Strong Arm Steady - Deep Hearted Album Review

// Strong Arm Steady - Deep Hearted Album Review //

// West Coast Hip Hop artists Strong Arm Steady Hip Hop Album Review //

LA, CA // Strong Arm Steady is a West Coast super-group, consisting of the cream of California’s underground hip-hop scene, namely Phil the Agony, Mitchy Slick and Krondon. Over the years, Strong Arm Steady has toured relentlessly and pounded the mixtape circuit for years, independently distributing over 200,000 mixtapes worldwide. SAS has become the staple sound of the new West Coast movement.

Strong Arm Steady’s debut album, Deep Hearted, (featuring Chamillionaire, Juvenile, Black Thought of The Roots, Xzibit, Talib Kweli, Dilated Peoples, Ras Kass and more) is the culmination of years of hard work. Their never ending grind and consistent track record of creating great music shows why Strong Arm Steady is a force to be reckoned with.

Deep Hearted is the debut album for the super-group Strong Arm Steady.The group consists of Mitchy Slick, Krondon & Phil Da Agony After loads of mixtapes and years of self promotion the group has finally collected there years of work into one album. Although Xzibit the founder of the group is no longer apart of it he features on there album. Strong Arm Steady have recently signed to Talib Kwelis record label Blacksmith Records. Yet the album will be distributed on Nature Sounds. SAS (Strong Arm Stead) are predominately produced by Da Riffs but on this album you can see production by Dubb Knox, Thayod Ausar, Da Riffs, DJ Khalil, DJ Babu, Madlib, Blaqtoven, Evidence, J Thrill & J Macc. As for featured artist they consist of Jack Nicholson, The Game, Planet Asia, Chamillionaire, Ras Kass, Xzibit, PnB, Jellyroll, Dialted Peoples, Black Thought, Saukrates, Talib Kweli, Tha Links, Stylistic Jones, Ina Williams, Blastoff & Juvenile.


Xzibit is responsible for bringing together this formidable grouping of rugged-voiced West Coast MCs (Phil da Agony, Mitchy Slick, and Krondon) but he bowed out before the crew dropped their debut album, DEEP HEARTED. And though X-to-the-Z is largely absent (he appears on one joint), DEEP HEARTED benefits from an impressive barrage of guest appearances from such fearsome lyricists as Planet Asia, Ras Kass, Chamillionaire, Black Thought, Dilated Peoples, Tha Liks, Talib Kweli, and Juvenile. On the production side, DEEP HEARTED is a brooding, cinematic listen with a scattering of neo-soul/R&B-influenced tracks thrown in. Beats come courtesy of Evidence, DJ Khalil, Da Riffs, J Thrill, Thayod Ausar, Blaqtoven, DJ Babu, and Madlib.

Strong Arm Steady's debut album, Deep Hearted, (featuring Chamillionaire, Juvenile, Black Thought of The Roots, Xzibit, Talib Kweli, Dilated Peoples, Ras Kass, Phil The Agony and more) is the culmination of years of hard work. Their never ending grind anQ (Magazine) (p.121) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] Chamillionaire's turn on 'You Ain't Me,' which boasts G-funk swagger worthy of Dr. Dre."

Now reading threw the featured artists you’ll see Jack Nicholson and you’ll be think what is he doing on a album. He is on the introduction they sampled a speech from Departed the film.



So lets talk about the album “Deep Hearted” for me the start of the album got me really hyped for the rest of the tracks. But it didn’t seem to reach my expectations of the first couple of tracks don’t get me wrong it’s a solid album. Yet I feel if they’d have continued the tracks the way the first three where then the album would have been all round a lot better than what it is.

The general production of the album is slick and holds its own yet some of the lyrical raps that are put onto some of the tracks is something to be desired with simplistic rhymes being the focus it would seem. This works for club songs but for S.A.S this is not a style of there rap or what they represent. So I felt disappointed to hear this. Although there are some downs to this album this album still has its gems.


Lets talk hot tracks not so hot tracks.

Hot Tracks:
“The Movement”
“U Ain’t Me”
“King In The Deck”
“One Step” (Featured Video)

Not So Hot:
“My Homies”
“I Can’t Wait”

Track Listing:

1. Intro (Feat. Jack Nicholson & The Game)
2. The Movement (Feat. Planet Asia)
3. U Ain’t Me (Feat. Chamillionaire, Xzibit & Ras Kass)
4. Blood Money (Feat. PnB & Jelly Roll)
5. Co-Operation (Feat. Dilated Peoples)
6. Clean Up (Feat. Saturates & Black Thoughts)
7. One Step (Feat. Talib Kweli)
8. I Can’t Wait (Feat. Tha Liks & Stylistic Jones)
9. King In The Deck (Feat. Planet Asia)
10. Come & Get Me (Feat. Ina Williams)
11. My Homies (Feat. Blaqtoven)
12. Streetlights (Feat. Talib Kweli)
13.On The Grind
14. Wreckelss Words
15. Dirty Dirty (Feat. Juvenile)