Max Bell is autonomous enough to see a movie on a school night — like that.
Ill Poetic is a farmer. But not like that crazy Spanish rap trio everyone is loco about. The Cincinnati native let’s his tracks graze like a pasture full of cows. In other words, he isn’t interested in giving you shit as soon as he steps out of the booth. He listens to his tracks, watches them, feeds them that little extra, and waits until they have reached full potential rather than yanking on their figurative udders prematurely. After all, he rapped this record for three weeks in his car before going into the booth. What I’m trying to say is that Ill Poetic takes his time.
With “Autonomy,” Ill Poetic knew that summer was the perfect time for the funk. He self-produced this slice of soul with Dean Hummons Sr. from funk band SUN on synthesizer. It’s highly emotive, with Ill Po coming off like the guy who actually surprised you at that spoken word show you were dragged to by that Bohemian chick you gave it a shot with.
“Autonomy” moves from his admiration for the gaps between Outkast and Sade’s respective releases to separating himself from rappers who feed the press their music as often as possible. He refutes the ills of our generation as diagnosed by the media, elders, and whoever else wants what, emphatically stating that he knows the difference between ‘quality and quantity,’ daring anyone who disagrees with what is essentially his artists manifesto to try and stop him from making his music.
At the end of the track, he lets the beat ride out and Hammons get ten kinds of nasty on the synth. I don’t know if we’ll hear another one from Ill Poetic anytime soon. Synesthesia: The Yellow Movement is supposed drop this fall, but it could be four years from now. Hopefully it arrives on time. Either way, he’s back with the blogs…for now.
