Brooklyn, New York emcee Josiah the Gift returns with the release of his sixth solo LP, six and a half months after The Glorious Si’s self-titled debut. He released his first 2 EPs, Jack Johnson & Raw, in the late 2010s, before emerging on the underground music scene in the summer of 2020 with his critically acclaimed debut album, Iron Mic. His profile continues to grow with debut mixtape Remain Raw, sophomore effort Mightier Than the Sword, sequel TOGO by True Cipher and his last album God’s Gracious. A year and a half later, the gift of an umbrella is back to speak the language of luxury.
“Rep” kicks off our conversation about reputation with an orchestral beat, elevating and focusing on his demonstrated goals, while “Hommy” works in some background vocals, suggesting that if you catch a body you should keep a low profile, because if this happens In this case, the case will be closed. “Wolvez” uses the instrument to let everyone know who you’re with before “Mulsanne” keeps those kicks and snares refusing to introduce themselves, because they should know by now.
Guitar/boom bap hybrid “Take II” had him out at night wondering where all his friends were stumbling upon musically, his mom was on the street in the ’80s, but then the dusty “Karhu Sneakers” talked about Never disrespect him because he is the reason people on the guest list show off his namesake brand of shoes. “Florence Cathedral” starring HooksArthur samples soul music wishing their flowers gave them love, then “True Story” takes it back to the basement with instrumentals to talk about being someone you can call for peace .
“Lavish,” starring Bless Picasso, takes a hipper tempo, comparing a dope-cooking chef in a kitchen to Guy Fieri, in addition to suggesting that the source of evil is necessary and love is secondary, while “Patra” Prosperity returned. “The Glory” is a naked expression of contentment with life despite not being a millionaire, while “You’re Gonna Die” strips away the drum details and tells the story of another brother who defies death.
In the final moments of “Lavish Language”, the instrumental in “The Filth” gave me a spacious vibe, pointing out that everyone is someone who has made something from scratch, who is tired of seeing others struggle, or whose mind is still stuck Bound by busyness.
Nearly 5 years in the making, what Josiah the Gift presents to us here is something different from what he has done before, becoming one of the 3 major standouts in his discography along with the Iron Mic and The Glorious Si albums. Bishop creates some of the most thorough beats of his career, both guests hold their own weight with strong contributions to their verses, and Josiah’s performance holds up to the two full-lengths I mentioned earlier The work’s laser focus is on hunger.
Score: 8/10
