Respecta.is - The Ultimate Hip Hop Portal

Surreal: Since the age of sixteen surreal has been crafting his skills to become the greatest emcee you never heard of. Winning four emcee battles in a 12 month span to reign as one of tampa's elite spit kickers. While his battle skills are unquestionable, Surreal has also developed as a storyteller and beatmaker. The new Double Helix LP "SoundPr%f" highlights this progression from battler to songwriter. Florida heads have now started to check for his performances instead of the headliners!


Synapse: He came up in the early 90's streets of New Jersey. At the time "The Bricks" was bubbling with talented artists like Red Man, Naughty by Nature & The Artifacts. With so many emcees to look to, all of whom kept it in the hood, Synapse got offered criticism and advice. This helped his skills to rapidly evolve. Synapse also maintains a devout loyalty to Haile Sellassie I and the tenets of the Rastafarian way of life. These two influences help him to create a potent mixture of spirituality and street level savvy that resonates with hip hop lovers at home in the streets or all over the world.


DJ Balance: The foundation for any true hip hop group has gotta be the DJ. This being the case, Double Helix is built on a rock solid foundation. Balance mixes his proclivity for turntablist ability with an ear for vocally scratched hooks that brings to mind other greats like Primo, DJ Hi-Tek, Shadow, Pete Rock and DJ Babu from Dilated Peoples. This cat can rock a party without emcees! But once he came together with Surreal & Synapse he knew the synergy was undeniable.

It would be an over simplification to say Somobe is next to carry the title of great Producer/MC tandem. Refusing to use samples, Roland Llapitan loops are as smooth as they are original. Setting the mood for reflection, Jonathan Owens lyrics are haunting and real. Sometimes packing the swagger of Jay-Z or the verbal manipulation of Kweli, Owens flow is pure gold. Try to think of a time when an MC spoke about the challenges of growing up in a house falling apart without playing the role of vengeful martyr or the consequences of drinking too much that don t end up in sleeping with someone that you regret. If we consider truly great communication to be that which doesn t obstruct reality, Somobe s debut isn t just a success; it is an instant classic. Not forcing positive vibes but providing honest and real observations that include suggestions for change. Long Days and We Need a Love Song show just how comprehensive, daring, and focused this impressive tandem is.
JIVE Magazine Rating: 5 out of 5

No catchy gimmicks, no special effects, dope beats, and dope rhymes. The group consists of two cats from Vegas, Jon D (the lyricist), and Bob J, a bass player who also constructs the beats with Jon D. As for the beats....they're amazing. Somobe s instrumentals have a laid back jazz feel, WITH NO SAMPLES. Yea, you heard me right, while most big name producers pull off average instrumentals by using something someone else already made, Somobe, or better yet, the Hooligans (the name the Vegas duo go by when producing) create great instrumentals completely from scratch. Jon d says anything that even sounds like a sample was created with the intention of sounding that way by the Hooligans. To me, the beats to Somobe s debut album The Great Communication are competing with anything you hear anywhere else, and destroying most of it. Me, I m a lyrics type of dude. I love dope instrumentals, but if you have dope instrumentals and whack lyrics....I can t really listen for long. Luckily, Jon D brings it lyrically. It s no wonder the group decided to include the lyrics to the songs on their MySpace page. As I listened to an advance copy of The Great Communication I tried remembering lines Jon D spits, but every time I find one that stands out, I end up forgetting it because he kicks another one. Sometimes it seems Jon comes up with some of the cleverest stuff, other times, it seems as if he goes outside, and his pen traces life on paper in the form of rhymes. Doubt me? Check the MySpace fam, the track Building is what emceeing is about. Jon doesn t go to heavy on the punch lines and they don t come off forced, yet they definitely connect. The flow is on beat and certainly on point, and the lyrics aren t realistic, they re just plain REAL. This was the first track I heard, and I was instantly hooked. (c) Brillyance