![[Album Review] 'Circadian Rhythm' - EdotNigma](http://upcominghiphop.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/4-Things-every-hip-hop-artists-should.png)
Reviewed by I.S. Jones @isjonespoetry
If you're already a part of Upcoming Hip Hop's readership, then you know that I'm already a fan of E.DotNigma's wild magic [http://upcominghiphop.net/2015/08/23/up-and-comers-who-made-my-summer-and-held-me-down/]. I witnessed this magic at a show earlier this year; however, I’ve been to so many shows, seen so many artists grace the stage, after a while things blur together. Then there was this cat. Covered in sweat, his lyrics were so refreshing I couldn't tell you who else spit that night. This is not to compare rappers to rappers, something I am passionately against, but this is something all rappers need to strive to: being full of such unimaginable light, no one else can touch your shine.
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Any body of work an artist puts out to the world should be made to not only stand the test of time—to outlive them—but also show us who the rapper was during the production of the album or EP. If you’re like me and you missed Night with Nigma, hopefully his recent project Circadian Rhythms will make up for it.
A Circadian Rhythm, according to National Institutes of Health, is any "physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism's environment. They are found in most living things, including animals, plants and many tiny microbes." For the sake of this review, it is important for us to take note of the album's title and whether or not it complements the project while lending to its listener a further meaning of the album's concept. The 15-track album explores varying ideas, most of the album mirroring the upbeat, lively tempo of summer until we come to the final track “Sea Breeze” which is the most calm, subdued track signaling the end of summer and the listener’s progression into autumn.
In the opening track, “For The People,” is done entirely in spoken word with an animated crowd losing it as soon as the tempo picks up. I thought this track was such a brilliant, methodical tactic to open the EP because, similar to Lupe’s recent album “Tetsuo & Youth”, Nigma has created the space for himself to flex and really flaunt his lyrical aptitude. To mirror the Shakespeare quote, “All the world’s a stage” and Nigma is our conductor for the evening. The rapper states the track was in response to current events, in hopes that the rapper’s words would create a sense of unity among his followers. It has been said rap is the child of poetry and the rapper seeks to use poetry as a vessel to homage. All growing starts from the roots, so the rapper uses poetry as a means of speaking to the very people that gave him the means to do what he loves. It was so necessary for Circadian Rhythm to start here because the lyrics set the tone for the rest of the EP.
"Summerjam," the second track, encapsulates the light, airy irreverent nature of youth of summer with a quick tempo, lyrical pacing and a celebration of blessings. This track continues the same exhilarated nature we found in "For The People" and keeps going on for the next few tracks, most notably in the track "DREAMS." A nod to the trail blazers Wu-Tang, "DREAMS" does what I think this new wave of hip-hop should aspire to–create a landscape within the track's run. It stands as a snapshot of a particular time, actually walks us through the rapper's desires and aspirations–he thinks bigger than his body. At the conclusion of this track, the EP begins to take a tonal shift in with "Shine On."
Unlike the previous tracks, "Shine On" seems to pair with "DREAMS" in that the rapper actually goes through such a quick metamorphosis as the world around him falls apart, like the seasons changing, like the internal clock–the circadian rhythm–going through its next cycle. "Shine On" represents society's current state and the crippling reality of seeing a community being exploited; the tonal shift from youth to a more serious older voice shows us while there are good memories, a struggle remains, that there are still problems the rapper lives through today.
The progression of a more mature voice continues until we come to one of my favorite tracks in the album "Freak All Night." Xylophones paired with a menacing cackle sway us into that youthful voice once more: rolling blunts, sexual innuendos, kicking it with the homies, before winter comes or as the circadian rhythm reaches midnight, the lowest point in the biological clock.
My biggest critique is I feel as though the ordering of the song do not compliment the title to its full capacity. After the tonal shift from “Shine On,” if the album followed the natural rhythm of the body then we would have witnessed a continual descent into darkness until the finally track “Sea Breeze.” That being said, the circadian rhythm in this album seems to march to its own drum; taking narrow dips in voice and message but then coming back up for air. Overall, EdotNigma’s lyrical prowess, methodical use of diction, and ability to create atmosphere shows us he is a student of his craft growing into a master of this game.
Rating: 4.25/5
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This album has an old school feel to it which I’m personally not into. However, there are still many tracks here that are hot fire. It is clear that E.DotNigma is lyrically sharp and has a lot of presence. He really is able to create a vivid atmosphere of a layback style and delivers fresh insight into the world he lives in. Feeling this!!