Before us is the 34th studio record from French-American underground veteran Napoleon da Legend. The underground crowd will already be familiar with him as he has made a lengthy discography for himself over the past decade, including Coup D’État and its sequel, Street Universe, Dragon Ball G, Colossus of GOATS produced by Sicknature, Buckets, Invinciblap Misz produced by DJ D-Styles, Flaws Produced by DJ RhettJmatic. However, I was surprised to hear that much of GAMO (Gods Against Man’s Oppression) would be produced by the man himself.
Following the “End” intro, “Polium” begins with this roaring instrumental of victory, talking about the cannon being handed to him as it’s the champion’s turn, while the self-produced “It’s All Over” works its way through some samples hoping to send all the contestants home injured and with broken bones. “Addis Abba,” starring Vinnie Paz, found the two angrily talking about the kind of musical shit that’s not for everyone, and “Black Caesar,” starring Steele, joined forces after the “Imminent Danger” episode, so they continued the hardcore lyricism.
“Spilled Sphinx,” starring Nejma Nefertiti, reunited the two so they could get back together as they’ve done countless times in the past, while “Bombardians,” starring CF and Dontique, talked decently about raising the bar but not quite reaching their peak. “Think Dominant” features Innocent? &SKAM2? Some horns are brought in to get it out of the dirt, and the “masked assassin” attacks the unoriginal biters to save their lives after the “Water Seed” episode.
Skyzoo appears in the lavish “Tough Skin,” recalling the plans they made while the others played a game of cat and mouse, while “Kill Bots” features the Passport Rav, but after the “Break the Chains” interlude, they swap bars while talking about how the cold world isn’t getting any warmer. “Star Wars” grittyly tells people that those who try to reach his level will soon die, while the crooning “Sinners and Saints” talks about enjoying the moment.
Frontman Goat Lord’s “Psychic War” raises the question of what people will die for and the rise of artificial intelligence that will take away people’s jobs, while the title track talks about canceling ticket sales and stopping the spread of cancer. The “Ultimate Power” that follows the “System Error” skit gives him confidence in the future, even though he hasn’t reached his peak yet, but once jazz “Alan Wattage” featuring the ghost machine talks about the world being a cross between Backcountry and South Park, “Rescue Me” ends by advising against attacking the Pharaoh at the end of “The Beginning”.
Keeping in mind that there are literally dozens of albums in the Napoleon da Legend catalog, I do prefer GAMO (Gods Against Man’s Oppression) to Soul vs. Math and more to Promise. Still, I put “great ideas” and “flaws” (lies always hurt) over the sum of all these factors. His own work is a huge compliment, and aside from the concept I can hand this one a fusion of black wave and modern boom beats, it’s just that I find it a bit bloated.
Rating: 6/10
