ALBUM REVIEW: Immortal Technique - The Martyr

This album was released over a year ago, so yeah, I am late again.  However, this does not make the artist or the album any less relevant.  Immortal Technique is an artist that people should know and hear, even if you are coming late to the game.   Born in Lima, Peru and relocating to Harlem, New York in 1980, Tech turned to rap to escape a troubled youth marred by multiple arrests and even a year in jail.  He was released from jail on parole after honing his battle rapping skills and a sense of purpose in his message.  After making a name for himself as a ferocious battle rapper in New York, he released his first album Revolutionary Vol. 1 in 2001.

From listening to his first album, it was clear that Immortal Technique was about more than just rapping over hip hop beats.   He truly desired to be a revolutionary, touching on many political and social-economic issues such as poverty, the effects of European and U.S. colonialism in third world countries, corruption, and even vegans.  Throughout the album, Tech maintains the same wit and aggressiveness as he did in his rap battles, making the impact of his rhymes even more effective.  Tracks like the underground classic “Dance With The Devil” showed Tech’s ability to maintain his passion while His flow was so engaging that it outshined the subpar production of the album, which could have been Tech’s intention from the beginning.  However, upon hearing the album, you cannot help to wonder how Tech would sound over carefully crafted beats that compliment his style.

At the time this was released, I had just started college, and the release of his first album fell under my radar.  When he dropped his 2nd album, Revolutionary Vol. 2, in 2003, I raised an eyebrow but did not sit down and listen fully.  It was not until he dropped the single “Bin Laden” with Mos Def along with the remix with Chuck D, KRS-One, and DJ Green Lantern when I really started paying attention: