Dyfunktional Family is a duo out of Athens, Ohio made up of Emcee Schwartz and Hil. As a collective they've released two albums. The duo was a part of the band First Street Heat and has done guest appearances with other artists. Dysfunk Family is back with a new album called “Reunion” and it's is their best effort yet.
The “Intro” to the record has a sort of epic feel to it from a production standpoint, but both Schwartz and Hil tell the listener that this record is nothing to mess with. During my final play through of the album I've realized that “Reunion” is part feel good album and part serious album and the two emcees handle both extremes on real well. “Feel Good” was one of the lead singles on the album and features Emerson B and Dutch Williams (who shows up quite a bit on this album) and is the definition of feel good music. This also did a video for the joint, peep it below.
Hil and Schwartz are also real nice battle rappers and “Black Dynamite” is a testament to that. In some ways I saw this as a cypher of some of the hip-hop Athens has to over. The joint features Dox City and is filled with clever wordplay and braggadocious rhymes. The cleverness continues on the next track called “Genuine Draft” where Copywrite comes through and rips his verse along with Schwartz and Hil. There are so many quotables in this track that if you're into the golden era of hip-hop this track was made just for you. Schwartz did the production for this track and the piano loop with the bass line, will have you nodding your head.
“The Way the WorldWorks” is easily my favorite track on the album, Schwartz murdered the production with a very nice flute. Both Hil and Schwartz write about why the make the music they do and thank those that have been a part of the musical journey the duo has embarked on. The two write for hip-hop heads, their families, their friends and more. Money isn't the goal, but change. The track also features Sadat X, who brings a more reflective verse to the table speaking not only on world views, but also his views on his music and his more mature life now. This review would've been out sooner, if I hadn't run into this track and had it on repeat for hours at a time.
The serious tone continues with “Gotta Do” which features Jimmy the Saint and each emcee seems to take on a different subject, but you can definitely hear the cohesiveness in the song. Hil rhymes about not really being able to relate to a lot of the mainstream stuff out there because it seems fake. Schwartz expresses the need for justice in the system, he's sick of the lies that pollute not just hip-hop, but our society also. Jimmy the Saint speaks on making real music, music that you can relate to.
The album (minus bonus tracks) closes with probably the most serious track on the entire record “Obsolete Pt. 2” which features another duo out of the “OH” Natural Jones. The political views of the 4 emcees might scary away some, but they're definitely trying to educate the listener as to the apparent corruption and darkness that our country is facing with wars, the economy and more.
Dysfunktional Family has outdone themselves this time, my only gripe with the album is that I wish some of the production on the album came just a bit harder. It comes correct with dope samples and diversity of beats, just wish the drums came harder. Otherwise the duo cover all sides of hip-hop, from weed anthems, celebrating life, educating the youth, clever rhymes. Every hip-hop fan should be able to find something they love in “The Dysfunktional Family Reunion”.
-Michael Stover (@BigSto)
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