MALIK YUSEF - THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE... A COLD DAY IN HELL

Seven years ago, I heard Malik Yusef spit a piece of lyrical jazz called "My City" on Common’s One Day It Will All Make Sense. Seven years later, I get The Great Chicago Fire... A Cold Day In Hell. Instantly, I struggled, trying to figure out why the name seemed so familiar. Then I played the record. As soon as Malik stepped to the mic, I remembered.
The Great Chicago Fire... is one of those rare records where the music is almost as amazing as the lyrics rhymed over it, forcing you to give it your undivided attention on multiple listens. Yusef maintains his melodic and casual spoken word style, talkin' about everything from love to revolution. And he surrounds himself with a supporting cast of poets and producers, both famous (Kanye, Common) and below the radar (Makaela, Mr. Mirajj).
So where does he shine most? Sheeit... where doesn’t he? Not many MCs can prove the pen is mightier, but when he reworks "I Spit", which he first made famous on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, he does it with a fierceness that’ll leave your ears bruised. But with equal ease, Malik can also be somber and sincere, as he is in the autobiographical "Struggle", or when he and Kim Ransom become the spoken word Marvin and Tammy in the romantically sweet "Just W-R-Ighte For You". And then there’s a Marley-esque reggae dip, "Revolutionary Words", where G-Wiz’s music lights the fire, and Malik’s how-it-is manifesto keeps it burning.
The Great Chicago Fire... A Cold Day In Hell is the perfect example of why something I heard seven years ago stuck in my head all this time. It flawlessly blends the worlds of spoken word and hip-hop music, and showcases Malik Yusef as its somewhat peerless ambassador.