One of hip hop’s most overlooked and underrated MC’s releases his sophomore album Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2: Bread & Circuses. Released through Suburban Noize Records/RED, Saigon aims to bring subject matter and real life issues back to the forefront of the genre with his latest LP.
Saigon sticks true to his formula throughout the album with tracks such as “Rap vs. Real” which outlines the MC’s desire for hip hop culture to revert back to its roots, illustrating to the listener what the difference between rapping and real life is. Explaining the reason why everyone first started listening to the genre, rather than raps about cars, girls and jewellery. On the politically fueled ‘Blown Away’ Saigon suspiciously challenges the assassinations of powerful people before him discussing Abraham Lincoln to 2Pac and many others over heavy hitting piano production from DJ Corbett.
Other stand out cuts include the lead single ‘Not Like Them’ (ft. Styles P), ‘Plant The Seed & Best Thing That I Found’ (ft. Lecrae) amongst the album.
Another interesting cut on the LP is ‘Relafriendship’. Over a laid back, smooth beat Saigon raps “More than friends, less than lovers” rapping about the concept of the frustrating situation in which men fall in love with a girl, even though that female only sees the male as a friend. Something most men can relate too, despite not wanting to admit it.
The second chapter in The Greatest Story Never Told series offers listeners a wide range of topics from political assassination’s to street culture and everything else in between, ranking among one of the finer efforts of the year. Saigon can certainly lay claim to be this generation’s version of Chuck D in terms of lyrical subject matter that any listener can relate too, connecting with the audience whilst not being afraid to ask questions and push boundaries with his raps, something that used to appear regularly within hip hop music.