ScholarMan

http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/630882/yelawolf-gives-some-advice-to-scholarman.jhtml - MTV

“ScholarMan reminds me of veteran emcee and beatsmith Large Professor—a compliment which I do not hand out lightly! His beats are jazzy and filled with well-chosen and intricately chopped samples, horn loops, and orchestral flourishes, without sacrificing his flair for 90s-style boom bap. “ – Quentin Huff for Popmatters.com (review of “Soul Purpose”) - Popmatters.com

“…ScholarMan is one of those MCs that doesn’t have to talk about being real. He just demonstrates real through his music. His music touches me. I can relate to it.” – Nathaniel Long for HipHopLinguistics.com (review of “Candy Medicine”) - HipHopLinguistics.com

“Scholar is here to stay. Armed with a strong political point of view and awareness of the current state of affairs he has something to say, and it’s worth listening to. Unlike some hip-hop acts with a message, Scholar makes the effort to keep the head nodding as he educates on the social ills of inequality. “
– Enyi Emesih for OkayPlayer.com (review of “The X Files”) - OkayPlayer.com

"ScholarMan’s flow and lyrics are as fresh as ever and, in the end, are what make Gameshift a worthwhile spin" - Michael Kabran for Popmatters.com(GameShift: The Movement review) - Popmatters.com

"I like the mix of political views, pop culture and hip-hop spirituality that SM weaves together on this track. Vocally he reminds me of Diamond D.." - Rapreviews.com (review of GameShift: The Movement) - Rapreviews.com

It may be a bold move to call your own music “revolutionary”, especially at this point in hip-hop’s history where artists and fans are battling to find something authentic. One does not have to look far on “The Love Freedom Movement”, for not only is it revolutionary by today’s standards, but also celebratory.

What I find satisfying about the songs on this CD is that they look into themselves to find answers for what they face in this world, trying to confront the reality of living in the light by shining a light back in the eyes meant to blind. In other words, this isn’t about shooting bitches up for crack and endless bank and partying in the club afterwards, but rather trying to find solutions in a world where one can’t help but question everything. That’s the lyrical tone throughout the album, with Scholar’s beats and productions being the glue to the stories and lessons on here.

Production-wise, Scholar is heavily influenced by the sounds of the early and mid-90’s, but refines it, polishes it a bit, and (dare I say) improves on the formula. He ends up creating sounds that are not only pounding and booming at the right moments, but are also quite musical. I’m someone who also likes appropriate samples which can compliment the lyrics, and that can be heard in “You Were There”, “Time Has Come”, and “What’s Going On”.

TrueBless’ confidence on the mic works perfectly with the beats, he doesn’t come off arrogant or cocky, nor is he lightweight. What I liked about his flows is that he changes up each time, not unlike Gift Of Gab, Mos Def, or Raashan Ahmad. There’s a sense of spirit in what he does, one which fans will want to stay close to.

The Love Freedom Movement isn’t afraid to discuss the good and bad about the world in which we live in, and thus fans should not be afraid to embrace these two gentlemen who turn modern day paranoia into a mission for unity and sanity.

– John Book
Okayplayer.com - Okayplayer.Com

ScholarMan may be the hardest working Baltimore rapper you probably haven't heard of, with a thick discography that appears to grow every few months. His 2009 included a solo full-length and two collaborative EPs and, at the top of 2010, he came right back with a new album, Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul. True to his name, ScholarMan is a calm, almost professorial vocal presence, kicking knowledge in a more overtly educational way than the average rapper. Within two minutes of pressing play on Free Spirit, he's sampling a snippet of Pete Rock and CL Smooth's "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" as if giving a rap history lesson via his own personal experiences.

Unfortunately, like much hip-hop that celebrates the music itself, ScholarMan's music is more earnest than entertaining in making its case. Listening to the lead single, "I Love Hip-Hop Music," featuring K-Mynez, it's hard to doubt their sincerity, but their joy isn't palpable, their passion never bursting out of the speakers. Over the coarse of an album, ScholarMan's steady, controlled delivery starts to get monotonous, and his wordplay rarely gets more evocative than "ugly like the dude from Lord of the Rings."

But ScholarMan is also a producer, and it's on Free Spirit's beats that he really finds his voice and demonstrates the breadth of his talent. Throughout the album, trebly, gracefully chopped up string samples float over boom-bap drums and lock together in beautifully unpredictable grooves. "Reap, Sow" has the clicky atmosphere and loose swing of a RZA track down pat, while the scratched vocal samples on the chorus recall DJ Premier. And when ScholarMan shows his knowledge of hip-hop through his beats, it makes what he raps about resonate all the more. - Baltimore City Paper

Although he is known for socially consious and soulful music, Maryland-based artist and producer, ScholarMan, refuses to be boxed in a specific sub-genre of hip-hop. His message and lyrical style have conjured up comparison to the likes of Common, Masta Ace and Chuck D, while his production has been compared to that of Hi-Tek, DJ Premier and the late J Dilla. Pretty good company there, but instead of resting his hat on those laurels, ScholarMan is intent on getting better. Considering himself a student of hip-hop and an advocate of the culture, this emcee shares his beliefs and views through his music. After several local releases, his first international album, "Candy Medicine", was released in 2007. Due to the response by the fans of that release, SM now religiously drops an album annually. In 2008, he released "Soul Purpose" and 2009 saw "GameShift: The Movement". This time around the Soganic Music revolutionary is exploring the "Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul."

The album kicks off with the introductory "Just Me", which essentially takes the story of who ScholarMan is and where he comes from and truncates it down to three minutes and thirty-seven seconds. He flows effortlessly over the beat, and the cuts do in fact remind me of the aforementioned Premier. He does seem to have a slight obsession with the 2007 movie, "Superbad", as he references it in the album's first two songs. K-Mynez makes an appearance on the call and response anthem that is "I Love Hip Hop Music". Both "Set Above" and "Reap, Sow" feature strong production and the latter showcases more well placed cuts.

Scholar flips the script on "Babydoll", at least lyrically, as we find him courting a lucky young lady. The track features a Curtis Mayfield sample from his song of the same name. The tempo picks up a bit on "Hold Me Back". This is followed by one of the album's standout tracks, "Hood Stories Vol. 4". I would assume that there were previous "Hood Stories" installments on his previous releases, but this time around, Scholar tells a story similar to the 1995 film, "Dead Presidents". The song actually starts off with a clip of dialogue from the movie before going in-depth about the despair of a disillusioned war veteran, as he raps:

"Fresh off the plane, he's hopin' to get some sanity
His country tricked him, said he fought for humanity
Like you can guess, he got post-traumatic stress
Hard for him to breathe, lost a lung through his chest
Plus he drinks now, slowly, killin' his liver
Bad dreams, just to wake up to a shiver
His daughter scared of him, and his shorty's worried
Can he maintain with the strife that he carries
Before he left, he was far from a mess
Church every week, that's his fam, they got the best
Now he can hardly hold a job cause he's Kirkin out
Seein' things, weird words that he's blurtin' out
So that means bills are stacked, then they stack more
He wishes he was dead, what he come back for
All he think 'bout is 'Damn, I'm a veteran
Iraq..two tours, I deserve better than
Uncle Sam owes me, I'm gon' take it
Guarantee I'm gon' make it, rob this muthafucka naked'"

The album starts to wind down with "Hopes & Dreams" and "Love Potion". The closer, "Remember When" features the vocals of Teisha Marie. Bearing a vocal resemblance to Chrisette Michelle, she provides the perfect compliment to Scholar's flows about lost and would've-been loves. Overall, I think that ScholarMan does well enough to avoid being aimlessly tossed into any particular sub-genre. Being that he does his own production, he has the ability to craft and rock beats that best suit his style of rhyming. It's not difficult to tell that he's studied hard, and it probably won't be too much longer before he's getting A's across the board. - Rap Reviews