All dissing and beefing aside, S.O.U.L. Purpose’s new album, The Construction, makes a strong case for new growth in the greater NY area’s scene.

Hailing from Jersey City, S.O.U.L. Purpose’s leader, Mazzi, has been on his grind hard for years, ever since his days with Jersey legends The Ancients; The Construction works most of all a testament to Mazzi’s determination and work ethic — and to his deep love for Chilltown.

Recently making waves with attacks on other artists and the industry in general, so Mazzi’s gravely voice and aggressive flow should already be familiar to you. But beneath the coarse exterior, there’s some real love here. The Construction picks up where Breaking Records (out on Coup d’Etat) left off, melding beat styles from all around the country (witness the d.p. NY-crunk of “The Product” or “1&9″… the chilled out Bay Area accessibility of “Cut the Rug”… or the hard knock drums of “Concrete Jungle”) with Mazzi’s hard-line rhymes and true life stories.

But most of all, The Construction is a heavy evocation of the Jersey Chilltown scene.  Neighborhood gems like “Tonelle Ave” — describing a day in the life of a Jersey City hip hop head, all set to Mazzi’s Chilltown swing — will have heads nodding with recognition on both sides of the Hudson. As with many of the best MCs in history, Mazzi’s inspiration is his home — and the album spells out a Jersey love letter that’s as honest as anything coming out of any other American city today.

In Mazzi’s words:  “My music is the sound of reason, revolution, growth, struggle, experience, and debauchery all wrapped up into what I think is best described as “Street Corner Soul Music”. S.O.U.L. Purpose is real life, my life, and the life around me. I represent the average man with the above average flow. I make motivational music for the thinker. S.O.U.L. Purpose can be digested on several levels so everybody can relate to it one way or another. I wear my heart on my sleeve and rhyme about what I know. I concentrate on content, concepts, and captivating flow patterns to paint a vivid picture in songs.”

The Construction dropped April 29 on Devoon Edutainment.

You can grab S.O.U.L. Purpose’s attack on the scene ”Lesson A” here, if you’re curious what all the drama has been about…

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at 10:48 am and is filed under Music, New York. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.