Give A-Q his Flowers : Review of God's Engineering 2 (Album Review)
God's Engineering 2 by A-Q is an attempt at both introspection and retrospection. A compilation of self absolving playlist that revolves around family, braggadocio and betrayal. It's a body of work that seems like a flip of 2020's first instalment God's Engineering. While the first was more about introspection, gratitude and a story about personal growth, the sequel is an all out attack at whoever and whatever seems not to be in tandem with A-Q's mindset.
The first track on the album Friction set the tone for the world in which the listener is about to be thrusted into, bragging about how "24 hours isn't enough for my progressive mind". What followed throughout the song was more of an affront to the industry and its eggheads.
This is a body of work that has raised a lot of dust and rustled many feathers with hip-hop fans believing some lines and sometimes track to be aimed at some individuals. One of such is the line "fuck hennessy..." on Blueprint, which is just the foundation of the assault that was to follow. The song though had a feel good factor to it with light and cheerful vamp of keyboard chords beneath heavy kicks and even lighter snares.
Taking a leaf from Eggrolls in 2020's edition, Q rides on the wings of salvation-esque trumpet sounds and slides on the general affairs plaguing the whole world while lending a supportive voice to Kanye over his anti-semitic remarks that cost him his deal with Adidas; even as he stated his own aversiveness towards transgender people.
The very embodiment of the album, betrayal. On the album lead single Family, Q draws from Blaqbonez's afro tendencies to address issues that border on his team (family). lines such as "the same family that's supposed to support me, tryna negate me" and "hey sis, I'm outta your league: you can't relegate me" are believed to be subtle digs at Choc City and his former boss and 'brother' MI Abaga.
Unarguably the hardest track on the album, Mogadishu gives out a feeling of liberation on A-Q's part, a snippet of how heavy his armoury can be when he's not 'fighting'. The track ripples with quotables ranging from "if you put money over strategy, you will live a void" to "rich or poor, what's between that is your business choice".
Starting from the production which had a retro heavy hip-hop feel and samples extracted from the Kendrick Lamar handbook, the delivery, cadence, flow and the ownership of the beat, everything was perfect. This is a track that on its day would have him on eagle wings, gliding alongside greats like MI and Modenine. It wouldn't be a surprise if it eventually gets nominated for lyricist of the year.
Just when you thought the light has defeated the cloud and his flowers are about to bloom, Q dives back unrestrained into the colossal and quite absorbing pit of retrospection on King Solomon. There's a very popular opinion that this is a direct jab at MI Abaga. "management had me making music with tribal crackheads" though is believed to be directed at Brymo, whom he had a joint album with.
Well, the opinion can not be sidestepped easily as there are just way too many lines pointing in that direction, "The Fall of King Solomon". Again the cadence was smooth, the delivery hard and punchy and the production topnotch, but the message? depends on who you ask.
To release the steam from all the hard punches and heat from the previous track, PS2 with Blaqbonez is a more relaxed offering stirred by a heavy but groovy hip-hop beat that resonates with modernity and Blaq's uniqueness and ability to ride every kind of storm in form of a beat.
It strides slowly, but very enjoyably into another leaf off GE1. All Paid For has all the elements of No Pensions from the sound, to the delivery and the message. It lays bare the deceit in the music industry, the story with fake streams, and the vanity that lays at the end of the journey.
Man Made begins with the voice of a lady who is probably his sister. It's basically an exploration of the purposes of ones life and the impact we could leave in each other's lives, even when we're not in best terms. "its what we do, it's really not what we lose...." the rapper pours just as he reminds us at the end that "sometimes it's up to God".
The Cobhams Asuquo helped Fate vs Destiny is the only other heavy track on the album with a lot quotables, devoid of shades or attacks. The delivery of the song raises the rapper's perception as if to transcend him to elevations on par with greats before him. He speaks as one who has seen and conquered the journey and is now just here to hold the hands of those coming after him. With Cobhams on the hook, one could easily mistake it for track between JayZ and T-pain.
Outrospection just as the title is the final track on the album. It's a narrative that weaves its way through the rappers upbringing, juvenile tendencies, family suffering, the journey to the top and how its affected his transcension to the peak of his powers. But then the miserable tendencies of wealth persists, just as he fades out the album just the same way he opened God's Engineering. A flip of two parts.
God's Engineering 2 is one of those divisive classic musical exhibitions, born to ripple waters and raise billows, but embedded with enjoyable gems that when dismantled and examined exposes the genius of its master. It is an art sprinkling divisive elements on the music industry canvass, with its artist(e) standing armour-less, fearless, and unapologetic, facing his peers in the very streets of martyrdom. Perhaps he will survive or he will not, but one thing is sure, he has secured his spot amongst the greats.
I rate it an 8.5/10
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