“No matter who you are your gonna have your ups and downs.” This
was a great quote by none other than the famously tortured soul of Billie
Holiday when asked what inspires some of her music. When facing hard times many
fold. And then there are those who use these let downs and emotions as the inspiration
for great pieces of art. Him The Black Hispanic, is one of those artists.

After 11 mixtapes and a decade in the game, Him The Black Hispanic
has earned a reputation as one of the most realistic and reality driven rappers
out. Working with such big names as CNN, N.O.R.E., and none other than DJ
Premier he has been building his brand and fanbase stronger with every release.
His baritone voice resonates with the intensity and emotion of a man caught in
the struggle who knows he has a gift that can make everything right, but just can’t
open it yet.  

D.E.A.T.H. is 2010’s version of Ready To Die. A man dealing
with all of life’s problems, finances aint right, baby moms is bitchin,
miscarriages, who puts it all on the table and gives us his life through his
art.  “Money Murder” starts off the album
and Him lets us know what it’s like around his way. “All I see is money, and
murder” Him chants on the chorus in between bars like “No frontin, I used to
stay blunted, till I got paranoid and shot my boy in the stomach”. Yeah it’s
like that. Raw and uncut.

The standout to me on this one is “The Streets”, a harrowing
tale of Him’s struggles where he recounts stories of everything from stillborn
babies to friends being tied up and shot for stolen drugs.  It’s Him’s ease of talking about such hard
things which really makes the listener feel connected to his life.  Other bangers on the album are the CNN assisted
“Who Youu” and “It’ll Be Alright”. The latter provides a welcome glimmer of
hope where Him lets us in on his dreams and hopes, “All I wanna do is buy my
moms some land and fill it with pearls”, over a melodic beat.

D.E.A.T.H. is certain and so is the fact that this album is
going to affect a lot of people. Rappers showing emotion  is the new thing, but it’s usually when
dealing with relationships and bitching about bloggers. Rarely nowadays do we
get a peek inside a man on the brink of insanity who manages to pull it all in
and show us how he’s living. Cop the album on iTunes and learn more about Him
The Black Hispanic at his official site: theblackhispanic.com