Czarquan- Hunting Season Review
Written by DJ Toasty Z
Three weeks ago, NY underground heavyweight Czarquan released Hunting Season, his much anticipated follow up to Juice Wayne.
With Juice Wayne, Czarquan established himself as a household name and a force to be reckoned with in the New York underground scene. He stood out as a commanding figure whose “just ate a bowl of nails for breakfast” voice paralleled the darker side of the city he called home. His gritty voice over airy eirie production painted a picture of a true new yorker’s new york. On Hunting Season, Czarquan builds on this while showing a degree of versatility like never before.
The 12-track project clocks in at around 30 minutes. Short and Sweet. No Filler. Just 12 high-quality tracks. The album is produced almost entirely by Czarquan himself and his partner in crime Tony Seltzer.
When, I sat down with Czarquan for an interview, he emphasized how influential Tony Seltzer is on his art. They create a partnership where each one fuels the other, in turn elevating the final product. In today’s internet age, where rappers and producers are often just emailing tracks back and forth, the two processes are often detached from one another. It’s refreshing to see Tony and Czarquan’s chemistry, which allows them to carve out a truly unique sound on Hunting Season. Peep a clip from our interview below where Czarquan speaks on the genius of Tony Seltzer.
The album also features production from Black Noi$e, Terror, Rago Foot, & A Lau.
The album has no guest features, another point that Czarquan emphasized when we sat down. He mentioned that there was a Nocturnal Sons Posse collaborative tape coming sometime in the near future and that the much anticipated sequel to the Jaguar Pyramids self-titled project was “lowkey in the chamber”. He wanted to buckle down and feed the fans with some fresh solo material. He did just that with Hunting Season.
If I had two describe Czarquan in one way, it’d be “so New York”. This comes through on Hunting Season as he draws from the New York OG’s, while creating a new innovative sound that isn't stuck in the 90’s. On the album, he also sprinkles in nods to everyone from Mickey Mantle to the late great Prodigy.
The Record starts with the incredibly high-energy, “456″, which serves as a great introduction of what’s to come. The line “shorty so fly, I don’t need no sidechick” stands out as a refreshing line that subtly supports faithful monogamy. He goes on to re-emphasize this sentiment saying, “baby fuck me good. I don't think bout cheating.” This subtly offers a refreshing sentiment that is not often represented in mainstream hip-hop culture.
Czarquan shows a degree of versatility that he haven’t seen before in his other solo work. He hits the listener with high energy bangers in songs like “456”, “Mikey”, “Remix”, and “No Scope”, but also brings a more chilled out vibe with tracks like “Grand Prix” and “Tens”.
We also see a much more introspective side to Czarquan this time around. On “Stuck”, he speaks on much of his discomfort and disdain with the business part of the music business. The fakers, the fronters, the dwellers.
On, “Sacrifice” he goes on to offer an important commentary on how the city he loves is slowly changing from the influx of outsiders.
Next thing you know they go and gentrify Brownsville.
I can tell from the first word, you ain’t from round here.
Out of staters should need visas, yeah that sounds fair.
Though he feels a bit of resentment towards these people he goes on to say “Very few that I fuck with aren’t city kids, but they all authentic”. At the end of the day, he can get down with the real ones no matter where they are from.
While, hitting on more impactive and introspective topics, he still hits us with many of the stereotypical themes of luxury and drug use that are found in much of mainstream hip-hop today. However, his lyricism allows him to talk about these topics in a rather atypical unique manner.
Rather than using simply terminology like purp, drank, syrup, etc., He hits us with clever lines like “this year I probably drank 20 louie belts”. Many rappers often compare the amount of money they spend on drugs to other luxury items. However to use the metaphor of drinking louie belt stands out in the listener's mind. He similarly remarks, “Pint costs a breast implant, that’s a D cup”. That may not be the first breast implant reference that I’ve heard in a rap song before, but it's nonetheless a clever line that gives me a good chuckle.
He uses similar witty lines when talking about spilling his drank saying “technically I got a $4,000 floor now” and “$100 in a bounty”.
On “Remix”, he remarks “We sippin’ muddy, not that cheap shit, remix remix remix, I don’t do that watered down shit”. This has both a literal meaning, but also touches on the fact he doesn’t fuck with watered down fake individuals that “move funny”. Check out the music video for “Remix” below.
On, “No Scope”, Czarquan uses the phrase “diamonds dancing like disco”, giving a spin to the common reference to diamonds “dancing” on one’s wrist. This conjures up the image of literal disco dancing, but also how the “dimaonds” on a disco ball dance and spins. It’s fitting that I can’t help but dance when this track comes on.
Even on “Money Prey” and “Exfoliate”, Czarquan uses simply analogies to create a catchy hook that fits perfectly into the themes of the album. Money is to prey, as he is to a hunter. Nothing profound, but a simple way to seamlessly tie back into the title of the album. There is often beauty in simplicity and Czarquan understands that perfectly.
All in all, this project lives up to the hype. If you are looking for something fresh and new that’s innovative, while still having the spirit of traditional New York hip-hop, Hunting Season is a must listen.
Standout Tracks: 456, Mickey, Stuck, Remix No Scope, Sacrifice
Rating: 8/10
Peep Hunting Season below and also check out full length interview with the man himself.
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