Big Baer Magazine: The Urban Alternative Music Magazine
November 19th 2001
Let me start by telling you the ending” Run, don’t walk, and buy this CD! Don’t miss out on one of hip hop’s most original releases of the year!”
Somewhere South of Somalia, the third album to be released from the artist Ithaka, is the
freshest compilation of hip hop beats, rap lyrics and spoken word that I have heard in a very long time. If you are feeling hip hop but are more than a little tired of hearing rappers spit about ho’s and 4/0s, about twenty inch rims and all-nighters; if the thought of one more Jay-to-the-izzo causes you more pain than fingernails scratching mercilessly on the chalkboard then Somewhere South of Somalia is for you.
The timing of this review is impeccable. I recently sat on a panel at an Urban Music conference where I addressed the situation of originality, or rather, the lack of it in much of today’s urban music. Somewhere South of Somalia is as original as they come, written on location in Kenya and Tanzania, it is an adventurers diary, a hip hop recollection of one man’s soul-searching escape to the east coast of Africa. Ithaka Darin Pappas is a visual artist and a writer. He is also a superb storyteller who explores the sometimes forgotten topic of escapism.
The album plays out like a hip hop adventure journal. Somewhere South of Somalia brings us stories of tribal folklore, urban dangers, epidemics, and voodoo. It recalls life threatening experiences and human tragedy. It is funny; it is serious and at times wildly erotic.
There are nineteen tracks of songs and interludes on this very unique offering. Though written on location in East Africa, followed by a stay in Lisbon, Portugal, Somewhere South of Somalia was recorded in Los Angeles with producer-engineer, Conley “Conman” Abrams III (Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifa, Heavy D, etc.). Ithaka’s distinctive laid-back but powerful rap style is complimented by first class original beats and vocal arrangements.
The overall production quality is first rate. It is obvious that a great deal of thought went into the production of each track. Almost as adventurous as the album’s material itself, Somewhere South of Somalia transports you from rap to spoken word, to trip-hop, all seamlessly done lending a true sense of discovery.
Rana Linda is a story of a foreign war correspondent originally from Colorado who had been covering events in Rwanda and now struggles with the realities of difficult choices. Ugly American tells of a wealthy business who moves to the Kenyan Coast, destroys forests, sexually abuses his maid and kills endangered species for fun.
Black Rock is a song based on Tanzanian tribal tradition of a black stone reported to save lives of those bitten by venomous snakes. The catchy chorus is sung by tribal children and backed by a thick base of tribal hip-hop rhythm.
Lapis Lazuli & Mother of Pearl is a spoken word proclamation of love with a melodically sung hook-line by IZREAL (from the song Rana Linda) and woven throughout by a beautifully muted trumpet and jazz-like beats. The song adds to the diversity and richness of the album. Very well done.
Upendo is eight minutes and twenty-six seconds of superb and outrageously erotic, trip-hop. “Mr. Lapis Lazuli” receiving a language lesson from “Mother of Pearl” (50 ways to say I LOVE YOU in Swahili). For sheer mood enhancing power, Upendo stands tall in the company of Enigma’s “Principles of Lust” (MCMXC a.D.) and Lonnie Liston Smith’s “Desert Nights” from his hallmark Expansions album. I would buy Somewhere South of Somalia for this album alone.
Exploring the outskirts of Nairobi’s notorious River Road, Ithaka relates a tale of adventure-turned nightmare involving pimps, drug dealers and knife-wielding gangs. It ends with Ithaka sprinting for his life.
Mwajuma, tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a wandering nomad, Ithaka, and a domestic servant to Nairobi’s elite. The story unfolds with a light-hearted meeting to Ithaka’s discovery that his new friend has tested HIV positive. Her husband is already dead and she ponders about the future of her children while still showing great concern for Ithaka’s well-being. Cynthia Denise Farmer sings the moving gospel chorus, building to a full choir ending. The song is a powerful reminder of the AIDS epidemic that is devastating much of Africa today.
Ithaka’s curiosity of places and people is revealed wholeheartedly in Somewhere South of Somalia. His travels have taken him to Europe, Africa and the South Pacific. While in Lisbon, Portugal, a brief stint as a radio host landed him a record deal with a local subsidiary of EMI. In 1998, he released the e.p. ESCAPE (Nortesul/EMI Portugal) which featured a remake of his hip hop dance track “Escape From the City of Angels”off of his first album. The song earned Ithaka the 1998 SCYPE AWARD (European Radio Listener’s Choice Award). Note the song's original version appeared in the soundtrack of Columbia Films’s “The Replacement Killers starring Mira Sorvino and Chow Yun Fat directed by Antoine Fuqua.
Somewhere South of Somalia is a continuation of Ithaka’s philosophy: live it, write it, rap about it. It is an excellent hip hop album as well as a true collector’s offering. Now I can finish right where I began: Run, don’t walk, and buy this CD! Don’t miss out on one of the most original hip hop releases of the year!”
Review by Jack Baer
Lapis Lazuli & Mother of Pearl (official video)
Ithaka on the microphone
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