Rank: 4.5/5
After a handful of mixtapes that made small waves in the hip-hop community, Brooklyn-based rap trio Flatbush Zombies released its gritty debut album “3001: A Laced Odyssey.”
Assembled in 2012, Flatbush Zombies are composed of Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice and the group’s producer, Erick “The Architect” Elliott.
Both Darko’s aggressive, growling vocal delivery and Juice’s signature playful, erratic flows have found their way to this new album. Yet, group’s lyricism and production have improved greatly from previous projects.
“3001: A Laced Odyssey” is jam-packed with deeply self-aware and introspective lyrics veiled underneath typical drug-fueled rapper personas. Themes that run throughout the entire album include loss of sanity and existential crises, most prominently on tracks such as “Ascension.”
“I have ascended, I’m trying to be better than God / What the f— am I saying? I ain’t even enter my prime / Taking over the world, we’ll do it one day at a time / Time is an illusion, I think I’m losing my mind.”
Darko and Juice have very different voices and flows, but they play off each other exceptionally well. Every track on this project was interesting in some way, shape or form, beginning with the opening track “The Odyssey.”
The actual music is preceded by a narrator who introduces you to Flatbush Zombies’ members and the “Odyssey” itself. This introduction is quickly followed by some of the best verses on the entire project, making it a hard album to walk away from.
“This is my ghetto symphony,” Juice raps on the opener.
Throughout the album, Flatbush Zombies deliver some of the best hooks of any recent hip hop releases, particularly on the tracks “R.I.P.C.D.” and “Trade-Off.”
Even the interlude track, “Smoke Break,” is filled with witty lyrics and catchy flows. “3001: A Laced Odyssey” never felt dull or uninspired at any point in its one-hour runtime.
Other notable tracks include “Bounce,” “New Phone, Who Dis?” and the album’s incredible 13-minute closing track, “Your Favorite Rap Song.” With that being said, each song on the record deserves a listen.
“3001: A Laced Odyssey” appears to be only the beginning of a very successful journey for Flatbush Zombies.