YounG AleX

There haven’t been too many careers more disappointing than that of Germaine Williams. As talented a lyricist as they come, Bis has struggled from day one to make listenable albums; be it from his inability to pick beats or rhyming about things with zero relevance to anything.

If someone told me to make an educated guess as to how Canibus came up with his rhyming style, it would be this: Canibus went to his local library, blindfolded himself, and proceeded to pick random books from the shelves. After about half an hour of doing so, he took his blindfold off, and observed the ********** he had made: A dictionary, a thesaurus, a Dr. Seuss book (for the rhyme scheme), an X-Men comic book, and texts on the following subjects: mythologies of the world, astrology, alchemy, game theory, martial arts, medieval and modern weaponry, complex football formations, space exploration, and discrete mathematics. He then threw these subjects together with all the subtlety of a rabid grizzly bear trapped in a medium-sized classroom filled with five year olds.

When people talk about Canibus, they talk lyrics – so let’s talk lyrics. Look, if I walk up to you on the street, blabbing about the complexities of space travel; will you automatically believe that I'm an astrophysicist? No? So does rapping almost exclusively about Space Vikings and Chaos Theory make Canibus a complex lyricist? Hell no! Just because someone can’t understand you, doesn’t make you complex: “Since the beginning/The Law of three, the law of seven/Unquestioned the principle or scale of Heaven/Law one through forty-eight, law forty-nine/Is the loophole I used to escape/Buy the album, get a fifty dollar rebate before it’s too late.” His battle raps a decade ago were far more intricate.

The “law of 3” and “law of 7” are actual concepts. They’re part of cosmic theory. Another possibility is that ‘Bis used 3 and 7 because they’re significant numbers in numerous belief systems (such as Christianity), and therefore are easily recognizable. The rest though, is complete rubbish. There is no “law 49.” It doesn’t hold any significance. The reason lines like these are used throughout the entirety of this and nearly every Canibus album is to trick the listener into thinking that he is deep.

Fortunately, it isn’t all bad, as Canibus manages to say something interesting and meaningful at times: “I was spiritual first/She cut my umbilical/At the physical birth/And welcomed me to miserable earth/Why does it hurt? She laid me on my back in the dirt/And covered my girth with a dirty shirt/What could be worse/She said ‘God bless the dead, but they got it easy’/The living get left behind but still can’t live they life completely/Tough luck, before I was about to give up/I passed out emotionally bankrupt.”

Enough with the lyrics, what about the emceeing itself? Energy-wise, ‘Bis sounds the most awake I’ve heard him since Rip the Jacker. Nonsensical subject matter or not, he attacks the mic with an admirable ferocity. Unfortunately, he does the same exact thing when talking about sex on Dreamzzzzz, which makes for an extremely awkward song. Secrets Amongst Cosmonauts is a prime example of creativity being used in an appreciable manner, as Canibus tells a tale of an alien race that laments humankind’s destructive nature (though someone should tell dude that a cosmonaut is a Soviet astronaut, not an alien).

The musical backdrop isn’t really worth mentioning. It fits Canibus’ persona, so in that sense it succeeds, though none of it is particularly engaging. Rather, the big “deal” about this album, Poet Laureate Infinity, is a very interesting concept. Like the great Reverend Cappa said, “What Canibus is doing is truly an extraordinary display of artistic ability. This type of thing should be celebrated.” Indeed it should, as ‘Bis raps for a mind-boggling 11+ minutes on two versions of the song (there were five made, only two are on the album). The song is “layered” in the sense that you can switch off one version, and play the other at a given point in the song, and it will rhyme. I suggest visiting for the full experience. This is undoubtedly the highlight of the album.

In the song Harbinger of Light, Canibus spits “Without balance, I’m destined to fall.” Indeed that is true. While this is a step up from his previous album, ‘Bis achieves little of said balance in For Whom the Beat Tolls – at the expense of his music.

source-hiphopdx.com

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I learned that everybody is not your friend. You have to watch who you associate with and surround yourself with positive things and people who want to do something positive.- Gucci!

Young Nicks

LMAO funny review smashing bis..... making him looks stupid..

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kac

Ok, this review helped me to understand even more of the meaning to his songs. Still, a great album.

Lyrikcha

I like Canibus but the dude rymes about some stupid shit sometimes...his BC album was fire but some of the others...ummm idk

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No, I don't like you, Yes, you are a better emcee then Chambers, I give props where props are due.-Smoke1Life

Loki1

This dude is dumb

When bis said 49th Law he meant the 48th Laws of Power

48 Laws of Power is a book by Robert Greene

thats why Bis said the 49th Law is his loophole cuz there isn't one

Dam dumbasses

SMH