Perhaps more so than any other independent community, the hip hop and rap scene is remarkably inundated with content. Unfortunately, most of that content isn’t anything to write home about. It’s a genre that’s very easily botched with Garageband presets, poor delivery, and shoddy production. Thus, I’m always a bit apprehensive when tackling an indie hip hop artist’s record. Fortunately, Revolution Zo seems to navigate away from those cliches quite well in his new single, ‘Out of Time.’
Right off the bat, ‘Out of Time’ is much more solid in the production department than its competition in the indie scene. The actual instrumentation is sparse, highlighting Revolution Zo with brief beats and sly synthesizers. Along with some subtle vocal backing, Zo has created a really likable atmosphere for ‘Out of Time.’ It’s welcoming, intelligently designed, and works with his style.
Another solid choice on behalf of Zo: the inclusion of Cash2k, the guest artist. He really brings another level of personality to the tune. Both deliveries are equally as solid, contributing quite a bit to a quality product. I’m impressed with the lyricism, too. The song rounds out really well and has a bit of a Rick Rubin vibe to it – it’s stripped down, far from ostentatious, and focuses on continually highlighting the talent of Zo and his guest.
Thus, in the context of indie music, and more specifically, the hip hop scene, ‘Out of Time’ is a dramatic success. I ended up spinning the tune half a dozen times through because it’s borderline infectious. My only quip: even though the lyricism and delivery did impress me, I’m a bit jaded to the whole, “I’m going to buy a mansion and jam pack it with models’ thing. That has been done. And done. And done. Move on from it.
Revolution Zo is still pretty early in his career. He’s only released a handful of tunes, not even quite enough to fill an EP yet. So with that said, I think he has nowhere to go from up. All he needs to do is embrace a little more originality in his writing. Pair that with his exceptional, minimalist production, and something special may arise.
By Brett Stewart
I’m a professional writer and editor, a journalism major, and I have extensive experience in musical review. I worked for two years as the Editor & Chief of an arts magazine, Strike Magazine, where I worked closely with writers and musicians. Through this, I was able to interact with dozens of acts including Heart, Holly Williams, Robert Cray, John Hiatt, and more. The magazine printed thousands of issues and was even recognized by Rolling Stone’s founder, Jann Wenner.
