The Quantum

The Boston bred, New York living duo Bill Cosmiq (producer/writer) and Salvador (writer) known as The Quantum have pulled together an impressive piece of work for their debut EP, Paragon. I was kind of transfixed when I first heard Paragon Introduction- the first track.

The haunting organ sound mixed with the crackled audio of vinyl, gave me a feeling of someone about to meet their doom in a horror film. That sound then lifted by a sample that I couldn’t quite peg, but the lingering note immediately gave the song a different texture. And then the hard drums and dancehall clap came in and provided the burrito wrap holding all these conflicting sounds together in a harmony that forced me to hit repeat several times. I almost yearned to hear what a verse would sound like over the beat, but in the end I think they made the right decision. That beat just needed to live by itself.

Throughout the rest of the EP we are treated to more beats that keep our heads bobbing and lyrics that challenge our thinking. Both Salvador and Bill Cosmiq push to create their own style and their own metaphors and I appreciate that. Their style to me is reminiscent of Wu-Tang Clan in that you can listen to it and enjoy it on the surface level, but you can also dig deeper into nearly every line for hidden gems.

Witty lines such as “Visualizing dreams is like a coke rush/We was just a pipe dream/Now I’m on time remove the Breitling” (Bill Cosmiq) or “In the weight wars they play lords and pray on kids” (Salvador), the EP is sure to draw the ears of the so called hip hop purist.

My favorite song on the EP I would have to say is Don’t Sleep Cousin. The track features Taj Hotep and Kenyattah Black. I love this track not only for the energy of the song, but everybody just went in on this one. The flows, the way they rode the rhythm, just captured me. It is also in this song that Salvador may have given perhaps the most defining verse about what The Quantum is about. Whether done on purpose or not he captured it.

I definitely recommend this EP. It may not be for you if you’re looking for “Tooted and Booted” (no disrespect to YG), but the sound is more complex and the lyrics have so many more layers to them that you may pick up something new every time you listen to it.

Check it out and let me know what you think. - Black LA