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Stresswon - Immaculate Deception
May 7, 2006
By: WingsOfAnAngel
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Stresswon - Immaculate Deception
Gage Caldwell, better known as StressWon, has been working on 'Immaculate Deception' for quite a while now. This is his debut album, his very first complete offering. For this album, he gathered a whole bunch of fantastic established producers and talented up-and-comers, including his own strong productions.
Stress is well-known around New Jersey; he's a solid producer in his own right, but he is mostly known as a marvelously fierce MC. 'Immaculate Deception' is built of 24 joints. There's no special structure as this is not a concept album. It's a wonderful collection of songs with one common denominator: Stress ripping the microphone.
Track 1 – Verbal Wordplay: An original beat by StressWon. It has a heavy rhythm section with a killer sub-bass. Stress keeps the flow on point. 'Verbal Wordplay' is an easy-going song with an infectious hook, the kind of ish y'all be nodding your head to while riding your flashy low-rider.
Track 2 – Aristocrat Rap: One of the many smashing Cleverwon productions on this joint. 'Aristocrat Rap' is a heavy boom-bap track. While the beat is rather simple, it's also amazingly raw. I'd say that this is some REAL Hip-Hop from the flesh of the streets. Stress' delivery is ferocious, he's riding the mic like there's no tomorrow.
Track 3 – Raw: A collaboration with French luminary DJ Excellence. You can't go wrong with the beat. It's simply blazin'! The vocal sample is perfect and the scratches are off the chain. Stress showcases his skills to the fullest extent. A great song!
Track 4 – Genius: The first of 5 collaboration with gifted fellow producer Devize. Devize comes through with a splendidly soulful beat. The vocal snippet expresses the theme of the song. Stress sounds wonderfully at home. Good work!
Track 5 - Dirtee Jerz Anthem: 2nd collaboration with DJ Excellence. Yet again, the beat suits Stress' flow unbelievably well. It's simple, but it works without a single doubt. Stress blesses the beat with his rawest lyricism.
Track 6 - WatchaGonDo Feat. B. Grimm: Stress' own production, featuring fellow MC, B. Grimm. Good beat, solid performance from both MC's. Grimy-hop from the depth of Jersey's hoods.
Track 7 - It’s Classic: Produced by one of IllMuzik's favorites - Classic. The beat is truly superb; smooth and mellow, with beautiful melodies and great rhythm patterns. This is definitely one of the best tracks on this album. Stress sounds as though he doesn't wanna stop rhymin' on top of this excellent production. "Cuz when Stress is on the mic, yo, it's always Classic". Indeed.
Stresswon - Immaculate Deception
Track 8 – OnlyBWon: A stupendous production by Dutch super-producer Jelle Dom aka Formatix. Jelle's dark beat is off the hook, one of the very best instrumentals on this joint. The beat fits Stress' reading perfectly. Those cinematic/orchestral strings and military-rhythm-patterns are extraordinary.
Track 9 - Don’t Leave: This beat was produced by IllMuzik's ShortFuze. It's a good production, based around the rhythm section and the wonderful bassline. Plus, there's a funky vocal sample, traditionally sped-up. Stress is the right MC for these beats, just listen for yourself.
Track 10 – Dimeahduzen: A spectacular production by UK's super-producer Lex. The beat is so incredibly murky and obscure... it has several layers to it. As a whole, with such beautifully mysterious background sounds and Stress' emotional flowing, this is a standout song. One of the most interesting ones I've heard in a long time.
Track 11 (Comin’ 4 Ya Crew) & Track 12 (Immaculate Deception) feature production by Cleverwon. Both songs are quite good, with 'Immaculate Deception' (theme song of the album) being the superior one.
Track 13 - The Truth: A fine Devize production with a striking performance by Stress.
Track 14 - Straight to the Chase Feat. J.J. Budget: One more DJ Excellence production. A banging song, with noticeable raps by J.J Budget. Easily one of the top songs on the album.
Track 15 (Rhyme Godfather), Track 16 (Life Ain’t Easy), Track 17 (The Greatest Emcee): Produced by Stress, Cleverwon and Devize – respectively. All three songs are enjoyable. Stress' microphone presence is flawless.
Track 18 - We Rock Spots: Produced by IllMuzik's highly-respected veteran producer Freakwncy. Freak's beat is VERY GOOD, with a memorable sitar sample. The rhythm section is excellent as well; the walking-bass takes it to the next level. Stress provides one of his most unforgettable and phenomenal moments on the microphone. A magnificent song!
Track 19 (Switchin’ Stylez) & Track 20 (Walk Away): Both are Cleverwon productions. 'Walk Away' is a hit, in the full sense of the word. In a sense, 'Walk Away' is THE NUMBER ONE song on this album. This is exactly the kind of music that drives ladies nuts. CleverWon's beat is simply tremendous, with the chorus being undoubtedly TOP-NOTCH. Stress makes outstanding use of the beat; this is one of his best recordings. Job well done!
Track 21 - Children That Have Never Seen: A fresh Wings Of An Angel production. This song is dedicated to the love of Hip-Hop. "Children Have Never Seen' is the most conscious song on the album. Wings' complex beat (composed of a distinctive rhythm section, an orchestral phrase and a powerful sax line) is juicy, to say the least. Quoting Stress' lyric: "Hip-Hop at its finest". Music to awaken you from the system...
Track 22 (Half and Half) & Track 23 (In the Zone): Produced by Devize. 'Half & Half' is a great song, with superb sampling from Classical music & an interestingly sampled hook. Nice work.
The last track, Ill Muzik, was produced by the one and only – Fade (THE Infamous moderator of IllMuzik). Fade claims that he's mostly influenced by Classical Music. Let me tell y'all - it shows off perfectly. 'Ill Muzik' is made of an absolutely ill Classical segment. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, thanks to the fabulous production and Stress' excellent MCing. Swell! - www.illmuzik.com
Discography
Immaculate Deception - 2006
Homegrown, EP - 2006
Mic Wars - 2008
All tracks can be streamed by most MP3 sites. (Itunes, Rhapsody, etc)
Photos
Bio
I grew up in a melting pot area of New Jersey. This is where music really opened my senses. There were so many different types of people from all walks of life. The different styles of music captivated me. It ranged from classic jazz to East Indian folk music. Nothing I heard though never compared to Hip Hop. I was drawn into the raw gritty message at a time where expression had took a turn into a new reality. Although I wasn't from the projects, myself and the other kids where I grew up with learned to appreciate what was being said.
"..Broken glass, everywhere..." from Kurtis Blow's "these are the Breaks" hit home. The video was as brilliant. My neighborhood park was littered with broken glass from beer bottles broken the nights and nights before. I felt a connection and immediately thought i could break dance.
As the years progressed within the Hip Hop Culture and music, so did I. I never even attempted to rap because I was white. Always had the burning feeling inside that I know I could if I tried, I was just afraid of ridicule. Instead, I wrote poetry. My life was rocky growing up. I was constantly at odds with my Step Father. I used the poetry to express what I felt when feeling anger or sadness. One day I was writing a new verse and low and behold, I was flowing as "Momma Said Knock You Out" was playing on cassette. This was the beginning. The poetry was put to the side and my secret skill started to bloom.
I spent the better part of the 90's screwing up my life, trying to have a good time and not worrying about consequences just like any teen. No matter what I was getting myself into, Hip Hop was there and rhyming shaped me into who I am. I eventually started emerging at parties looking to freestyle. for awhile, I was recording actual songs into a karaoke machine, but I felt as if I was wasting my time because no one tales white rappers serious, despite the props I always got from my party freestyles. As the years rolled on, I met my soon to be wife and decided to have a family in the late 90's. It wasn't until after my son was born and I came back from a friend's house who had a makeshift studio in his room with a tape of me free styling on it. My wife heard the tape and couldn't believe it was me! She immediately told me that I have a gift and not to share it with more people would be a bad thing. So in 2000, I started to make beats and record songs into a P.C. It was rudimentary, but worked none the less. From that point until now, I have grown twice over as an artist and adult. I have performed in NYC, NJ, and PA. I have had small success with mix tape releases and excellent feedback on both full LP's I have had released. Recently I was told by a colleague that the growth from my first LP to the most recent is "incredible". And when the dust settles, "Incredible" is how I want the world to remember "StressWon".
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