The Melbourne trio of Minas, Burna & Chris L unite to deliver an album of epic stature which strays away from the typical Australian release by providing an international sound but also keeping it truly local. Best Aussie hip hop album of the year? I’d say yes!

Growth is essential for artists in the music industry, you can’t keep the same style for every album despite what some fans may think. Melbourne trio (Minas, Burna & Chris L) Art Of War know that, their second release ‘Chapter Two: Waging War’ has evolved so much from the group’s first release you’d think Art Of War’s first release (‘The First Chapter’) was a decade earlier and not a mere two years.

‘Waging War’ kicks off with the up tempo’d ‘Just a Thought’ & ‘Can’t Hold Us Back II’ which both set the tone for what’s to come, an album filled with Art Of War’s passion shining through on each track. Burna (who produced all of ‘Waging War’) only used a sample once on the album, and it was on ‘Can’t Hold Me Back’ which sees the crew reflecting about ‘back in the day’ (the Biggie line, which was used on the chorus). Art Of War’s at their best when doing some introspective/reflective tracks. You saw that on ‘The First Chapter’ and it’s ever present on this album as well with songs like ‘Real Love,’ which has the crew delving deep into one another’s friendships giving a revealing look into the crew’s lives.

The album isn’t without some misdirection though, an attempt at a radio hit with ‘Make It Dip’ results in a very average sounding track with an extremely repetitive chorus. But what album isn’t without a little mis-step? The crew can be forgiven for this track, for just a little more then 5 minutes later the listeners are treated with ‘Time’s Big Business’. The track opens with an alarm clock and features the crew rapping over an almost ‘snap movement’ type beat. It’s a great finale to the album and displays Art Of War’s ability to rock any type of beat.

Contributed by Jon Emmenidis from Certified Hiphop

Posted by Guest Writer on Monday, December 18th, 2006 and is filed under HIP HOP INTERNATIONAL, REVIEWS.