Heroes in the City of Dope

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Total Tracks: 15   Total Length: 50:42

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Amelia Raitt

eMusic Contributor

Amelia Raitt is a former writer for the television program Mr. Belvedere and has been writing about pop music of all colors and stripes for eMusic since 2005. S...more »

04.22.11
Zion I & The Grouch, Heroes in the City of Dope
Label: Om Records

Zion I are Bay Area legends, instrumental in shaping the area's sound and also responsible for some of hip-hop's most memorable singles. Their records are fantastically restless, unwilling to settle into any one style but rather hell-bent on dabbling in all of them. Their 2000 debut, Mind Over Matter, blended both synthetic and electronic sounds to create music without clear precedents or antecedents (that album's "Mysterious Ways" is still one of the most wonderfully obtuse tracks in all of hip-hop).

Heroes in the City of Dope furthers that legacy. A collaboration with Oakland rapper The Grouch, Heroes draws from disco and dance music and 70s R&B, making tracks big on both primal thunk and eerie electronic wails. This is hip-hop operating at peak, a team of legends doing what they do best and making it seem effortless.

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solid, alternative hip-hop

acrobatastic88

Up until listening to Zion I/The Grouch, I didn't know much about the Bay's hip-hop sound. Beats are very solid as usual from Amp Live, and the lyrics touch on plenty of everyday real life topics. Top Tracks--Too Much, Lift Me Up

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Just what you thought

scraplani

Just what I thought, one of the best releases of the year...after one listen, i'm hooked, the grouch and zion i do it again! A portrait of Oakland, if you dig any Bay area underground, you'll need this one

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They Say All Music Guide

Bay Area hip-hoppers Zion I & the Grouch have stayed relatively off the national radar, even though they’ve been in the scene for a while now. With the upsurge in popularity of hyphy in 2006, however, as well as greater exposure thanks to a signing with Om Records, the group has been able to gain exposure in the rest of the U.S. Their first album together, Zion I & the Grouch Are Heroes in the City of Dope is partially introspection, partially consciousness, and partially hyphy-inspired dance music. Fellow West Coasters Chali 2na (formerly of Jurassic 5) and Mistah F.A.B. make guest appearances, giving credibility to both their backpacker side and their street side. The production on the record is laid-back and smooth, giving plenty of space to the MCs’ rhymes while still making itself known. Unfortunately, there’s nothing on Zion I & the Grouch Are Heroes in the City of Dope that really grabs you, makes you listen, aside from the occasional line or two, but it’s still a pretty decent album, and nice to hear how well Zion I and the Grouch work together. – Marisa Brown

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