pseudo-legitimity, of financing their rap (as if this word could still qualify such moronic outbursts of mythomania) by dealing and ripping off some naïve dudes. Then comes Omar “A.O.K.” Mouallem, who dares show another way when he announces that he pulled off his first album, If You Don’t Buy This Cd, The Terrorists Win… by selling books. His books, at that.

Right there, we feel the giant gap that’s forming between the different actors of the “game”. More than this, we sense the singular approach that defines Assault Of Knowledge. A most singular touch that goes beyond the promotional slogan and actually permeates the contents of these twelve titles. This collection is dense, glued together by a rootsy if not rough production style, yet made breathable by samples that range from the soulful (Walk Like A Man) to the smartly satirical (Hip Hop à la mode) and the comically ironic (the hilarious The Hood Samaritan), without ever losing sight of an overall ethical message.

Resisting easy-and-caricatured, trite-and-overdone ways that would only fail to champion his views (views powerful and hopefully persuasive: see the very pedagogical Freedom Is A State Of Mind), this native Lebanese MC based in Edmonton, Canada has spent half his 23 years scratchin’ paper, rhymin’ away. And here he shares with us a personal path, in a life where his roots, elders’ religion and country’s history take centre stage.

One piece illustrates this perfectly: The Cedar Seed. Though quickly produced (or so to say, not produced, really), this track says more in a few measures than we would in spates of lines about this character, a fella that well deserves we lend him an ear, or two. And that we pay him further attention, for sure.

By Manooch of L’oreille de moscou
Kindly translated by former linguist now rising actor Manuel Sinor

Tags: If You Don't Buy this CD the Terrorists Win, L'orielle de moscou, manuel sinor, review