“Riiiiiight.” Fans of Smoke DZA know the Harlem MC’s distinctive greeting when they hear it, and they’ll be back around for He Has Risen, his second full album with”La Musica De Harry Fraud.” The Surf School conductor has crafted EPs with Curren$y, Action Bronson and others, crafting short, satisfying projects packed with foggy soul samples that get the most out of the artists rhyming over them. He and DZA succeeded with 2012’s Rugby Thompson, and the streak continues here.
Smoke DZA and Harry Fraud are best while just kicking back with relaxed rhymes and soulful, mellow production, and the duo provides that on He Has Risen. DZA doesn’t give us any new facet to his character, but with a cohesive, effortless project like this, he sounds great reminded us that he is a supreme marijuana being. Horns with smoothed-out timbres and keys fuel the boastful “Heard Dat,” and Fraud fuses a minimal saxophone loop, an airy vocal sample and a crawling bassline for DZA to smoke on “Stage Five Steamer.” The album’s closer “Morningside Sunset” ends things on a strong note, with those same jazzy woodwinds and smooth raps that make it flow so well. Smokers will naturally enjoy the songs for blunt-rolling, but anyone can appreciate the relaxing vibes of this record.
The results are mostly strong when they switch things up, making the album well-rounded despite its brief, nine-track play length. They strike gold when calling on Snoop Dogg (the album’s only guest star) to help scold misguided youngsters on “Morals,” chastising snitches and recounting hustling tales over an instrumental that sounds inspired by a blaxploitation flick. Slinky pacing helps “100K” feel cohesive despite harder drums from Fraud, and even though the trap elements of “Go Get It” feel out of place with the album’s otherwise melodic vibe, the song is good enough to hold its own weight. The only true misstep is “The Plot,” which bores with its slow, formulaic storytelling and repetitive production. But He Has Risen isn’t about painting a picture; it’s about setting a mood, and it does that well.
