Rasco could not have named his debut more appropriately. With his excellent ’98 LP “Time Waits For No Man” causing a stir in the Bay Area and beyond, Rasco has not had a worthy follow-up in five years. His Cali Agents project was a success but all the credit seemed to go to Planet Asia. So here it is, 2003 and Rasco has bailed on his former label (“Alcatraz”) and is looking for a fresh start on Coup D’Etat.
Jon Sexton and Copasetik are addressed early and often on this album. “Get Free” is bread and butter as Ras rides a thick, funky bass guitar while spitting some well directed venom. “Snakes In The Grass (The Jon Sexton Story)” is much more in depth and yet another lesson of rule 4080. “U Got The Time” is successful as it captures the vibe that Rasco works best over. The Soul Father’s deep voice and commanding delivery work well alongside a man of similar characteristics in Chali 2na. The result is “The Sweet Science,” sweet indeed.
“Put Yo Hands Up” floats along nicely but hardly works as the club song it is meant to be. Packing the albums most potent rhymes, “My Life” has a dope, spacey beat as well. Yet, the beat is a puzzling selection considering the subject matter of the song. It just doesn’t seem to fit. Nevertheless; “Life that’s the name of the game/who’s the first to flinch/who’s giving an inch/everybody’s gotta look at themselves at some point/and pin point the problem/ask’em where to solve’em.”
All in all, “Escape From Alcatraz” is a good listen with only a few weak moments. Rasco is not the best emcee on the planet but his voice is overpowering and his delivery is very straight-forward. What that means is it is essential that he has beats that compliment his style as much as possible. That does not always happen here, and he could have stood to get some production a little more varied and much harder. Definitely worth a listen though, especially for those unfamiliar with Rasco.
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6/10
