Artist: Ge-ologyTitle: Ge-ology Plays Ge-ologyRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Orisanmi Burton
If you’re a connoisseur of Hip-hop, chances are you’re an unwitting fan of Ge-ology aka G-YOUNG. This highly imaginative DJ, instrumentalist and visual artist is perhaps one of the culture’s best kept secrets. His foray into Hip-hop began in the late 80’s when he and three high school chums (one of which being an adolescent Tupac Shakur) started the group Born Busy. Since then, his soulful compositions have quietly spread around the globe amassing him a versatile resume. As is typical with the avant-garde, the artists that G has worked with are respected, but aren’t considered superstars, at least by Pop standards. Among them are Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pete Rock, Sadat X, Jill Scott and Jay Dee. However, the term “underground” doesn’t quite capture his standing in the industry. During the heyday of Rawkus Records he designed many of the label’s 12” album covers including “The Body Rock” with Mos Def, Q-Tip and Tash while his music and visual art have been featured in gallery exhibitions and international advertising campaigns for K-Swiss and H&M.
Ge-ology Plays (Female Fun) is a continuous mix of soulfully sparse Hip-hop grooves. It’s a collection of rare works and remixes created over the past decade. The predominately instrumental album plays like B-Boy lounge music. Listen to it straight through and it may begin to feel like one long song. But the heavy kicks and resounding baselines add boom bap appeal and the butter-soft guitar loops and ambient textures make it smooth enough to play when trying to seduce that latest love interest. The occasional guest spots by Pete Rock, Consequence, Vinia Mojica, Asheru and Blue Black serve only to showcase how dope a fully produced G-Young track can be.
Ultimately, Ge-ology Plays is about possibilities. Each handcrafted track provocatively sparks the listener’s imagination – like the soundtrack to a film that has yet to be made. DJ’s will want to remix it, MC’s will want to freestyle over it, B-Boys will top rock to it, and graf writers will create art with these sounds filling up the room around them. A talent like G-Young will continue to make a name for himself, and as evidenced by the release of this album, he’s ready for cats to start taking notice.