Two years after the release of its then latest album, White Power Outage, music collective Free Radicals has released that record’s companion album, White Power Outage Vol. 2. Released April 8, the 25-song (yes, 25 songs) record proves itself a successful new offering from the group. That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements. They will be discussed shortly. The lyrical themes that accompany the musical content makes for its own interest and will be discussed a little later. The record’s production rounds out its most important elements and will also be discussed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of this record. All things considered, they make White Power Outage Vol. 2 another positive new offering from Free Radicals.
White Power Outage Vol. 2, the latest offering from Free Radicals, is another positive offering from the group that will engage and entertain the group’s established audiences, as well as a wide range of rap fans. That is due in large part to its featured musical arrangements. From beginning to end, the compositions are mostly rap and hip-hop style compositions whose beats are completely infectious. The use of the horns and occasional R&B style vocals cross with those hip-hop elements to make the whole so enjoyable. There are some full songs and some that are instrumentals tossed in for good measure, too. Sometimes modern, other times a throwback and others still, a blend of both, the arrangements are comparable to works from the likes of Jurassic 5, Mos Def, and at times, Public Enemy, the arrangements are so funky and friendly to the ears.
The engagement and entertainment that the album’s musical content is sure to generate means, too, that audiences are certain to pay close attention to the record’s lyrical themes just as much. Throughout the course of the record’s hour-plus run time (one hour 16 minutes to be exact), the themes are all socially and politically conscious. The group pulls no punches, going after Democrats and Republicans alike, and pretty much all of the powers that be. It really is content that will appeal to fans of acts, such as Run The Jewels and Public Enemy. The album’s very lead single, ‘Bipartisan Baby Jail’ goes after Vice President Kamala Harris, comparing her to Donald Trump for comments she made during a visit to America’s southern border, where children were being detained in facilities there. So right there, the group goes after both sides. In another song, ‘If You Don’t Vote For Me, You’re Not White’ the group goes after President Biden for comments he made during the 2020 election about black voters and whether they were voting for him. ‘America’s Blues,’ which comes a little later in the album, is a direct commentary about the oppression that African-Americans have experienced throughout America’s history. ‘Other Holocausts’ is a direct discussion on the mistreatment of so many minority groups by Americans of European history throughout history. It is a discussion that many will find uncomfortable, but to that end, it is also needed and just one more of so many hard-hitting topics that fill out the album. From the Native Americans wiped out by Americans of European descent, to the centuries of mistreatment of African-Americans by whites throughout history, to the killing of innocent people overseas as a result of wars waged by Americans and even the KKK and Proud Boys and their racist actions, the lyrical themes that make up the body of this new record do just as much to keep this record engaging and entertaining as the album’s musical content. When the album’s musical and lyrical content is collectively considered, the whole of that material gives audiences all the more reason to take in this record.
Working with the record’s content is the production thereof. The production brings out the best elements of the arrangements and even the vocals therein. The beats are just subtle enough at some points, and stronger at others, complimenting the vocals and other instruments in each composition. Whether it be the horns in some songs, or the steady rapping, or the beats themselves, each part of each song expertly compliments its fellow parts throughout. The end result is a general effect that makes the album just as engaging and entertaining as the record’s content. When that content is considered along with the record’s production, the whole makes White Power Outage a record that easily makes itself worth hearing at least once.
White Power Outage Vol. 2, the latest album from Free Radicals, is a hard-hitting presentation that is sure to get plenty of attention among audiences and critics alike. That is due in part to its featured musical arrangements. Largely rap style works, the arrangements present beats that are completely engaging and entertaining. The lyrical themes that accompany those immersive arrangements add their own interest because of their hard-hitting content. It goes without saying that the content presented in the themes is true, many might find it militant at the level of Public Enemy. That is sure to cause the overall lyrical content to be very divisive and in turn quite engaging. That is not necessarily a bad thing. It just means it will bring that much more attention to the record. The record’s production rounds out its most important elements, ensuring the most impacting general effect. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of White Power Outage Vol. 2. All things considered, they make the album one of the best of the year’s new rap albums.
White Power Outage Vol. 2 is available through Free Rads Music. More information on the album is available online now along with all of Free Radicals’ latest news and more at:
Website: http://freerads.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/freerads
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