Yak Ballz – Scifentology 2 (2008)
On his sophomore release, Scifentology II, Yak Ballz demonstrates why this clever MC is on the rise. With production being provided from Aesop Rock, Camu Tao, Govone, Mondee, Chapter 7, Adept, Chris Maestro, the soundscape fuses the backbeat of jazz with the raucous, in your face, punk swagger. In many ways, Scifentology II demonstrates why Yak Ballz and El-P’s Weatherman partnership works so well. They both tap into the darker recesses in their subject matter, but Yak Ballz never seeks to glorify these misdirections in life but use these examples for others to learn from. Despite the often heavy subject matter (suicides, body image issues, drugs), his rhymes are breezy and bounce over the production quite nicely. Scifentology II pushes the indie Hip-Hop envelope to its lyrical limit. Armed with rhymes that will resonate with you long after the song as finished, Yak Ballz isn’t the next MC to mimic the great rhymers from New York; he is the next New York MC to do great things.
01 Bling Faith (prod. Adept)
02 YBTV (prod. Mondee)
03 Out of Range (prod. Camu Tao)
04 Nuclear Society f. Tame One (prod. Chapter 7)
05 War in My Head (prod. Mondee)
06 Dirt Empire (prod. Aesop Rock)
07 Future Deluxe f. Slow Suicide Stimulus (prod. Govone)
08 A Billion Ways f. Peter Toh (prod. Mondee)
09 ChaChing (Clap Your Hands) (prod. Chapter 7)
10 Taking Good Care f. Thomas Phenomas (prod. Camu Tao)
11 Underrated (prod. Chris Maestro)
12 New Communication f. Cage (prod. Chapter 7)
13 Trust is a Timebomb (prod. Chapter 7)
Lower Playground 