“eLZhi is one of the only emcees that is keeping me on my toes right now. I hear his verses and they make me go back to the lab.” – Phonte (Little Brother)
“eLZhi’s my favorite emcee out of Detroit and his versatility with subject matter and flows is unparalleled. He’s definitely got a gift.” – Guilty Simpson
As hip-hop culture continues to grow on a worldwide scale, the art of the emcee is in decline. Lyricism and content have taken a backseat to over-simplified swagger while the complex rhyme patterns and breathtaking wordplay of the finest rappers of the golden age have started to fade into obscurity. Thankfully, hip-hop music still has talent like that of eLZhi, the seasoned Detroit emcee that not only honors the meticulous poetry of Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and Kool G. Rap, but also raises the bar for emcee craftsmanship for an entirely new generation.
After grinding in the Detroit underground during the late ‘90’s, eLZhi began working with future local luminaries such as Jay Dee (aka J Dilla), Waajeed (Platinum Pied Pipers), and Dwele. Following his impressive performance on Jay Dee's "Come and Get It" track from the Welcome II Detroit album, he was selected as the new third member of Slum Village, later shining on smash singles "Tainted (feat. Dwele)" and "Selfish (feat. Kanye West)." The three albums that El recorded as a member of the group (Trinity, Detroit Deli, and Slum Village) sold a total of more than 300,000 units, and further established Slum Village as one of the most respected modern hip-hop groups amongst both their peers and a worldwide legion of fans.
With years of recording and touring under his belt as a member of Slum Village, eLZhi is finally ready to make his mark as a solo artist. Even without an official solo release, the 2005 mix CD Witness My Growth continues to circulate amongst the core of his fan base. Hip-hop enthusiasts across the globe consider him to be one of the most skilled emcees in the entire scene, and even blogs and message boards have been trumpeting this sentiment since the release of the last Slum Village album in 2005. His 2008 tour release, Europass was very well received; XXL Magazine awarded it an XL rating, and OkayPlayer praised eLZhi, saying, “The lyrical display in this one is nothing short of insane.” With his debut album, The Preface, eLZhi looks to cement his name amongst the greatest emcees in the game.
eLZhi - "The Preface" IN STORES NOW!!!'s Friend Space (Top 16)
eLZhi - "The Preface" IN STORES NOW!!! has 25207 friends.
Decades has passed since you were first pressed/from rough paper to being neatly dressed/in a light card board jacket with the plastic stretched/the title on the right with the price to the left/couldnt wait til you were released from the shelf/bobbing my head imagination and my two step/static kicks matched the thumps in my chest/I cant believe they tried to put you to rest
Barbecues in the back yard/by the garage next to the tree/you spun/shaded from the sun/ in 45, 33/how the groove repeats/was amazing to me/it was almost biblical to say the least/then they went digital and the prices in-creased/the sound was clearer/some even used compacts as mirrors/in their reflection/you were disrespected/you fell back, accepted rejection/but what kept you alive, they realized that you were the essence/from politics, parties, nooses, and dirty weapons/you kept the music spinning in the age of depression/even assisted with stories in sunday school lessons/in the event you skipped we still got the message
You gave hope to couples/prevented alley scuffles/static melodies kept the mind off trouble/provided theme music for Arthur Ashe's dominance in doubles/to kids on the hop scotch and bottle bubbles/you set it off/with alcohol, water, and soft cloths/even when you warped/ you stayed on torque/ reading comics on the front porch/showed resilence with blood on the court/and the poor soul outlined in chalk/from the corner store we walked/excited about the sounds we bought/in a rectangular paper bags/some your joints were sad/others made us laugh/we were glad/cause pops one day would let us have/the table that turns/for us to sample, bang beats, and songs to burn/for the people in streets and money to earn
Its the passion/that keeps the love everlasting/be listening for the static when the radios blasting/when cd's scratch and pc's crash/you can sit back and laugh/cause you'll be safe in a stash/of crates/one of the greats/and will never lose/with nothing to
What's the goodness eLZhi? You are by far one of the dudes that keeps reminding that lyrical mastery isn't laying in the cemetery. That jammie you got, "DEEP", real talk, I must have played that for everyone I have hung out with in the last month...lol You get a lot of love here brother. And Slum Vill is getting bought the day it drops, not downloaded...lol I don't mind bigging up the brothers that I respect. It's only right. What's next for 2009?
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