Welcome to the jungle. An explosive hip-hop album recorded by U.S. soldiers serving in Baghdad, Live From Iraq is a digital-age dispatch from the front, as 4th25--Texas-based, led by MC Big Neal--unleashes a bluesy,
... Welcome to the jungle. An explosive hip-hop album recorded by U.S. soldiers serving in Baghdad, Live From Iraq is a digital-age dispatch from the front, as 4th25--Texas-based, led by MC Big Neal--unleashes a bluesy, blistering set of meditations on war, wartime and warriors that subscribes to no easy agenda. Intensely personal, the album critiques everyone from Iraqi civilians to the Bush administration, and the ultimate theme of songs like "Holdin' My Breath" and the title track is one of hard survival, with high stakes and few allies beyond the other 150,000 U.S. troops. (On "Reality Check," Big Neal even calls out Destiny's Child.) Sonically, the album is hardcore, lo-fi hip-hop, clearly Southern in its slow-rolling beats and minor-key hooks. While not an easy listen, Live From Iraq is challenging and vital, and no current album is more important or compelling. Read more