Shaya

Fallen Awake

Interdependent Media

Rating: 3/4

Rappers like Shaya often have distinctive repertoires that consciously flirt with the golden-era formula.  For those too young to have experienced that time in all its glory, the good ole days of hip-hop boasted music that tended to lean more toward lyrical depth, sampling, scratching, and was basically pure street poetry.  Not much of that around anymore—at least commercially.  Fortunately there exists this stable of contemporary artists relishing a more tangible, arguably relatable form of hip-hop music.  Witness Shaya; he has been on the Bay Area circuit for quite a while, trudging his way up through the hazardous landscape of this crazy thing called the music biz.  This full-scale release encompasses much of that “reality” throughout, but most specifically on the single “Industry Life.”  Fallen Awake is more than just interesting wordplay for a title—the entire album is the expression of a dynamic wordsmith. Shaya addresses everything one might encounter in his world, including the pride, disappointment, success, and life in general endured from thug to stand-up fella. Thanks in part to great production by Jake One and the ARE, many of the beats and sampling are equally reminiscent of past eras, offering balance to the catchy modern bangers.  Fallen Awake is, according to Shaya’s manifesto, thinking man’s music. Don’t think of it as elitism—and not that radio-ready hooks and baseless lyrics aren’t fun sometimes—but rather consider Shaya a nice divergence from the oversimplified sounds we’re inundated with daily.