Ushering in the “Prism Media” era, 9henom delivers his first solo masterpiece “ Sex, Lies, & Videotape”, a film inspired project filled with honesty and introspection.
Following the transition from “Playground” to “Prism Media” I was interested to see what route 9henom would approach following up his 2022 effort “Playtime!” a nod to the former company, as well as Jacques Tati’s French comedy classic. Once the title dropped paying homage to Steven Soderbergh’s 1989 debut classic “ Sex, Lies, & Videotape”, I knew I was in for a treat. Each track on the album has a title referencing a few of my favorite films as well, so I already dug the direction 9henom was going.
The project starts out with “Rushmore” featuring Aja Iman & Kay Dank. Giving a nod to Wes Anderson’s classic “Rushmore” the intro track sets the stage for the album, setting up like one of Max Fischer’s plays from the movie. The soft piano has a nice vibe, elevating 9henom’s sped up flow. The part when 9henom gets quiet was a nice touch on the song. Great tone setter.
“Prisoners” a nod to the Denis Villeneuve film if of the same name, takes us back to 9henom’s child hood days locked in his own mental prison. The vocals on this track are so on point adding to the emotion. This is probably 9henom’s most introspective track to date and I really respect him for going all out on this one. Mad bars on this one especially the cartridge line. Real melancholy track but it really hits your soul.
“Silver Linings Playbook” sharing the name with the David O. Russell film, puts 9henom in a more warped slowed down realm. This joint has a more laid back stoned out vibe. OK Tav and the homie Stoney Hoop came through and did their thing on this one. The production on this one is wild.
“Requiem For A Dream” might be my new favorite 9henom track. The vibe is all there for me. Really dope flow and bars on top of a chilled out beat. The video teaser for this one is also very dope. Not as dark as the Aronofsky film it’s based on but it’s a bop for sure. All bars no hook.
“Dirty Dancing” is on that soulful boom bap shit. You already know when the homie BTMVLE Jotta gets on a track it’s going to be a bar fest. Can’t wait to hear what’s cooking from these to in the future, they brought up the anticipation with this one. 9henom hits us with that sped up flow once again over that lush production. Jotta takes us to church with qutoables for days. That award shows line was picture perfect. And yes you already know shout out to them Bucs baby. Jotta is for sure in contention with verse of the year for this track.
“Birdman” takes us back on a darker note, with a more menacing beat than anything else on this project. The background drums remind me of the score of the Iñárritu film of the same name. Short but sweet, I dig the change of pace this song provided at this point in the album.
“Ex Machina” featuring JC Tha God is a certified banger. The Alex Garland film is one of my all time favorites so when I saw the title I got hype, and with JC on it you already knew it was going to be a bar fest. The voice switches by 9henom was a nice touch on the hook. 9henom’s flow on the second verse is impeccable, he went crazy. JC did his thing for sure proving why he is the “Hidden Gem” of Tampa Bay Hip Hop. That tic tac toe line was nuts. That water line was even crazier, on top of the craziest flows I have heard from JC to date on the beat switches. Another verse of the year contender.
“Yojimbo” the first single released off the project instantly caught my eye with the nod to Akira Kurosawa’s classic samurai filk “Yojimbo”. The beginning notes from 9henom set the tone for one of my favorite songs of the year. The somber beat is the perfect soundscape for 9henom to free his mind. Don’t ever stop bro.
The project closes out on a happier note with uplifting piano rift on “American Hustle”, another nod to David O. Russell. The video for this one set a nice tone as well, with 9henom roaming around the city. The different vocal transitions on this track are what make it stand out, that’s not to say it’s not an onslaught of bars, but a perfect blending of the two. Amazing way to end out the project, and watch the credits roll.
The growth is crazy on this project. All the different styles and sounds 9henom has been working on with his past projects all marinated so well together on this one. The singing and vocal transitions complemented the sick flows and bars that are sprinkled throughout the whole project. Not to mention the film references, that I haven’t heard tackled so well in a project since West Coast Emcee Blu’s masterpiece “Her Favorite Color”. I appreciate the honesty and heart 9henom put into this project, and that’s why it will be no surprise when it appears on my end of the year list.
I wish I made it out to the show “Rose Colored Lenses, And How They May Fall” show to get the full experience but maybe we will get some footage dropped or better yet an encore of the show for audiences in the 727. Big shout out to the homie 9henom, can’t wait to see what’s next with Prism Media, the growth is unreal.
