Easton, Pa., host Godilla invites Native Born to produce his second extended series and debut under Omega Level Records. He teamed up with Eff Yoo on 2014’s They’re On Horseback , eventually dropping his feature-length debut Beastmaster in favor of Battlebeast: A Prelude to Human Zoo in the summer of 2017, followed by his final EP Cerveza a few months later. Nearly a decade later, he’s back with Prismas Electricos.
“?What is this??” After the “Channel Surfing” intro, the single is filled with hardcore calligraphy for 90 seconds. And “88MPH” feels like a nostalgic throwback to a golden era. “Bubble Letter Glyphs” is played with piano flips, giving all the writers a few minutes, and after the composition’s “Class of ’96” interlude, “Starscream’s Ghost” kicks off the second half talking about wanting all the smoke.
Mr. Misk and Tone Liv both guest star as Prismas Electricos souls on “Terror Ink,” spitting brutal verses over the dreary Bap instrumental, while “Metal Sunset” tells the story of how the heat begins to warm as night approaches. The last song before the credits, “Blind Focus,” wraps up the final moments with a story about artists changing the rules by going independent rather than signing with a major label.
Godilla’s return conveys the spirit of hip-hop’s past through a modern lens, going beyond the two projects he gave us in 2017, additionally using layered audio textures to evoke emotion and memory, much like the late Sonia Delaunay used simultaneity and abstraction in her art. Native Born’s production also incorporates warm sample selections, kick and snare drums, bringing only a few guests to play along instead of Battlebeast loading them all up.
Score: 8/10
