1. The Bomb Shelta Association – Intro
2. Shylow – The Rebirth
3. Pillosnatchaz – Neva Rest
4. Interlude – Sick N Tired
5. Shylow – North Side Story
6. Silent – Silent Profile
7. Pillosnatchaz – 3D Emcees (Ft Tyranny)
8. Interlude – Fuck Off!
9. Expertise – Myth
10. FEAR – Eye Kill Suckerzz
11. Protocol – Unorthodox
12. Shylow – S.T.O.M.P.
13. FEAR Feat Shylow – The Unholy
14. Tekniq – Redrum
15. Interlude – So Lovely, So Beautiful
16. Tyranny – Joke’s On You
17. Melicious D-Emperor – Fuck ’em All
18. Bomb Shelta – Seven Deadly Ciphers
19. DJ GYNX – Outro
20. Pillosnatchaz Feat FEAR – Lost Artic
21. Pillosnatchaz – Reflections
22. Pillosnatchaz Feat FEAR – Snatched
23. Shylow – More Than Life
23. Shylow – More Than Life
Bomb Shelta Association is a Canadian crew formed in 1995 by Shylow, Fear and former member DJ Sinn. The BSA stood as a collective of MC's, DJ's and producers from across Ontario who's associations with one another were used to assist and better serve their common artistic goals as well as their individual endevours. "The Rebirth" album recorded in 97/98 was never released commercially but garnered critical praise and gained worldwide recognition through word of mouth, hand to hand sales, and the internet. One of the standout songs on the Rebirth entitled "S.T.O.M.P" caught the ear of hip-hop legend Chuck D of Public Enemy, who in an issue of Elemental magazine, as well as on his website www.rapstation.com rated the song the number one mp3 download of the year 2000.
Here is the album review from Rebirth Magazine :
"I’ve been involved in the diagnosing of independent hip-hop artists for quite a good while now. I’ve been exposed to numerous artists who are in this rap isht for fun, as well as those who have embarked upon the journey to build their own independent empires, such as Swollen Members. I’m hesitant to use the word, but ‘typically’ independent artists have a pretty fresh approach to the concept of hip-hop, and they ‘typically’ pull off some pretty good stuff. There is nothing typical at all about the album here at hand, however. Coming straight out of Toronto, the Bomb Shelta Association is my pick to be the ones to build the next independent empire.
The intro alone sets things off right from the start. A mixture of vocal samples from The Simpsons, Wu-Tang, and others overlaps a wickedly smooth piano line that relays perfectly into track two, the albums title track which is also the ‘Crew Love’ joint of the album. As one piano line flows into another, the Shelta’s best emcee, Shylow, grabs the mic and proceeds to go to work. I cannot say enough about Shylow’s ability as an emcee. Here he single handedly does his entire crew justice in less than 3 minutes of the album. Yet there is no time for relief after that insanely dope track, because a tactfully placed Cage sample transitions into the joint “Neva Rest” by the Association’s premier sub-group, PilloSnatchaz. Composed of one of my favorite producers, DJ Who Else?, one of my favorite emcees, Shylow, and another insanely dope mic fiend known as Expertise, the Snatchaz are a trio that will soon be respected for everything that they’re worth if I have anything to say about it. Yet as of now, there is no Rest for these starving artists, consistently plagued by a daily intake of frustration and stress caused by an industry that tends to hide it’s brightest stars. Fear not, however, the time is coming…
Next up is a song that I did not initially feel, yet have come to appreciate as time has passed. “North Side Story” is Shylow’s dedication to his Canadian surroundings, and is actually a very descriptively dope track that paints a very realistic image of some of his beliefs about Canada in general. You can thank Tekniq for teaming up with Shylow to create this mellow beat that will have you in a trance-like daze, eyes shut and all. Peep Shy’s wordplay…like I said, he’s one of the best. The plethora of names that have already entered into the Bomb Shelta equation would be indeed enough to last a lifetime, yet there’s actually much more. In comes Silent with his “Silent Pro-File” to let you know exactly what he’s about. Who Else? once again leads the way production-wise, and Silent’s full-fledged attack through vocals leaves you battered and weak. Yet, once again, the good transitions into great as the PilloSnatchaz bring in “3D Emcees”. Starting off with a recording taken from a live show, you the listener feel like an actual crowd member as the incredible beat suddenly punches in. The orchestral loop that would hold it’s own as an instrumental falls prey, however, to the fact that this track is a supreme lyrical unleashing. Who is this 3rd emcee that completes the 3D cycle though, you ask? Well that’s none other than Tyranny, but we will not dwell on his presence as a featured artist right now…trust me…he’s going to introduce himself later on in the LP.
Most every album, no matter what caliber, has a track that you essentially listen to a few times and then forget, but end up jocking hardcore in the end. For me, in regards to this album, it was “Myth” by Expertise. How exactly I was caught sleeping I do not know, because this beat is anything but boring. As Expertise profoundly stakes his lyrical claim as one of the great, not just a myth, the solemn violins that surround him are intensely sick. But as sick as this joint is, “Eye Kill Suckerzz” by LORD FEAR is the devilish musical masterpiece. Most everyone in this world cannot understand FEAR’s viewpoint on the world, which is okay, just don’t confront him about it. Or he’ll kill your sucka ass like he does here. Yet, while it is true that FEAR is obscure, nobody is quite as “Unorthodox” as Protocol. Through his contribution to the Bomb Shelta Compilation, Protocol aims to show that he is the mold from which dope emcees are created. The SuperNova…blowing up.
Lets cut to the chase though. Before I heard this album, I thought I had hip-hop pretty figured out. I knew dope stuff from wack stuff, and could tell ya that there were tracks that would never be topped in my mind. Then Shylow had to come along and abolish all that stability in my hip-hop world. “S.T.O.M.P.” (Shylow’s Totally Obliterating Mental Pounding) totally flipped my lid. Utilizing battle rhymes to the fullest, Shylow glides through two verses of absolute hip-hop utopia. Take the time right now to listen to this song and try to even tell me you don’t love it. My pick for the album.
I’d like a bit of a break after being STOMPed out, but Shylow’s lyrical beatdown of the soundwaves continues as he is featured on FEAR’s “The Unholy.” Here Shylow portrays hip-hop’s spiritual guide, while the Warlock gets into form as the hip-hop demon that he is. The production lacks nothing as two separate sound samples are used for each verse, and each are incredibly dope. This song is special. Tekniq comes back into play on his solo attempt, “Redrum.” Once again producing as well as rhyming, Tek tactfully pieced together one helluva beat here, with the feel of reversed tones protruding throughout. Couple that with the unmatchable wordplay of this long time veteran of hip-hop, and you have yet another strong single on the album.
I warned you earlier that Tyranny was going to be introducing himself in a major way. I wasn’t kidding, but the “Joke’s On You” this time around. Tyranny kicks abrasive rhymes that penetrate your zone amidst dope scratches of Big L’s line ‘you think you nice as me? Haha…you’s a funny nigga’. No love is lost on this cut for sure, as the incredible, lyrical, urban poetic professional rips the listener to shreds. Weak egos need not apply. As “F*ck Em All” starts, a somber beat kick in and you’re probably going to be lulled into a state of serenity. However, that is quickly disrupted as Melicious D-Emporer grabs the mic and kicks his hateful rhyme at you for no reason other than to insure that you are aware he is lyrically beyond you. Everyone who wants to talk isht…Melicious lets you know what you can do.
The crew is obviously so large that each song only contains a very small portion of the total number of dope inhabitants of the Shelta. However, the large scale “Seven Deadly Ciphers” gives 7 of them a chance to shine amongst one another on the same track number. Damn, that beat is going to get played out over a period of 7 verses, right? Hellz no. You should be aware by now that the Bomb Shelta’s premier producers do not allow beats to become monotonous, and that is best shown here as 7 separate beats are incorporated for each artist. You’ll hear most everyone that you have heard up to this point on this track, as well a new voice, which is the Bomb Shelta’s first lady (now removed), Eternia. Check out the lineup, in order of verses: Shylow, Silent, Melicious, Protocol, Eternia, Tyranny, Tekniq. All on one song? All with insanely dope verses over 7 different mind boggling beats? Damn.
The insane production and DJ’ing abilities of DJ Gynx shine on the albums “Outro,” which precedes 4 bonus tracks. This is no normal Outro, which you usually don’t listen to on average albums. Instead this track holds true to the form of the LP and has a crazy dope beat and plenty of hot scratches big-upping the entire crew. Yet as I said, things are not done, and 3 of the bonus tracks come courtesy of the PilloSnatchaz, with Shylow wrapping up REBIRTH with yet another solo jam. “Lost Arctic” teams FEAR up with the Snatchaz, and is my favorite of the bonus cuts. Even if you can keep up with the rhyme tempo, you’ll still get lost in the powerful wordplay unless you have been properly schooled. If you have not, class is in session with the Snatchaz and FEAR. “Reflections” offers some insight as to where the Snatchaz have come from and what they have been through. So if you are true fans, make sure that know not only how dope they are now, but what it has taken to achieve such a high level of ability. You’ll find FEAR together again with the Snatchaz on “Snatched,” which isn’t the dopest track on the album, yet lays the blueprints for the PilloSnatchaz planned domination that is going to become reality in the near future as they embark on their new projects. Finally, over 90 minutes of hip-hop utopia comes to a close as Shylow plays the storyteller on “More Than Life.” A very emotionally strong song, which happens to not be based on truth (word to Shylow not having AIDS), here he goes thru his trials and tribulations in a relationship which ends in tragedy. One more shout out goes to Who Else? for yet another dope beat. He is all over the LP and really has the skills that is going to make waves for these guys in the future.
The Bomb Shelta Association is a very special clique, with a lot of very, very special talent. Very few albums in my entire hip-hop repertoire come even close to being as dope as this LP is in it’s entirety. Yet some bad luck with both promotion and distribution has kept REBIRTH shackled to only a small percentage of the ears that it should be heard by, yet I have to believe that something big is on the horizon for these guys. That alone is the sole reason for me giving them 4½ marbles instead of 5 for their efforts here on this album. I want more. That extra half-marble is coming in the future, and when it hits, the knockout punch will be felt without doubt. No one is safe. The bomb is dropping."
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