1st Class - The Future of Classic

1st Class is probably the newest group we've blogged about so far, this is their first production together ever. You definitely haven't heard of them. Yet.

Coming out of the Bay Area, Salt Lake City, and Boulder, CO, 1st Class is made up of emcees Mr. Smith and Sick Sense, and producer Skinwalker. I got a chance to listen to their freshman album The Future of Classic which just dropped. Most of the album makes me want to kick back next to the pool with a blunt and a red stripe, partly because a good portion of it is dedicated to herb, but also because of a handful of made-for-summer beats that seem to be reggae or rocksteady inspired.

As far as the emcees go they both have a lot going for them. I do think Mr. Smith outshines Sick Sense slightly lyrically, and a lot as far as flow. Even where his lyrics aren't at their strongest, Mr. Smith's flow definitely makes up for it. My main beef with Sick Sense's lyrics is that they get kind of generic when he spits about drugs, money and bitches. It's not that they're bad but they don't really distinguish him. I definitely have faith in his ability to go beyond that though, and even when he does stick to those themes he sometimes pulls in surprise lines that are on point: "me and shawty both are homogenous/whisper in her ear for tonight I'm monogamous" (Mr. DJ).

Both he and Mr. Smith step it up again on "Never Going Back," the most intense track which deals with some of the harsher parts of reality beyond the party lifestyle they rep. It's definitely the most unique track on the album, I can only guess what they're going to do next. I almost wish they would've ended with this track (it's the 11th of 12 tracks) because it stops you in your tracks in a way that "The Right Way" and any other track on the album can't. It definitely is a young sound, but it's also a fresh sound. They have a lot of potential and I'm juiced to see where they go next. You can download their singles for free from thesidetracked and can cop the whole album from xcommunicated . Be sure to check out their myspace as well.