Cinemetropolis is a term coined by the Russian film maker, Sergei Eisenstein. He was a silent film maker from the 1920-40's era who pioneered the use of montage in film. Eisenstein thought that this "collision" of shots could alter the audience's emotions by creating metaphors through these images. (Geo further explains the meaning of Cinemetropolis in this interview). Geo explains how our generation has been massively influenced by the "Cinemetropolis" of moving images through television, movies, sitcoms, etc.. and how the moving image world has shaped our "real" world more than the real world is shaping our world. It is through this vision that has laid the foundation for the premise of "Cinemetropolis". Each track name on Cinemetropolis represents public figures (Cheif Sealth, Slick Watts), Seattle grocery stores (Fou Lee), famous international actresses (Anna Karina, Marion Sunshine, Rani Mukeriji) inventors (Oscar Barnack), martyrs (Oscar Grant), political activists (Yuri Kochiyama, George Jackson), composers (Lalo Schifin), comedians (Tommy Chong) and film maker (Seijun Suzuki). While each song title does not directly affect the lyrical content contained on the songs, it does, however, play an important roll in giving you a mental image of what geo is portraying. There are a few exceptions though with the marijuana themed "Tommy Chong" with Geo and Macklemore talking "wikipedia raps" about everybody's favorite plant through its history, cultivation, origin, legal issues and personal relationships with it. The track is highlighted by Sabzi's playful lead synth that easily makes "Tommy Chong," a personal favorite right off the hop. The production from Sabzi has continually stayed evocative throughout the years and with his work on Cinemetropolis, it still continues to amaze with enough substance within it to equal the subjects and heady raps of Geo. If you contributed to the Blue Scholars kickstarter campaign you were treated to an advance copy of the album today. And if you missed the chance to pledge towards the campaign you will be able to purchase the physical and digital album on their website soon. The official release date is June 14th. This album is an absolutely incredible piece of work and does not contain one bad song. Cinemetropolis is a blessing for any hip-hop fan and deserves to be called a piece of art. Take a listen to some of the highlights below.
Blue Scholars