Zion-I has always been one of the more schizophrenic California hip-hop groups, as their albums jump from Cali-hyphy style raps to self-righteous hip-hop ballads. On their newest effort, The Take Over, Zion-I shows its roots in songs featuring back pack rapper Brother Ali and the eternally blunted Devin the Dude, while simultaneously breaking out into more up-beat club tracks like “Dj Dj,” “Geek to the Beat,” and “Juicy Juice”.
Thematically, the album dwells on the feelings of angst and governmental oppression that loomed over Zion’s earlier albums. Opener “The Taking” starts the album off passionately as Zion-I’s MC, Zumbi, informs the listener, “This system does not work for us, so we must take this system over and make it work for us.”
As much as The Take Over relies on such clichéd counter-cultural sentiments, the album by no means presumes to incite a global revolution over the course of its 15 tracks. With raps preaching about the gift of life and celebrating the simple pleasures of a relaxing drive down California’s coastline, Zion-I retain a healthy sense of positivity throughout The Take Over, much in line with the group’s past work.
Zumbi’s DJ counterpart Amplive delivers the goods once again, throwing down sick beats on almost every track. He demonstrates his versatility as a beatmaker through spinning jazz and big band samples on “Gumbo,” lacing “Country Baked Yams” with a shimmering electro-pop background, and kicking off “Coastin’,” with a string of piano lines.
Thanks to Amplive’s virtuosity on the decks and Zumbi’s upbeat message, The Take Over proves to be a grab bag of styles, rhymes, and samples that will attract listeners almost as diverse as the album itself.
Voice’s Choices: “Take Over,” “Coastin’ (ft. K-Flay),” “Geek to the Beat”
