I've never been a huge fan of hip hop/ trip hop/ reggae etc. etc., but I gotta say, that Mattafix album is hot! Here's my review...

It's a rare event when you find edgy yet accessible music with a sociopolitical commentary that's worth listening to. Such is Mattafix's album, Signs of a Struggle--a mishmash of urban music that takes bits of hip hop, reggae, trip hop and soul and heat fuses them into a unified voice of struggle and hope. Fittingly, the songs range from the agreeable, anthemic "Big City Life" which is already in heavy rotation in most hip hop clubs, to more underground hits that will please casual listeners and aficionados alike. The dynamite production team, the nucleus of which is Preetesh Hirji and the talented lyricist Marlon Roudette, utilize a judicious mix of clean instrumentation and simple yet effective drum programming. "I to You" takes as its subject the confrontation between citizens of two nations at war, neither of whom are directly responsible for the tyranny and hate their leaders fuel, but who must still deal with the stereotypes that pervade both societies. In "Impartial", over a stuttering beat and quivering organ, a believer questions God's existence in a modern world where fundamentalists on all sides justify death in his name. The media becomes the target in "The Means", where a lonely guitar loop acts like repeating headlines that disguise government agendas. As the singer questions the lies being carried out on the air waves, a breakbeat mirrors his mindset, steadily becoming more frenetic and fractured as the track progresses.

Whether by design or accident, Mattafix have a surefire concept on their hands: an album that matches the voice of the rebellious youth with exactly the type of hip music these middle class intellectuals currently gravitate towards, that being smart urban beats. But you can't blame them. The fact is it's undeniably good and surprisingly refreshing. Mattafix takes the accessibility of cool urban music but rather than talking about dogging girls in da club, infuses it with heavy, meaningful critiques of oppression, 21st century war, miscarriages of justice and wrongful imprisonment. And like those sad issues, the fire in Signs of a Struggle won't be burning out any time soon.