In the past few years, instrumental hip-hop albums have started to garner widespread attention. Previously, MCs used to seek out beat tapes to practice their rhymes or find producers for their albums. Nowadays, producers can release entire projects that don’t sound out of place without a rapper spitting over the tracks. This tradition of showcasing beats without rappers started back in the mid 90s with the help of artists such as DJ Shadow and his album “Endtroducing.” The latest release to come across my desk in this genre is IV the Polymath’s “New Vs Old.”
IV the Polymath isn’t out of touch behind the boards or the turntables for a variety of rap groups. This past summer, he released an album with his group, i.deals. You may have heard the single “Appreciate” where Jondis spits some dope rhymes over some nice production from IV the Polymath. You might have also heard his beats alongside the vocal talents of Junclassic. Together, they form the hip-hop group Undercurrents.
IV the Polymath isn’t content with making tracks that simply follow the 16 bar verse–chorus–repeat song structure that you’d expect from a beat tape made for the MCs. Instead, he crafts instrumental hip-hop tracks that bump and don’t merely fall into background noise.
In his latest, solo effort, he provides a sonic landscape where sounds build upon each other in a progressive way. The tracks have a life all their own and don’t necessitate the need for an MC. That being said, this joint had me nodding my head and wanting to kick out a few freestyle rhymes along the way.
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The opening track “2 Weeks” starts out with a simple hand drum pattern and then a guitar sample is layered over top of it. You can hear the dirtiness of the record it was sampled from. There’s something about extra record noise that really makes a beat sound sharp. A vocal sample starts to play before the beat entirely kicks in. The track continues to build with a nice baseline, a wah-wah sound, some cutting and scratching, and a trumpet. It’s a great way to start off an instrumental hip-hop project and showcases some of IV the Polymath’s skills on the samplers and live instruments.
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The next track, “Neem Sick” has a very clean sound to it. Warm synthesizers and piano notes are joined by a soft flute over a soft beat. IV the Polymath employs a few themes in this song while keeping the beat fresh and alive through the use of different sections of instrumentation.
“Lions” starts with a vibe that I would feel comfortable spitting over. The synthesizer seems a bit out of place on this one, however. It’s too clean of a sound to use for an otherwise dirty record. I like the xylophone and the general feel of the track. It reminds me of the early to mid 90s hip-hop style that I love and adore.
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“New Vs Old” has an old-school vibe to it. It’s something that I can appreciate. The “New” portion of the moniker goes to show how hip-hop production has stepped up to the plate to show that it can now stand on its own. IV the Polymath follows the hip-hop tradition of deejaying and creating sonic landscapes for the listener. He’s not afraid to experiment with new sounds, samples, and live instrumentation.
Remember the name, IV the Polymath has only just begun to leave his mark in hip-hop. With a few notable projects already under his belt and some new ones on the horizon, I’m sure you’ll hear from him again soon.
STREAM / PURCHASE “New Vs. Old” HERE
IV The Polymath: Website • YouTube • Soundcloud • MySpace • Tumblr
Chase March
The Author
