Eventually his snowballing career would pit him against fellow Vancouver heavy weight Madchild. The two would go on to have a public feud and diss for diss battle with one another. A diss that I think Snak won gauging from the views on his song responses to the general attitude of social media and the rappers respective fans. Now I care not whether the bars in each track were true or not, nor do I care to talk about this any further but, it's important to paint the backdrop of the Vancouver and greater Canadian scene before going in to the track by track section of this review.
The wake of this feud, Snaks position in the hierarchy of Canadian hip-hop had changed pretty significantly in a short time. I knew this would be exciting material to cover on the next record so when I began seeing teases and singles coming out I was counting down the days for more announcements. The record officially released in June of that year.
The album opens with an intro cut aptly titled "Intro". The skit breezes past in under a minute and I suppose its necessary to lead into the theme of the title track that follows. You can hear Snak trudging through the brush as he approaches a railroad. I just didn't see a reason to give this snippet its own track. It could've easily been added to the beginning of the next song.
We continue into the title track "From The Dirt" and first promotional single with the train sound effects fading as the beat comes in. I like the slow beginning to the beat because it makes the beat drop that much more exciting. The hook comes in at full blast right away while the bass rumbles against our synth lead. The synths on the Lazy Rida production also are pretty wild and they remind me of some slowed down dubstep. The verses dive immediately into a vicious double time flow from Snak as he recounts the characters and activities you can find out in "The Dirt". He references the close proximity to wilderness as well as the urban decay hes grown up around. There's still a sense of pride as he finishes up his last verse with "This dirt right here is all I've known/and I love this dirt I call it home." It's an easy hit that I restart often.
We continue with "Premium Dope" produced by Marco Polo. Snak recruits Crooked I (now King Crooked) and the two share the song right down the middle with a 24 bars verse to each MC. I love the multi and internal rhymes they both finish with. I love features where you can hear the collaboration. The beat brings some piano leads and heavy kicks. It's a highlight for a lot of folks in comments and so forth but, I tend to skip since one of my favourite tracks is right around the corner. I sleep on this track a little bit because the verses and beat are such a slow build.
One of my personal favourites is "Vicious Cycle" is a somber break from the aggressive stuff while serving as the first real experimental section of the record. The gloomy trap beat from Lazy Rida as well as Snaks forlorn delivery are a great break for the bangers before and after. The lyrics detail a lot about emotional detachment and addiction.
"Stress" is another big ticket feature song produced by ENG. The Outlawz lend their talents to the first and second stanzas. Big kicks and claps keep this song hammering along. All three MCs bring determination and heart to their verses. I love the way the drums cut out to emphasize the last few bars from each of them too.
Another highlight for me is "Memories". Snak recounts his childhood and upbringing over a very reflective C-Lance beat. Snak adds his own guitar riffs over the bridges. I like the way he balances rapping in the past tense between dropping advice in the hook to not dwell on the past. One of my favourite snares of the album can be found here too.
The weed song "Hey" featuring Merkules is another cool one. Stuey Kubrick brings some crazy sounds (I want to say foghorns). The song goes off right away with Merkules detailing his early days of discovering pot and getting into trouble for it while still doing it anyway. I love Snaks hook there's just such presence in the mix and Snak recounts his consumption habits with some good humor. I love the cuts that take over before the song fades out too.
As we reach the halfway point, Deaner from Fubar returns for a sketch on the "The Basement" You can hear Snak in the upstairs blasting music and cracking open beers as Deaner goes squirrelly after waking up. I don't really listen to this one too much but it's good for a chuckle.
"Fuck The Internet" Is a pretty good concept song. Snak lists the goobers he meets online while also taking aim at shallow rappers who worry too much about their internet personas. I like the Ill Bill verse as he drops hilarious references to dating websites. My favourite part is easily the cuts with the overly serious voice saying "The motherfucking internet." There's also all kinds of dial up sounds cutting in and out on this beat too. A definite highlight with lots of personality.
The record keeps getting stronger with the tenth track "The Action". Jaclyn Gee adds vocal harmonies over top of the guitar and drums. I like the double kicks from C-Lance before each drum as well as the hook. The song blends braggadocio while highlighting the confidence Snak has in himself and his own path. It's a very dense song with a pretty lengthy hook and I'm still repeating it in hopes I can recite one day.
The fierce independence of the previous song is explained by "It's Over" as Snak battles with a friend who has betrayed him. The lyrics describes a life long friendship being shattered by rumors and lies. The momentum that builds and drops all across this song is tight too. Gradually growing from just a few piano keys to vicious hi hats and snares crashing down. The hook Jaclyn brings is great because it balances Snak frustration with more humility and resolve. Almost like Snak is writing from the moment and Jaclyn is singing in hindsight from the future.
"F.T.W." is a great step out for Snak as well. He assaults anything and everything from "flexing" and fake rappers to police brutality. The second verse touches on the way his worldview has changed since traveling the planet and how he struggles to understand the bigotry and passiveness he finds from everyday people. Nasty cuts on here too. It's a nice dabble into the "conspiracy" part of the underground scene.
The album keeps building in the third act with the Brevner produced "Eat Ya Face" featuring Dope D.O.D. Grim trap loops back the cannibal fantasies each MCs comes with. I like the simplicity of the hook. We didn't need a long or complicated hook here. It's about eating faces while high off bath salts, no complexity needed. I love the Silence Of The Lambs reference in Snaks verse too. Even beyond the gross lyrics you can tell everyone is having fun here writing something dark and crazy. Another favourite of mine.
Second to last is the rock infused "Wasting Away". Snak takes an empty drum loop from C-Lance and brings his own guitar riffs to it. The lyrics are similar to Vicious Cycle with its emphasis on vices and feeling misunderstood and isolated. The uniqueness comes from the explosive vocals and singing Snak reaches for on the hook. I would love to hear more stuff like this in the future.
We finish with "Runnin Wild". This is one of my favourite Snak songs of all time. ENG brings some sparse keys and bass lines in tandem with our kicks and snares. The first verse recounts Snaks resolve and relentless dedication to putting all his chips into his career. With our verse he's meditating on how far he's come since he began his journey. He's just laying it all out on record and explaining that high gear is the only way he operates. The song is also held together by one of the strongest chorus on the album and potentially his whole career. Perfect song.
At the end of it all, From The Dirt delvers on more than a few fronts. I was always looking forward to the next album after hearing Just Giver but, I did not expect something as calculated and tight as this. We have strategic features that bring great chemistry, versatile beats that Snak ins't afraid to experiment on, and that classic zany comedic personality of Snaks makes some memorable appearances too. As time went on I have noticed some low points but even those are quite listenable.
Pros: Snak got his feet wet in more than a few different styles here that he hadn't before. Great team of producers and sounds across the whole thing. Each feature bring the best out of Snak and he challenges them all the same too
Cons: There's a few instances where his voice is really cracking in a uncomfortable way. Once in a while we get a song that I feel like skipping. As usual I'm not a fan of the intro having its own track. It's just one more dial turn or button I gotta press on my way to the music.
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