Music Appreciation: As The World Burns (Arsonists)

My taste in music wouldn’t have been so diverse if it weren’t for my older brother, who introduced me to the sounds of good hip hop and then proceeded to introduce to me different genres and the good artists within them. If you couldn’t tell by our previous posts, my brother and I are big fans of hip-hop (although we are mainly fans of the group Wu-Tang Clan.) In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate saying that the group is the best hip-hop group to exist within the history of the genre. As a result, I prefer the sounds of underground and independent hip-hop artists (lyricism and well crafted beats) to the sound of artists like Lil’ Wayne.

It wasn’t long until I started searching for artists that actually had their own style (and didn’t follow commercial trends) whether it came to lyrics or beats. Some of these artists include Immortal Technique, Aesop Rock, Cage, MF Doom, Madlib, etc. etc. I’ve never taken the actual time to take the albums of my favorite hip-hop artists and compile them in a top ten list. There are just too many good albums to choose from. However, there are two that are guaranteed a spot in the list: Wu-Tang’s debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) and underground hip-hop group The Arsonists’ As The World Burns.

I shouldn’t have to explain why Wu-Tang’s album is in my top ten (if you know anything about music, you’d know that Wu-Tang’s debut album changed hip-hop forever.) The Arsonists, on the other hand does deserve an explanation. I could have easily chosen Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt or Biggie’s Ready to Die. However, the Arsonists have received very little recognition and credit as a hip-hop group.

Like Wu-Tang, they have been around since the early 90s. The core members of the group include Q-Unique, D-Story, Freestyle, Swel Boogie, and Jise One. Q-Unique is also being affiliated with underground emcee Ill Bill and super group La Coka Nostra. Even then, I hadn’t heard of the Arsonists until my junior year of high school. A friend told me about them and I had listened to their single “Pyromaniax.” I thought they were pretty cool but nothing special (at the time I didn’t appreciate uniqueness in hip-hop.)

As I further listened to the album, I realized it was pretty good. However, it didn’t become one of my favorite albums until after a few listens. I can say that the twenty-one track LP is one of the most creative hip-hop albums I have ever listened to. The lyrics are on point and the beats are as well (some are dark and gritty while others are upbeat.) Every track is what hip-hop should be. The two skits are even an ode to hip-hop: “Lunchroom Take-Out” is an acted out high school rap battle between two members of the group while “D-Sturbed Words” is a hilarious take on spoken word poetry by member D-Stroy.

I don’t have a favorite track off the album as it is hard to choose just one. “Underground Vandal” is a melodic ode to underground hip-hop where different artists from Non-Phixion to MF Doom are mentioned (in an appreciative way, of course.) “Rhyme Time Travel” on the other hand is one of the most creative tracks—in my opinion—to exist in hip-hop: The song begins with a narrator stating that they are going to send member Q-Unique to different time periods in hip-hop (1979, 1988, and 1999.) The song later has Q-Unique rapping in different styles: 1979 is a style similar to Sugar Hill Gang, 1988 is similar to fast-rap pioneers Big Daddy Kane and Rakim, and 1999 is a style that can be compared to any number of hip-hop artists to come out of New York during the 90s.

Other outstanding tracks on this album are Pyromaniax, Geembo’s Theme, Flashback, and Worlds Collide. However, like I said before, there is not one week track on this album. Each member brings their own flavor to the music resulting in an amazing hip-hop album. I’m glad to say that I own a hard copy of this album, as it is somewhat rare. You definitely will want to give this album a listen in the near future. 10 out of 10.