Razor Tongue Media

Build & Destroy are a Product of the outrage

The Product of Outrage is the new album from Build and Destroy.

Ay, its beautiful that the good fight has been brought to the streets and what the hood has been dealing with for generations is finally at the forefront of conversations where it should be.  That is undeniable.  But this fight is not new to everyone and Build and Destroy are Tacoma social war veterans.  They return to the booth to document their battles with their latest album Product of the Outrage.

Build and Destroy’s core is made up of Awall, Whikid, EeeTree, High-Rize aka Josh Rizeberg, Pesha Rize, and Marqueza.  But their extended network runs deep into the concrete of the 253 and as has been consistent across their releases, they tap into that association to add to the flavor of Product of the Outrage.  Heavy hitters like Wojack and Don James are here as well as Mae Dali who is unarguably one of the most slept on MC’s in the top left.   Rounding out the features are AQ, Solothiel Abaddon and Cousin Cam, three Tacoma reps entrenched in the veins of the City of Destiny as much as any town icon can attest to.

Phantom mysteries, subjective matter for centuries
Neglect the chatter or I’ll batter ’em viciously
Influential epiphanies to the 10th degree
Its the pimpin’ of the massive sentences, this is key”

-Mae Dali “Famulation”

This latter bar sequence treasure is from the opening verse of the album where Mae Dali sets the tone for a record that is both lyrically and on a cadence level ultra dynamic, shifting gears with each MC’s appearance both within Build and Destroy and out.  Its part of the draw to the album, the way each mic controller brings something different to the table.  High-Rize is the spoken word poet assassinating conservatives on wax.  Whikid is that wise homie you are talking with through verses who is slowly getting angrier as he addresses the issues at hand.   EeeTree has the mind and confident delivery of an old soul militant.  Awall is the seasoned street documentarian, leading with over two decades of experience in the booth and more than that on the block.  Pesha is in there holding everything down to add that extra layer of rage and emotion.  Its a mix that works well, a combination that draws more from Gil Scott-Heron than it does any MC or crew of MCs who dropped anything in the last 30 years.

You can almost smell the herb in the air listening to this record, you the listener being transported down to an old couch in someone’s basement and treated to a front row seat to an underground slam poetry session.  The participants are block savvy rebels taking turns to vent frustrations while likewise inspiring healing.  Solothiel breaks it down with a spoken word piece in the opening to “Stomp Tha Streets”: “Build AND destroy. The wise men know how to do both.  The wicked ain’t building shit, they’re only building Hell.”

The depth of ideas on display here matches the murkiest of waters.  The production–handled by EeeTree and Marcus Lee–beckons you to dive in and soak these thoughts up.  Tracks like “Eyes Dry” carry the soul, while right after the Wu-inspired “Nothin’ 2 Fuck With” pumps the fist.  Its a rally for the revolution, and all with the cause are invited.  Pesha Rize says it possibly the best on “THE Baddest”:

“Trials made us strong, the strongest
Tribulations made us bond the fondest
Wounded heroes of the world radically honest
Always fought hard, maybe the hardest  
Wallets may be slim but souls are the fattest
Because we’re not just bad, we’re the baddest!”

That’s the summary of the strengths right there.  But don’t take it from me.  Go listen and grow some.

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