Back in 2005, rapper emcee SCORZAYZEE said in a Leftlion interview that he’d probably only ever return from `retirement’ if he had something to say that was worth saying, that he didn’t want to just talk for the sake of talking. Now, ten years later, after a Kickstarter raised over a whopping 16K, he has crafted a mammoth double LP entitled “Aeon: Peace To The Puzzle“. After finally getting my restless writer’s hands on said album, I realise why his cavalry of fans have raised so much.
The album features 28 songs, all complete with their own individuality (which is pretty impressive for a double album). The song themes range from politics to depression, love to education, and is essentially about bringing peace and clarity after exorcising personal demons. The most endearing thing about Scorz’s poetry, is the humour that laces the serious messages within. After learning a bit about his life, and some of the difficulties he has endured throughout his secession from the music industry, it is comforting to listen to the album and still find that spark of humour amidst the sometimes bleak stories that he tells.
In the track entitled `All Together‘, the lines `that’s why I grabbed that mic and started rhyming/ Proof you can survive the mountain that you’re climbing’ mirrors what the whole album represents; a validation that you can vanquish even the biggest of challenges, mentally and physically, and that no matter what box society has forced you into, there is always a way to overcome and continue doing what you love.
Now, I would love to write about every single beautiful track, but frankly I feel that would lead into something that resembled a Dissertation. Instead, I’m going to lead you through three of my favourites, which will hopefully prepare you for the rest of the 25 absolute tunes.
Firstly, my favourite track off the album, that expresses the witty and comical side to Scorzayzee is `Good Grammar‘. In this song, Scorz’ uses irony through the use of bad grammar to convey that it really doesn’t matter how you speak. The immediate line `I was more crapper at football than all the other kids is’ perfectly demonstrates this. I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face as I listened, not really knowing what to expect. Then as he says `it’s like the seventy-toothed (72th) time that I re-writed the rhyme’, I realise Scorz is demonstrating his talent for writing great rhymes, by ironically using bad grammar. It’s like a clever little `fuck you’ to all the Grammar Nazi’s out there, it’s bloody brilliant, and I love it.
Next, `Heroes Never Die (feat. DAUDI MATSIKO)‘ is another song which depicts the diverse tone of the album, as this song is slightly more sombre. It focuses mostly on what has been left behind after the deaths of some influential famous people. Names such as Marilyn Monroe, Bob Marley, and Frank Sinatra are dropped throughout the song, just to name a few! It concentrates on these people, and the anxiety that comes with wondering what we too will leave behind after we die. The intro begins with Daudi’s harmonious vocal complete with simple guitar work, and the lyrics are not only poetic, but also informative; almost becoming a bit of a history recap for my tiny, tiny mind:
The demons got to Bruce Lee the night the scarecrows cried
And Buddy Holly’s plane crashed from the sky
Frankie Lyman got shanked by the devil himself
Disguised as record labels inviting him into the wealth
The highlife itself, the price – your health
No loyalty, people fighting over your royalties
Lady Di rose above us
Ghandi taught us how to act like brothers,
Tupac – respect our mothers
And Abraham freed the slaves
Malcolm and Martin were slain
Because when they spoke our hearts would relate…
From this opening, it can be interpreted that Scorz’ is having a dig at how pressurising industries and being in the spotlight can break people. This could also be slightly alluding to the reasons for his pause from the music industry. The song continues on to be a soft, honest, and interesting tune which I wholeheartedly love listening to (yes, even those 10-plus times I did, trying to note down those lyrics…)
`The Heart‘ is the third song which really highlights the previously talked about theme of the album. With help from the repeated sample of quotes such as `the whole purpose of writing is to affect the heart’, Scorz’ comments on the importance of using writing as therapy. This song, much like some of the others, has a simple beat, obviously in order to emphasise the importance of the lyrical content. I feel the most resonating line for us (after Scorz went away for ages) may be `Writing is my counsellor, I feel better now I’ve said it’, because, well, so do we, Scorz’, so do we…
The beautiful thing about this album is that it’s obvious that it’s all organic, it comes straight from his heart, and it is humble. Not to mention that there’s not one song that feels like a repeat of what we’ve heard before; even as I type, I find myself pausing every so often to replay each one, just so I don’t miss out on a brilliant lyric. Overall, the thing looks to be an absolute masterpiece from a hugely talented Nottingham artist, and I feel pretty good to have been able to write about it. Big up Scorz!
You can now buy the album on iTunes HERE. We’ll let you know if we here of any Nottingham record shops stocking it.
Yours in Love of New Music,
Emily Rose Malone x
