thePhantom*

Kansas City Hip Hop is back on the map. But any comparisons to Tech N9NE are null and void. In fact, on ThePhantom's 2007 effort, ?Release?, he comes with a myriad of cadences and styles to let his listeners know he isn't your average, everyday, ordinary emcee. ThePhantom terms his own style of Hip Hop as ?abstract urban organic?, and after a run-through of his album one would tend to agree. ThePhantom's music goes through an array of genres ranging from Funk, Electronic, Break beat, Soul to just bass pounding Hip Hop.

He goes from showing love for his city with that party vibe on ?Detonate?, to the Dr. Dre, West Coast synthesizer and bass ridden ?Save The Fortress?, to the summertime vibe and soul of James Yancey feel in ?Brighter Days? and ?Mellow Moods? to ending up on a spoken word tip with ?Ode Of The Night?. Not only that, but ThePhantom also has a few instrumentals laden in between his songs which seem to serve the purpose as openers to new chapters in the story of his life. ThePhantom has a lot of talent, from writing all the songs, to also producing almost half of the jam packed 17 tracks on ?Release?. Perhaps the title of his album is fitting because when you put it in your player, breathe in on the first track, and you won't release that breath until the ending. ?Release? can be purchased at www. cdbaby. com/cd/thephantom or you can get in contact with him on his MySpace page, which is www. myspace. com/thephantom816


To compare The Phantom* to a Lupe, Kanye, or even KRS would be a complement in short, but the bases of the comparison would have to be thoroughly justified. Yes, all of the artists collectively have contributed to the transformation of hip-hop into a new era, but what sets The Phantom* apart is his understanding and appreciation of music and spoken word as true art forms. In his inaugural LP ?Release', The Phantom* marries both aesthetics and creates a fresh innovative sound that shines the potential of the progressive wave of hip-hop. The versatility in his artistry is shown through tracks like ?Destroy and Rebuild' and ?Couchasaflava'. To categorize The Phantom* and his work would be a task secondary to truth because his work can stand on its own merit.