Lord Jamar The 5% Album

• Words: James Mayo
• Label: Babygrande
• XLR8R Rating: /10

You may recognize him from Oz or The Sopranos, but Lord Jamar's main gig is dropping beats and rhymes for Brand Nubian. On this solo debut, Jamar uses clever samples (Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4" sparks a Dead Prez-sounding "Revolution") and detailed storytelling ("The Corner, The Streets" with Grand Puba) to delve into the philosophy of the Islamic-oriented Five Percent movement, whose tenets include the idea that each man is his own God. The Nation of Gods and Earths (the Five Percent Nation‘s official name) believe the enlightened few (5% of the population) must use their knowledge to liberate the masses. Throughout, Jamar translates this faith into intelligent rhymes designed to wake up a gun-fixated hip-hop nation.