Bigg Jus – Machines That Make Civilization Fun

Lyrically, Bigg Jus hasn't switched up the formula much for Machines – his flows are still acerbic, passionate attacks on inequality and established power structures – but a voice as fearless and political as his is perhaps more important now than it ever was. Musically, there is a heavy electronic influence at work here, which although not as head-crushingly forward-looking as his old Company Flow partner's recent efforts, is nonetheless an excellent match for his visceral, intelligent rhymes, and closer to the template established on Funcrusher Plus.

 

Advanced Lightbody Activation contains some incredible free association: “Killer pathogens / Cryptic three letter acronyms / Triangulate EMP scalar axiom / Neurotransmitter frequency perception management...”, while Empire Is A Bitch is a clear-eyed assassination of political hypocrites: “Whether your revolution is for real or controlled descent / Believe or get co-opted.” Far from instant gratification, what this album offers is a puzzle-box of rhymes and beats to decode; at times cryptic, at others feral and intense.