Hanz On – ‘Barca’ Album Review

Hanz-On---'Barca'-Album-Review

Hanz On is preparing to release ‘Barca’ featuring Method Man, Ghostface, and more.

Hanz On grew up in Staten Island neighborhood that provided him the outlet to express himself via Hip Hop. Like many in the City he started out in the hallway beating on the wall and creating rhymes. He spit verses inspired by his personal life and found camaraderie in others’ similar struggles.

Hanz On released his solo debut, Out Of Chef’s Kitchen back in 2010. In 2012 Hanz On left Ice Water Inc. and launched his label Hanz On Music Entertainment. With lyrics that link traditional East Coast rap values with elements of crime and an appreciation for boom bap tracks and not this new on fleek, skinny jeans new Hip Hop, Hanz is set to release his new album.

It has been almost four years since he dropped his Method Man Presents: Hannibal The Great project he has been busy. In 2015 his Hanz On Music Entertainment label joined with Tommy Boy Records to release Method Man’s ‘The Meth Lab’. Hanz On is now gearing up to release his final album titled ‘Barca‘.

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Messado took the moniker Hanz On or Hannibal the Great from the legendary Hannibal Barca – military commander from the African empire of Carthage 300 years before Christ. Barca is the name of the album and it sounds as if each track was produced with precision. Hanz On’s strong stream-of-conscious lyrics provide an image of flashbacks, memories and snapshots. It’s an imposing approach – the narrative, adroitly spitting the illest flows In unison providing inspiration.

On the uplifting ‘Champion’ for example,  “you should do it yourself, when you wait on someone else you’ll probably be by yourself, nah I ain’t wit it, rather be on the shelf front row Best Buy, best route to the wealth…”, the next he’s reminiscing about the days he was carrying guns. “When I was living by the gun, when it was on, I was wit it…out of chef kitchen, yo my attitude was frigid, cold like December in the Poles during blizzards, Meth Man next day…”

While ‘Like Us’ provides street highlights and ‘S.I.B.I’ provides a glimpse of the hunger – “See when you shine you ain’t gotta flash/just wit these hooks we need body bags/I let my fingers do the walking for me/I let the money do talking for homie/see when you build you ain’t gotta speak/i’m tryin’ win, option no defeat…”  On ‘P.L.O’ ‘Park Hill Lives On or Park Hill Lives Official’ Hanz On delves into his younger years and how he grew up.

And it’s that hard core Hip Hop approach that, in the end, secures ridiculous returns for Hanz On’s upcoming work. In an increasingly-unsurprising rap landscape, mumble-rappers and trap beats, BARCA’s hard-hitting production makes for a furtively compelling force of intensive Hip Hop. BARCA drops March 17 on Hanz On Music Entertainment.

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