Search - The Psycho Realm :: A War Story Book 2

BOOK II

ARTIST | ssLA | 02/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"FIRST OFF I AM FROM LA N KNOW CAN RELATE TO THE STRUGGLES PSYCHO REALM SPEAKS OF - LISTENING TO THEM AS I CAME ON TO THIS STREET GAME (SINCE "THE PSYCHO REALM" ALBUMN CAME OUT) AND ACTUALLY FELT THE LYRICS AS THEY WERE RELEASED AND I LIVED THEM...
AS CHRISTIANS JACKEN & DUKE ARE ABLE TO REALIZE THE MESS WHICH COMES TO US AS WE DEVELOP OUR SINFUL LIVES ON THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES. PSYCHO REALM IS A UNIQUE GROUP FOR THE FACT THAT THEY ARE GANGSTERS RAPPING IN A STYLE UNLIKE ANY OTHER CHICANO RAPPERS WHICH SHARE THE CALLES IN SOUTHERN CALI...PSYCHO REALM IS PROJECTING A PICTURE OF WAR IN A DIFFERENT WAY, HE TAKES THE STREET EXPERIENCE AND PUTS IT INTO CONTEXT BY A EDUCATED CHOICE OF LYRICS RATHER THAN REGULAR STREET SLANG. THOUGH MOST BELIEVE HE IS SPEAKING OF WAR ON A DIFFERENT SCALE (TRADITIONAL BELIEVES OF WAR SUCH AS IRAQ,VIETNAM,KOREA N SO FORTH...), JACKEN $ DUKE ARE STREET SOLDIERS OR A CHOLOS IN THE STREETS OF LA. THEIR LYRICS RUN FAR DEEPER THAN WHAT MEETS THE EYE, I CAN PLAY THEIR SONGS IN FRONT OF MY HOMEBOYS AND THEY WILL FEEL IT NODDING THEIR HEAD KNOWING THE FEELING...I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE LAST FOUR TRACKS ARE WACK, ONLY THAT THEY ARE MORE RAW AND STR8 OUT....10SOUL SACRAFICE IS A DEEP EXPRESSION OF A FEELING OF HAVING A BUILT UP SIN IN ONES SOUL FROM PAST ACTS, ONE FEELS AS IF HE OR SHE IS BEING ON THE EDGE OF COLLAPSE BUT LUCKILY CAME OUT OF IT BECAUSE SOMETHING SAVED THEM...ANY GANG MEMBER KNOWS THAT......DYSFUNCIONAL IS THE PUZZLE OF A DRUG ADDICT EXPLAINED TO THE WORLD, HE GOES THROUGH VARIOUS FEELINGS OF BEING UNDER DIFFERENT DRUGS AND THE EFFECTS, TELLING OF THE FEELING OF "I KNOW IT CONTROL IT" BEGINING WITH THE FIRST STEPPING STONE...ALCOHOL. IT IS SOMETHING GENIUS TO PUT THIS PUZZLE TOGETHER FOR IT IS A WOLRD UNKNOWN TO MANY LISTEN TO IT CLOSELY BUT UNLESS U BEEN THERE U WOULD NOT UNDERSTAND IT......GOOD TIMES IS A SONG IN WHICH JACKEN UNLEASHES HIS FEELING OF HIS FLASHBACKS OF PAST GOOD TIMES BEING FADED, HE DESCRIBES IT IN DIFFERENT CLIPS AND SITUATIONS BLENDED TOGETHER....I BELIEVE LIFESTYLE IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST STATEMENTS EVER MADE BY JACKEN, IT IS A DISGRACE TO NOT CONSIDER THIS SONG AS A MASTERPIECE FOR IT IS JACKENS FEELINGS PUT OUT IN A ANTHEM FOR ANY TRUE CHOLO, THE BEAT IS DESCRIBING THE SORROW WHICH IS IGNORED BY MOST OF SOCIETY THAT IS A GANGSTERLIFE, THE FEELING OF BEING ON UR OWN AMONG SO MANY FELLOW HOMIES IS ANOTHER PART OF THIS LIFE...... PHYCO REALM IS STREET MUSIC, ONE MUST RELIZE THAT B4 PUSHING THE PLAY BUTTON, DUKE N JACKEN LIVED THIS HARD LIFE WHICH HAS SUCH AN IMPACT ON SOUTHERN CALI, IF U BELIEVE ANY TRACK IS WEAK THEN YOU ARE NOT LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE, BUT FOR MOST IT IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND FOR LA STREET LIFE IS UNLIKE NOTHING ELSE AND ONLY A FEW TRULY KNOW IT...MOST CLAIM TO KNOW....BULLETS ARE SCARY AND CAN TRAUMATIZE, SEING GENTE DIE IS TRAUMA CAUSING, DRUGS ARE TRAUMA CAUSING, THE FACT THAT YOU ARE CONSTANTLY STRUCK DOWN BY SOCIETY IS TRAUMA CAUSING MIXED WITH ALL THE OTHER PROBLEMS BROUGHT WITH GANG LIFE IN LA AND THE NORMAL PROBLEMS THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON FACES ARE ENOUGH TO DRIVE PEOPLE INSANE...BELIEVE ME I SEEN IT FIRST HAND, IT IS TRULLY SOMETHING TO MAKE IT IN THIS LIFE WHICH IS WHY I RESPECT THIS GROUP TO A FURTHER LEVEL...."

PSYCHO REALM- TOP OF THEIR GAME

ARTIST | 01/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All tracks from "The War Period" are instant classicks. Themes of unity and revolution run rampant through this period, and are offset with terroristic intentions courtesy of the Beast (Government and Police Officials). The Opening track "Street Terrorist" is a hard banging joint where Duke prophesizes "PLANNED MISSIONS ARE GUARANTEED, IF DONE IN THE STYLE OF THE KAMIKAZI". Pure vintage Psycho Realm. Duke and Jacken eerily paint a picture of faceless Suicide Bombers and urban warfare on the streets of Los Angeles, while the television media spreads lies to the people. Next up in "The Enemy Strikes Back", Jacken spits "STEALTH BIRDS FLYING ABOVE LOOKING FOR US, CARRYING SCUDS WHILE THE FUZZ ARE PATROLLING THE STREET FOR THUGS". Considering these lyrics were written back in 1998, before 9/11, Iraq and the Patriot Act, one has to wonder when the Bush Regime will decide to further unleash more weapons of mass destruction on US. Bobo of Cypress Hill makes a guest appearance on this track, providing the hypnotic banging bongos. On track 3, "Wasted" is one of the top Psycho Realm songs of all time. Enough Said. With the help of fellow sickside soldiers from the Street Platoon, "The Killing Fields" is next. Amazingly with the enemy looking on, Crow from Street Platoon steals the heat, coming into his own. Next in the line of fire are "Art of Execution" and "Palace of Exile" ; tracks that will have every trying to intimidate the Realm Flow. "First Day of Freedom" is a tale about the end of the war years. It details the difficult transition that all war torn countries go through after a massive conflict. Jacken states the reason for the warfare was to "PUT OUR LIVES AT STAKE TO BREAK SICK WEATHER MAKING LIVES BETTER" . Transitioning to the Reconstruction Era, Jacken lets us know that it won't be an easy process "WE ROAM IN RUINS AND BROKEN DOWN HOMES, WAR REPERCUSSIONS FREEDOM FOR NOW THE NEXT STEP'S RECONSTRUCTION". On the second part, "The Reconstruction Era", we begin to see the effects taking their toll on Sick Jacken. Jacken lets us in on his pain and his struggles in dealing with the tragedy that has befallen the Psycho Realm (Duke only appears on a few tracks in The Reconstruction Era). On the track "Poisoned Rituals" The Realm takes you on a spiritual journey, connecting with those around them and with themselves. "Unknown Soldier" informs us about the catastrophic psychological effects all Warriors go through after they have been trained to kill at will. At the end of "Unknown Soldier" audio from the MTV News Report about Duke is played with a very soulful and melodic beat. A change of musical pace occurs with the highly personal "Soul Sacrifice" and "Dysfunctional". In "Dysfunctional" we realize the results caused by being suppressed, living in a war zone and dealing with tragedy after tragedy. Jacken excellently explains "MY BELLY TELLING EVERYONE THAT MY BRAIN IS DISTURBED". "Good Times" and "Lifestyle" further delve into Jacken's dysfunction. War Story Book 2 ends on a high note featuring Cynic and Crow of Street Platoon on tracks "Concrete Jungles" and "Gun Control". The build up is already beginning for the next Street Platoon album especially after the performances they delivered on this disk. Overall, The Psycho Realm War Story Book 2 is the Album of the year and the Psycho Realm Trilogy can only be compared with the likes of the Rage Against the Machine Trilogy. Is this truly the end as it states on the inside sleeve, or is just beginning as it suggests at the end of the disk? Either way, it is Earthquake Weather, Forever."

PSYCHO REALM ARE HIP HOP PURE AND SIMPLE

Tino Tek | London, England | 11/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Where do I begin with this review, for me trying to get a hold of this album was a process that I thought would never reach it's conclusion. I have travelled to the states (well just florida)looking for a copy only to be met with disapointment, forget here in england I was lucky to even know about Psycho Realm let alone have access to their material. It took three attempts to order it throught the internet before I finally struck gold, and now I have it and well...lets just say if you like well thought out and intelligent lyrics fused with some of the best production to ever grace an album in hip hop you need to come over to the sick side.



Sick Jacken and his brother Duke return with part 2 of the war story and it is a perfect successor to the excellent part 1, unfortunatly during the making of this album Duke was shot through the neck leaving him paralysed from the neck down meaning he was unable to complete the rest of it leaving Jacken to go at it alone, but luckily Jacken is more than capable of holding it down not to mention the album features the Street Platoon Cynic and Crow to help with the proceedings.

The album is split into two parts, the first (the war years part 2) is a straight up continuation from where the previous album had left off and it features Duke all the way through while the second half (post war era:the reconstruction)only features Duke on the first three tracks while Jacken goes on solo or is helped by the street platoon. The production also switches a little bit on the second half especially towards the end giving the impression that after the war years they wanted to liven it up a bit showing the good side of Pico Union (the place where their from) and in my opinion it is a bit hit and miss, the majority is fantastic but the last two tracks are in my opinion weak giving the album a bit of a sour taste after so much sweetness but this by no means diminishes the acomplishments of Sick Jacken and Duke, together they have created some of the best material to ever come from hip hop with their three albums (the psycho realm/war story/war story 2)it is a shame that they have been mostly overlooked even being dropped by their label with their first album (Columbia)leaving them to go the independent route.



I cannot stress how much people need to check Psycho Realm, be sure to get all their albums you won't be disapointed and Duke if you read this my prayers go out to you."