Souls of Mischief are an alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California consisting of A-Plus, Opio, Phesto & Tajai of the Hieroglyphics collective. Their 1993 full-length debut ‘93 ‘til Infinity under Jive Records has since become a west coast masterpiece although the reception of their sophomore effort No Man’s Land as well as the Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings-backed Focus & Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution were average at best. Montezuma’s Revenge mostly produced by Prince Paul & There Is Only Now produced by Linear Labs Music founder Adrian Younge both join ’93 ‘til Infinity amongst their top 3 material, coming off Hiero’s widely celebrated return All Said & Done to drop a new extended play of material.
“Believers” begins with the 4 showing off their chopper skills over a boom bap instrumental whereas the only single “Nothing Without You” featuring Brookfield Deuce & Damian Lillard shows their gratitude to their hometown although both guest appearances were simply alright in my opinion. “Road Runnin’” featuring Jay Worthy produced by A-Plus kicks off the 2nd half shrugging off any worries they have regarding law enforcement bumpin’ classics & “Up With the Sun” featuring Phonte ends the EP on a funkier note looking to have fun.
It’s already confirmed via the Souls of Mischief’s social media platform that they’re planning to release their upcoming 7th album soon & although I didn’t end up loving Clean Getaway as much as All Said & Done last month, it’s still a passable prelude. The way everyone trades verses with each other proves regardless of there only being a couple guests I could’ve done without, but I feel like there could’ve been some improvements made within the production department.
Score: 6/10