Foundation Movement

Like a lot of independent Hip-Hoppers, the Foundation's two MC's have solid voices and a slew of self-released tracks on the Internet and in stores. Unlike the rest of the pack, however, this group has something to say-and rock solid beats to rock over. The trio of Eroc, Optimus and DJ El bring more than lyrical skills and hot beats to the game; they also bring a message. Their rhymes express unity, and an unapologetic rejection of the negativity that pervades so much of today's Hip-Hop. You won't find bling, hos or drug deals in these rhymes-but this isn't namby-pamby nice-guy rap either. Speaking about economic oppression and political injustice used to be one of Hip-Hop's conerstone themes, and the Foundation is reviving that ailing element. Plus, they talk the talk and walk the walk. They've not only received critical praise for their music, but have also been civically honored for their activism and local volunteer efforts. - "Improper Bostonian" Boston's Best Issue

MCs Eroc and Optimus are on this blazing 2005 compilation that serves as a preview to their recently released "official" full-length Greatest Hits. Though positioned much like a promotional "mixtape," any similarities to the format end with the shout-outs and the sequencing of songs on the CD; UnReleased is tight, polished and finished product, mixtape in spirit minus the throwaway freestyles and warmed-over breakbeats.
Well-respected throughout Boston's leftist community and abroad, Eroc and Optimus combine the hopefulness of their youth with the grounded practicalities of seasoned activist, and, fortunately for listeners, they lack the self-seriousness that runs the average emcee into the same old stylistic corners, especially those with conscious pretensions.
From the raucous call to arms "Where You At?" to the soaring dance-floor workout "UpRock Anthem (For The Breakers)," UnReleased is a success in keeping it real and keeping it fun simultaneously. Eroc and Optimus close (and set up their next album) with a hilarious indictment of mainstream Hip-hop excess in "Shake Your Asses" (featuring the scathing chorus "Ladies shake your asses/Fellas lift your glasses/Drop it like it's hot/We rocking the latest fashion/G's in the club/
Weed my only drug/Diamonds tinted blood/So the ladies show me love").

- Colorlines Magazine by Juba Kalamka

Music With A Meaning

Wise men speak because they have something to say.
Fools because they have to say something.

"It should come as no surprise that one of the hardest-working crews in the Boston hip-hop scene dropped a greatest hits album capable of leaving listeners speechless. The Foundation Movement is literally that; two emcees and a DJ with a worldwide fanbase, a firm understanding of local realities, and global sensibilities. Their music is a mixture of passion, purpose, justice, and empowerment. Their scope goes beyond Boston's borders and the confines of New England blizzards.

Eroc, Optimus, and DJ El are three young men who rhyme and make music with a determined frenzy in their lyrics and a pulsing beat in their boom-bap their is singularly unique. Over the last three years, they have amassed a budding grassroots following and street movement on the strength of their EP, The Foundation, and the street mixtape, UnReleased Classics. Yet, it is with the arrival of Greatest Hits, their debut full-length album, that we get to hear their full range of talent and taste the collection of varied cultural influences that have colored their life's perspectives.

Amazing Grace, How Sweet The Sound
Through The Storm, You Never Let Me Down
Because of My Faith, I Walk On Solid Ground
I Once Was Lost, But Now I'm Found

Far from a hodgepodge of irrelevant words that rhyme and beats that bang, Greatest Hits is a storybook album that pushes the envelope of what hip-hop music is, is not, and can be. It is organic. It is not watered-down. It is street. It is not dumbed-down. It is real. It is not formulaic. It is conscious. It is not wack.

With eighteen tracks, Greatest Hits is sure to leave listeners' appetites fully whetted with a variety of beats, instrumentals, and spoken word pieces that paint the world with many brushes, but result in a world-class musical mural that is beautiful, progressive, and dope. There are several tracks that stand out, included among them are Movement, which features legendary Boston veteran Edo G as he teams with The Foundation to drop gems. This Is Life is a soulful song with reknowned poetess/songtress Iyeoka Okoawo, while in A Prayer For Mami, we bear witness to Eroc dedicating a spoken word poem to his mother with heartfelt conviction. Other notable tracks that are sure to end up on your MP3 player's playlist are Truth (Amazing Grace), Not Like All The Others, and Durak (Whare You At?). Each has its own sound distinct from the others, yet with the same Foundation Movement stamp that brings it all together.

The Foundation Movement has toured and traveled the world, yet when they get in the studio, the results are exceptionally hard-hitting and thoroughly fly. For those who have yet to witness them perform live, playing this album loud in your vehicle or living room is the closest thing you can get to experiencing. And it does its job. Greatest Hits also features a host of talented producers and artists who collaborated on the project; Lee Wilson, Dead Prez, Kelley Nicole, Soulfege, Shana Turner, Lady Enchantress, Bambuu, Omen510, Upryz, Nelly ProTools, Neomatrix, DJ Liphted, Francis Phan, and Filthy Funk. Their contributions helped to cement this album in the annals of good music with a message that made its mark without sacrificing its integrity. And that, my friend, is what hip-hop is all about." - E. Esteves (www.esteves.org)

- Boston Pheonix

. - Boston Herald

- Boston Globe

. - What's Up Magazine