| Black Ice - The Death of Willie Lynch |
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| Written by Michelle Cavanaugh | ||||
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Black Ice, notable for his poetry and spoken word, was snatched up by Russell Simmons for the Broadway production of Def Poetry Jam. Later on, Mary J. Blige invited Black Ice to perform as part of her national tour “The Breakthrough Experience.” With all of this exposure, he has taken his spoken word to a new level. The Death of Willie Lynch is mostly Ice’s poetry over toned-down quiet beats. Unfortunately, spoken word has been known to be a performance art, mainly due to its spontaneity created by the response of the crowd. When you try to record it on an album, that feeling of once-in-a-lifetime-delivery disappears. The listener is left with a batch of talent that can’t be danced to and certainly can’t be listened to over and over again. The remaining tracks featuring musicians add a much-needed element. Black Ice pairs up with fellow Philadelphian Musiq Soulchild and creates something the rest of the album is lacking. “Takeyatime” is a song about the difference between a boy and a man, childhood and adulthood. Ice’s collaborates with H. Hill on “The Beast Within,” a decent song with a beat reminiscent of Xzibit and lyrics as gritty as Mobb Deep. However, their other duo in “Rain, Hail, Sleet Or Snow” still lacks that musical harmony between MC and their lyrics. Natalie Stewart (of Floetry), V., and Chinahblac also team up with Ice on other tracks but his choice of spoken word clashes with their melodic voices. Download: “Takeyatime”
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