Fear Itself

Compared to the complex psyche of Del and the Souls of Mischief's interwoven rhyme schemes, Casual was the most conventional of the Bay Area's Hieroglyphics, yet few would to be foolish enough to dismiss him as any average MC. The very essence of a battle rapper, Casual was a braggadocio maestro who badgered the competition into submission with his freestyle-infused lyrics. Fear Itself perhaps represented the zenith of the Hiero's abilities. The most lyrically and musically consistent album the collective ever put out, Fear Itself had no end of impressive lyrics or tracks. On the latter end, producer Domino and fellow Hiero members put many of their obscure breakbeats to use, filling the album with thick, rolling bass lines ("Me-O-Mi-O") expressive jazz melodies ("Thoughts of the Thoughtful") and crashing drum marches ("Chained Minds"). Holding up his end of the bargain, Casual was relentless, straight-smacking MCs down on "That's How It Is," "You Flunked," and "Lose in the End," but still taking enough time to sleep with his best friends' girls ("I Didn't Mean To"). --Oliver Wang