HOPSIN - GAZING AT THE MOONLIGHT Album Review

Hopsin

Ruthless Records

Executive Producer: Tomica Woods-Wright

Co-Executive Producers: Damon Elliott & Michael Mackel

Album Review By: Jabari Oliver

Hopsin is here! Flaunting a heap of new school swag, the young rapper, actor, songwriter, producer brings a fresh self-induced west coast flavor suitable to travel on various platforms of music. Hopsin first hit the scene as an actor on Disney’s “That’s So Raven” and more recently appeared in the 41 million dollar gross-to-date film “Fame.”

Hailing from Ruthless Records which was founded by late great Eazy-E, Hopsin walks in the shadows of N.W.A. (Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Michel’le, M.C. Ren, and Ice Cube), J.J. Fad, Chris Tucker, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and the Atban Klann (now known as the Black Eyed Peas). With his debut album, “Gazing At The Moonlight,” Hopsin brings the hurrah for all to vibe to.

“Gazing At The Moonlight” is a bold display of lyrical hullaballoo. On the break out track “I’m here,” Hopsin directly addresses his opinions of Oprah’s opinions. “Who do you think I Am” shows the Dr. Dre/ Eminem influence which can be easily detected by the heaviest hophead because of Hopsin’s humorous lyrics and Chronic-like hoarded production. On “Sexy Cyber” he tells the story of an internet predator over a slow paced coasting beat. On “Story of Mine” Hopsin tells his life’s story of how he came to be who is as he verbally rides over the stretchy zingy organ keys that’s known synonymously with west coast rap. On “Bubblies,” Hopsin boasts with humor claiming to relieve himself on all ham actor rappers. “Slurpin” displays the depth of Hopsin’s creativity. In his beat he inserts the sound of a woman slurping on a nearly empty soda with a straw to show how much he loves a good woman. Hopsin takes his beats, rhymes, and lift to another level on “Pans in the Kitchen,” where he uses a sample of a kid banging on pots and pans as his beat, and “Break It Down” which serves to be a guaranteed club banger planting hypnosis on his listeners with the theme of “The West Coast is back!” laced with slow and raw rhymes “like I pin’em like a poster/ Get’em and I roast’em/ When it comes to this verbal abuse, do not approach’em/ I toast’em.”

“Gazing At The Moonlight” is an audio book that ingrains Hopsin into the ruthless imprimt of west coast rap overground. He is a rapper/actor just as forerunners Ice Cube and Dr. Dre less the raw gangsta-lades underground that the N.W.Aers faced. Hopsin is here to stay.

Listen to Hopsin’s banger “Break it Down“:

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Watch Hopsin’s “Pans in the Kitchen” video: