Lock Smith
"A Thousand Cuts"
10/10/1014
It has been said you can not conquer your surroundings and become whoever an individual is meant to be until one can truly make eye contact with oneself and love thy own image. "A Thousand Cuts" is a masterful saga of one man professing life through vernacular. Being cut is a common ideal we can all fathom since life cuts in many ways; verbally, physically, and emotionally. Some cuts go beyond the physical and leave more than scar tissue, these cut you in a way which reopens every time you see, smell, taste, hear, or feel the trigger of said laceration. Locksmith delivers an unconcealed raw self portrait through twelve tracks of precise artistry blanketed on motherly laid instrumentals granting the listener a moment to reflect on more than music, but oneself.
I found myself halting my finger strokes as I ways struck line after line by home hitting rawness which resounded through me like the first time sirens came to play red rover in front of your child hood home. The volley of emotion bouncing from tempo changes, subject matter shifts, tiered schemes, firm wordplay and deliveries which kept laddering up and down across the foundation of each beat had me lure caught and tongue tied. It's humbling listening to particular artists projects imagining how elated they must feel owning such a Goliath. You can say volumes in a matter of seconds; "The truth is I need some purpose, lord knows I'm not perfect... so where do we go now, don't wait for me now."
My Mother use to profess ideals in my ears in magnitude, such so grand even if I failed her expectations I'd surpass my own. My Father use to lead by example, such examples so real I never reenacted them and some so necessary I mimic them daily. Locksmith writes, records, and delivers in a way we all can understand how he is actually feeling; it's a rare gift to be able to relate to an individual on such an organic level.
( It's real in a manufactured world )
The primary introduction I had to this album was the track "Hardest Song Ever", I'll pause here.
"How do I take the rage, bury it deep inside
Cover it with a smile, but eventually it will rise
Eventually it will tie a knot in your soul and boast
Then you just end up hurting the people you love the most
Fuck it! I let it fly, nothing to set aside
It's nothing for me to lose, I'm already dead inside
Already said my peace a piece of me fled in spite
Let's set it right! This the hardest shit I'mma ever write"
The feeling residing in my gut, heart, and mind is the same I had when I first heard; Sage Francis's "Run Aways", Immortal Technique's "Dance With The Devil", Jedi Mind Trick's "Razor Blade Salvation", etc... I can scribe countless pieces of pristine art that cause you to feel, truly feel. A feeling you may not be okay with, but a feeling that is purely wholesome in the emotion it triggers; it cuts you.
In a culture gearing our youth to flash rented, stolen, and bartered chains this project is truly a reflecting diamond. I can speak volumes of how each track made me feel and grant my own opinion on the subject matter granted to each man or woman whom presses play but why? Why speak on something that speaks for itself so well. "Jaded" says so much in such a short amount of time, it's the type of song you listen to over and over again and find new aspects of it every single time. This is the type of album I play while driving for hours and reorganize my life for what it is, beautifully painful.
"I am to diluted and lucid to notice, that my dad is really sick but he's lying so I can focus."
The brilliant aspect of this project is the continuous emphasis on word play, schemes, and tongue twisting deliveries that at a slower pace would be difficult yet Locksmith still ups the ante with pace. It leads through a complex labyrinth of vocalization that power bombs you into "House Of Cards" ft. R.A. The Rugged Man. It's a tug of war of linguistic gymnastics which bounds, twists, turns, flips and sticks the landing without even the slightest twitch.
I feel as though I was granted an opportunity after listening to this project, honestly, It's the type of work I'm thankful for. To see someone bare all and create art at such a pure form is fundamentally lost in the greater scheme of things. We have a select few individuals who I feel are in tuned with themselves enough to make music for the masses without regard of walls and or critique and Locksmith has entered that subgroup for me. He has granted a piece of work that will take any listener to multiple times in their life; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Finalizing this project I'm humbled and grateful to stand tall and know I am cut.
@DaLockSmith
www.facebook.com/IAmLocksmith
"A Thousand Cuts" Buy now on all major music platforms.
-JP
W.D.T.C.
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