Edgar Allen Floe

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A268902

12 NOV 2008 • by Eric Tullis

With his bassy voice, Triangle rapper Edgar Allen Floe—the soi-disant "Justus League GZA"—nearly made one of my ex-girlfriends leave me to find a man with a bit more boom in his voice. It did a harsh number on my ego, sure, but who could deny the gentlemanly impression Floe and producer 9th Wonder left when they made the messianic pledge "The Righteous Way to Go" by sampling Curtis Mayfield. I couldn't, and apparently she couldn't either.

But the question with Floe and his bottomless voice has long been this: Can his monotone rap sequences keep someone from getting drowsy halfway through his full-length, if and when he releases one? And there's the corollary, of course: Is that the thunderous voice of God rapping at me, or just a rapper with vocal chords made out of space-age alloy?

A couple of mixtapes and a brief stay on the Shaman Work Recordings label later, Mr. Floe has finally released his official debut, The Streetwise LP, on his own label, MCEO Records. Despite all of the concern with intonation here, Floe raps from a pulpit of authority that not many emcees rival. "Arrest the President (Cypher God)" finds Floe's black militancy intact—armed with five-percenter theology, Egyptology and nationalism, all spit over a rapid drum-rumble. Until now, you've never heard Floe rap so fast about such serious topics, and he sticks it, tumbling over the self-produced beat like an anvil doing a series of front layouts.

Such tracks offer the sort of welcome versatility that we haven't really seen from many Justus League emcees. There's nothing wrong with the "sample-chopped, snare-heavy" formula we're all used to from the League. In fact, Floe lets the usual alchemy happen with 9th Wonder on "The Hit," "Shine" and album opener "What It Is," which features fellow JL'er Median. His prepubescent-esque voice offers welcome, priceless contrast to start the album. But even more priceless is the fact we finally have a finished E.A. Floe LP that's pretty good. I do hope my new girlfriend hates it, though. - Indyweek.com

http://www.jazzandsoul.eu/edgarallenfloereview.htm

Edgar Allen Floe
The Streetwise LP
© 2008 MCEO Records

"Good, decent hiphop, old school 'flavourish' in a nice production."

When reading reviews about Justus League members releasing solo albums, the main question always seems to be, what the impact is going to be from producer 9th Wonder. Fair … I suppose, but isn’t that exactly what’s also happening in main stream music where Kanye West or Pharrell are credited on about every ‘soul’, ‘hiphop’ and ‘R&B’ album nowadays ? Fact is I believe, that, whatever or who contributes to a record, when it’s beneficial for the tracks and the music, it shouldn’t really matter.
And here’s The streetwise LP, a 16 track album by Edgar Allen Floe (what a wicked streetname that is), featuring guest appearances by fellow Justus League members Median and L.E.G.A.L. and relying on the producing skills of 9th Wonder (who produced only 3 tracks if I may), Khrysis and Blunt. No matter what, in my opinion Edgar Allen Floe gave birth to a good hip hop album, funded on E’s steady baritone, some truly amazing old school vibes and nicely sculpted soulish samples. True, not all tracks stand out, but most of the cuts are more than worth checking out. I was exceptionally charmed by What it Is (with a super sample and beats that create the perfect atmosphere for the track), The Hit (and its pumpin’ beats over a slender horn sample), Arrest the President (a tune that sounds as if it came ‘straight outta’ NWA record) and Shine. Edgar Allen Floe’s jams remind me a bit of that 70’s cult movie vibes you know. Damn good but with a ‘dirty’, alternative and greasy edge. Anyway … The Streetwise LP certainly is worth a buy. Good decent hip hop, old school ‘flavourish’ and a killer production. I surely wouldn’t mind listening to some more ‘Floe flows’ in the near future. And maybe the best way to end this is with an Edgar Allen Floe rhyme …
“I’m the one who sits back and simply observes. Rather listen closely before I speak a word.” Think about that.
Recommended.

A Teach review - JazzandSoul.com

Edgar Allen demonstrates the righteous way to Floe

Posted by El Keter ben Tzadik


EDGAR ALLEN FLOE

'Floe Almighty: The Chronicles Of Edgar Allen Floe'

Shaman Work

It feels like I just reviewed a record from Justus League affiliate Edgar Allen Floe a couple months ago. And I guess I feel like that because I actually did review an EA Flow album a few short moths ago. Hot on the heels of that release, the 'True Links EP,' Floe has returned with a full length release featuring new material and remixes of a few of his previously released tracks called 'Floe Almighty.' Not much has changed between the release of 'True Links' and 'Floe Almighty.' Floe still comes raw and straightforward with a deep monotone delivery that's more than a little reminiscent of Large Professor and Edo. G. He's still down with the Justus Leage. And though he branches out and self-produces more of the tracks on this release he's still got JL beatsmiths 9th Wonder and Khrysis backing him up with their signature soulful loops and neck-snapping drum programming.

As you might expect, the most appealing beats on the set come courtesy of 9th and Khrysis. Which isn't to say that Floe's own early '90s throwback style of production is wack ( it actually comes off particularly tight on "Hostility" and "Changes ( Mood Swings )" ) but 9th and Khrysis just bring their A-Game throughout. In fact, the first time I put the 'Floe Almighty' disc into my CD player I was forced to ask out loud why 9th's beats on his own group's albums ( especially Little Brother's recent 'The Minstal Show' ) always seem to pale in comparison to the shit he laces other cats ( a list that includes Murs, Sean Price, Edgar Allen Floe, Cesar Comanche and others ) with. Tracks like "Craftmatic," "Floe Almighty" and "The Torch" just bubble with feel-good energy thanks to Krysis and 9th Wonder's airy, almost whimsically musical soul chops, vocal samples and propulsive drum work.

More than anything though it's Edgar and 9th's "The Righteous Way To Go ( Remix )" that makes the disc a must-listen. Musically beautiful and lyrically uplifting, this track more than measures up against many of the classic "message raps" we know and have grown to love over the years. The irresistability of "The Righteous Way To Go" is due in large part to 9th Wonder's track which liberally samples Curtis Mayfield's spiritual soul classic "The Makings Of You," freaking the tune's string-fueled melody and chunks of the song's vocals ( particular the "righteous way to go" refrain ) over a beat comprised of a raw combination of kick, snare and shaker. The result is the perfect backdrop for Floe's grown-man-talk raps that blend fatherly protectiveness, older-brother-style confrontational attitude and the common sense social analytics of a street-corner-philosopher.

In the end the less-than-homogenous production on 'Floe Almighty' leaves the album feeling a little uneven in comparison to Floe's 'True Links.' But whereas the 'True Links' EP may have been more consistent on a whole as a tight package of solid tracks it lacked the obvious standout "hits" that 'Floe Almighty' posesses in "Craftmatic," "Floe Almighty," "The Torch," and most especially "The Righteous Way To Go." This odd balance makes the full-length 'Floe Almighty' seem more like an exceptional EP padded out with slightly less-than-exceptional filler in the name of making it an LP. As it stands 'Floe Almighty' is a worthwhile listen ( even it it's just for the highlights ), but had the tracklist been kept lean and mean it would have been a a sure-fire "must-hear" all the way through. - Imageyenation.com

Edgar Allen Floe - Floe Almighty: The Remixture - @@@@

The Justus League definitely keeps busy. As the final phase of preparation for the impending release of his Streetwise LP, Edgar Allen Floe gives us Floe Almighty: The Remixture. Now, in the world of modern Hip Hop, the art of the remix has become lost and somewhat misconstrued. Once upon a time, a remix improved on a song by either changing the beat, flipping different lyrics or by doing both. Nowadays, remixes tend to just cutting and pasting in whoever the hot artist is at the moment and throwing it out to the people. Floe obviously understands that a remix can give a totally alternate perception of song, hence this "remix" album contains all new instrumentals for all the songs and new verses on a handful of them. His successful execution of the remix concept transforms the original version and makes this feel like a totally overhauled product.


Compared to the original Floe Almighty, the tone of this version is decidedly smoother. This is most evident in the remix of "Livelyhood" produced by Blunt. The melancholy keys provide the perfect contrast to Floe's deep baritone and the more rugged boom bap of the original. Fans of the traditional Justus League sound need not worry as 9th Wonder and Khrysis are in full effect on this disc. 9th provides a uncharacteristic [but still dope] rasta bounce to his remix of "Skyward" on which Floe effortlessly bounces along the vocal chops. Khrysis also chimes in with his remix of "Craftmatic" which includes majestic chants and Floe sounds completely at home over the sounds cape. He rips it to shreds with clever lines such as "you should only deal with absolute best, that's fresh, you know I'm correct/three lefts that's right".

Ironically the best song on the album is not even a remix. The Khrysis produced bonus cut "Off & On" is a pure highlight. The slightly off kilter rhythm and funky guitar licks combined with Floe's most energetic delivery yet makes you only wonder of the level of quality we will experience on the upcoming album. Despite the album's amazing consistency, the only misstep to be heard here is the remix of the classic "The Righteous Way To Go". Even 9th Wonder couldn't improve on this song last time round and that proves to be the same here. The beat provided is definitely well produced but you cannot help but compare it to the more superior original.

All in all, Floe definitely remains consistent on his third release. If this is any indication of what awaits us on The Streetwise LP coming in January, then we'll have enough heat to keep us warm during and beyond the inevitable cold start of 2008. - K.I.N.E.T.I.K. - hiphopsite.com

http://www.songoftheyear.com/winners/2008/decru/suggs.htm

See "Daryl Sams" aka Edgar Allen Floe. - songoftheyear.com

http://www.songoftheyear.com/webawards/d/darylsams.htm - songoftheyear.com

"Floe Almighty" Number 1 on Spin Tracking Chart
The Dope Spot Hip Hop Mixshow
Spin Tracking Chart
6/26 & 6/27

http://rapattacklives.proboards41.com/index.cgi?action=recent

Top of the World

1 - Edgar Allen Floe - Floe Almighty - Shaman Work
2 - Jake Lefco Headphones - K.R.U.
3 - Ugly Duckling - Bang For The Buck - Fat Beats
4 - Fax 4 - Ink Lined - Fax 4
5 - MURS & 9th Wonder - Murray's Revenge - Record Collection
6 - People Under The Stairs - Stepfather - Basement
7 - 7L & Esoteric - Play Dumb - Babygrande
8 - Five Deez - Slow Children Playing - Ample Soul
9 - Joe Good - Hi, Can I Help You? - Black Clover
10 - Various Artists - Natural Selection - Nature Sounds - The Dope Spot Hip Hop Mixshow

True Links review: imageyenation.com

http://www.imageyenation.com/main/archive/1/2005-09

Friday, September 30, 2005

This is what happens when I try to write a short review like Cereffusion...


EDGAR ALLEN FLOE

'True Links'

MCEO

The members of North Carolina's Justus League crew just keep crankin' out that soulful, boom-bap, hip-hop shit. Releases from Foreign Exchange, Rapper Big Pooh, Median, L.E.G.A.C.Y., producer 9th Wonder ( alongside Duck Down general Buckshot ), the Away Team, Spectac, and Splash, have all made significant noise for the collective over the last year or two. And the crew's old-heads Cesar Comanche and Little Brother have both just released landmark full-length projects of their own as well. So, one might think that the Justus League family of artists may be stretching themselves a little thin right bout now, right? But not so, and as a matter of fact the various members of the posse just keep stepping up out of the shadows with solid rap records again and again. Case in point being longtime JL member Edgar Allen Floe, and his new EP 'True Links.'

Flexing straightforward vocab, uncomplicated wordplay and a remorselessly inflectionless monotone delivery, Edgar Allen's voice and flow could easily draw comparisons to true-school heroes such as Large Professor, Edo. G, Masta Ace, Guru of Gang Starr, CL Smooth, and even Eric Sermon & Parrish Smith of EPMD, who all brandished similar styles. And such comparisons would certainly not be without specious evidentiary proofs, as song titles like "Back In Time" ( a slowed down, bass-heavy Khrysis production where he reminisces back on everything from golden-era hip-hop to ancient video game 'Mr. Doo,' ), and lyrics about suckers who "talk shit about the pioneers" ( delivered over a disco-ey, vocal-sample-fueled, Illmind produced, bounce-clap groove on "I For An I" ) make it pretty clear that not only does E A Floe have an affinity for that "back in the day shit," but he considers himself, and his crew torchbearers of that by-gone era's spirit and style.

As such, only a handful of tracks on the disc ( which, not surprisingly, happen to be the ones produced by JL crew-members 9th Wonder, Khrysis, and to a certain extent, extended JL fam Illmind ) bear the obvious stamp of what has become the very recognizable signature sound of the Justus League. Burgeoning production superstar 9th Wonder contributes two such selections, "Faith In Love," which features chopped horn samples, bouncing sub-bass, and one of those now ubiquitous soulful vocal samples over shuffle-step kick drums and cracking snares, and "The Great Escape," a synthesizer and horn sample fueled head-nodder that has "late night drive" written all over it. The former finds E A Floe mushing critics, internet blabbermouths ( hey man, take it easy now! ) and new-jacks, proclaiming that "the new Mecca is the Carolinas," and asking the real true-school heads to get on board and "kill all the hate, for hip-hop's sake," while Justus Leaguers Median and L.E.G.A.C.Y. join the proceedings on the latter for a verbal breakdown of everything it takes to make it, and maybe attain a position of respect and leadership, in the hip-hop game.

The remainder of the disc finds Floe reaching out to other beatmakers who, though they are still loosely affiliated with the JL crew, don't necessarily favor the patented Fruity Loops powered production formula of a 9th Wonder or Khrysis. In fact, the work presented by producers Obsidian Blue, DJ Forge ( of Forge & Amen ) and Floe himself ( credited to his alias Slycemysta ) lean more towards styles pioneered by hip-hop maestro's of the past more than anything else. On "Timelife" ( and no, it's not about the publishing conglomerate behind all those late-night television book offers ) newcomer Obsidian Blue lays down a track comprised of atmospheric flute & string loops, dreamy harp plucks, chimes, delicate keys, neck-snapping drums and warm bass programming for E A Floe's introspective socio-political meanderings, resulting in a joint that could easily pass for the type of laid-back tune one might expect Buckwild to lace up a mid-nineties release from Mic Geronimo or some such emcee with. DJ Forge opts for a more up-tempo, celebratory vibe, replete with funky chicken scratch guitar loops and horn stabs on "The Formula 2005," the first, and arguably strongest, full track on the disc, where the combination of Floe's vocal performance and the groovy feel-good production just might give heads flashbacks of legendary Main Source front-man Large Professor, most especially the track "Bonafied Funk," his well-received collaboration with the Brand New Heavies. And when E A Floe steps behind the boards for himself on "Livelyhood," a musical command to "liven it up," he just continues the listener's trip back in time as he drops a heavily filtered bassline, a basic boom-bap drum track, a rollicking piano & horn loop, and echoed horn stabs that pay tribute to... well... pretty much every producer who made a hip-hop record between 1992 and 1995 really.

What some listeners may find surprising about 'True Links' is how well it's exhibition of Edgar's retrospective tendencies demonstrates the vital link between the hip-hop of yesteryear and what the Justus League is doing today. The "old school but new school" beats and rhymes presented by Edgar and his collaborators actually make it easier to see that these guys aren't just wearing their influences on their sleeve, going out of their way to imitate their heroes, or making a feeble ( and misguided ) attempt to resurrect a fabled form of "dead" art called hip-hop. They know what so many other people don't seem to, that hip-hop is in fact alive! That it's not a thing you go look at in a museum, or some fabulous legend full of dead Kings and long forgotten Gods to be passed down through the generations. They know because they, very simply, make hip-hop records. And it's evident that they don't make them like they used to either. No, they make them like some of us always have, and hopefully always will. So though it's far from being an undisputed classic, and it's certainly not the type of revolutionary piece of music that could spur an elevation of the art-form, Edgar Allen Floe's 'True Links' is just the type of record that keeps hip-hop alive, because it is live hip-hop. - Imageyenation.com

True Links review: allhiphop.com
Current mood: accomplished
True Links

Artist: Edgar Allen Floe
Title: True Links
Rating: 3.5 of 5
Reviewed by: Starrene Rhett

The latest member of the Justus League to pick up the mic and ward off wack-lyrical-evil-doers everywhere is Edgar Allen Floe, with his True Links EP (MCEO). There are no R&B choruses and no repetitious chanting of oafish lyrics screamed over the beat ad nauseam. With minimal guest appearances, and production by 9thWonder, Illmind, Khrysis, Obsidian Blue, Picasso, DJ Forge, and Slicemysta, Floe’s alter ego, True Links is a dope listening experience. Encompassing a jazzy sound reminiscent of east coast Hip-Hop circa the early to mid 90’s, the 9-track head-bopper forces the listener to pay attention not only to the beat, but to E.A. Floe’s keen storytelling and agile flow-pun intended.

The opening song, “The Formula 2005,” is a cautionary tale about what happens to lyrical contenders who imitate Floe’s “formula.” With a heavy emphasis on horns and tambourine-like drums, it sounds like it’s from a blaxploitation movie soundtrack; enter the movie’s hero walking down the street donned in his finest apparel, turning heads with theme music playing in the background. What exactly happens to verbal contenders? They get embarrassed and destroyed by Floe’s superior skills. The good news is, you won’t be continually pressing the skip button, however, there are some tracks that stand out more than others. “Back in Time” is a laid back, funky ode to Floe’s childhood experience, growing up with Hip-Hop. Reminding 80’s children of early LL Cool J, Kangols, and break dancing (or at least attempting to) at block parties, it takes on a somber tone as Floe describes why he feels that capitalism and greed have drastically changed the music that he loves, for the worse. In the end, he lifts the mood again by proclaiming his mission to save the music and culture. “The Great Adventure” featuring L.E.G.A.C.Y. and Median, affirms the Justus Leagues’ mission to make strategic moves that will lead them to musical success.“Imagine” urges dreamers to obtain their goals not only for the benefit of themselves but also for the benefit of generations to come. And lastly, “Livelyhood” takes you back to ’93. Thanks to Floe’s lyrical guidance, the listener can vividly picture them self at a party with Floe on stage commanding the crowd, as they hypnotically oblige his requests to wave hands from side to side. In this song, Floe urges the listener to make no mistake about his superior crowd moving skills.

Edgar Allen Floe has enough promise to have as big an impact on Hip-Hop as the same influence legendary writer, Edgar Allen Poe had on literature. As the play on words in his moniker suggests, the man has skills and Tue Links is a worthy introduction to Floe 101.
- allhiphop.com