exile eye . 'optic nerve'
Exile Eye, Buster C, Hazo, Chris Gaughan, Shane Johnson
(c) 1998 Ruff Cherry



'Optic Nerve' from Exile Eye is tight audio hiphop, I didnt know what the deal would be when I started the tape, not having heard any homegrown rap lyrics since ScaryEire. Oft non-us rappers are critised for acting yankee, well thats not a concern here, as exile lays down vocab in his own dialect and displays a variety of flows and subject matters.

From the introductory track 'nature of an eye' which outlines exiles mindstate "the nature of an eye is impossible to define" to 'mind is a trigger', featuring Buster C on vocals, a cautionary tale of joyriding, told both through the eyes of the victim and the perpetrator... 'The Dawn' is on some abstract imagery type ish conjuring up images of mystic Ireland over a beat thats contemporary irish music done dopely, Exile becoming a 'celtic warrior poet'... 'Craftmatic' is a rhyme battle cry, Exile existing "in a void, where lyrics are deployed"... 'Up To The Neck' speaks on the "sink or swim" pressures that can face one in life. To cap off the whole package, Exile lets rip with a straight off the dome, sponataneous freestyle section.

This is considered, conscious minded lyrics over varied, bass-laden, head-noddin, organic fuzzed out production, optic nerve is not only a benchmark for homegrown irish hiphop but is also the kind of product that will be appreciated by underground heads worldwide.

don't just take my word for it, peep the audio here...

a
Nature Of An Eye - [G2] [MP3]
Interlude / Serious - [MP3]
The Dawn - [G2] [MP3]
Interlude II - [MP3]
Mind Is A Trigger (Ar La) - [G2] [MP3]
Craftmatic - [G2] [MP3]
Optic Nerve - [MP3]

b
Up To The Neck - [G2] [MP3]
Sunrise Dub - [MP3]
Crafted Dub - [MP3]
Swimmin' Dub - [MP3]
Freestyle - [G2] [MP3]

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