Customer Reviews

Triangulation Station

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is one of the best musical offerings of the new year. Opio has always had a way with words but it's his ability behind the boards that really shines here. Amp Fiddler (Keys, Bass, and other instruments freaking) an Op make a deadly one-two punch in the music department. An Opio and company (Casual, Del, Souls, Rasco and Pigeon John, and Amp) make it interesting and draw into there worlds. Mind, Body, and Soul maybe one of Op's best(Bootie Brown from The Pharcyde kills the beat) moments on the mic and proves the Hiero camp has never lost their mojo! If you don't have it your SLEEP! Please wake up.

opio is arguably the most skilled member of the hiero crew, so it is obviously his skills that shine through on this release. the production is really tight and pleasantly reminds me of hip hop from 94. the best song is probably mind, body, soul, but there are certainly others that are exceptionally dope. i appreciate the hieroglyphics' approach to hip hop. good music, and extremely well crafted verses. this album is just another jewel on the crown of consistency that the hiero crew have now sported for more than a decade.

Finally arguably the finest Hiero lyricist drops his official solo album. Throughout every Souls of Mischief and Hieroglyphics album Opio's lyrics were always a major highlight. His high pitched delivery was always filled with charisma+intelligent rhymes. He also started to gain a name for being an accomplished producer on Hiero projects so he really was well equipped to put together his solo without major issues. The only negatives with this album was that out of the 17 joints there was about 6 or 7 mediocre tracks in comparison to the other 10 or 11. There was afew tracks were the production wasnt that good and no matter how hard Op tried he couldnt lift them. I kind of slept on this for awhile before picking this up but I havent regretted it once since then so I would recommend this to every hiphop/Hiero fan. The album gets off to a blinding start with "Viva Main Vein", an infectious beat+rhyme combo from Opio. The standouts on this in my opinion were "Viva Main Vein", "Confederate Burning" feat.Casual+Rasco, "Whats Wrong With This Picture?" feat.Del, "Roxanna", "For Those Who Dont Know", "Mind, Body and Soul", "Drivers Wanted" feat.Souls of Mischief, "Talk Dirty" feat.Pep Love, "Perseverance" and "Grassy Knoll" feat.Planet Asia. The rest were either suffering from average rhyming from guests, Opio or weaker production than the ones Ive mentioned. This really was a bright spot for hiphop at a time when every 2nd album coming out was crap. Go cop it, you wont regret it.

Ahh, finally Opio from the Hieroglyphics(producer/emcee) releases his long awaited solo album. I had been waiting and waiting for this lyrical wizard's solo effort Triangulation Station, and now its here. Opio, A-Plus, and Phesto D are the only emcees from the Hiero crew that have not released a solo project. Tajai and Del have a few releases under their grasp and Pep Love has a decent solo album out and Casual has a few out. I was so pumped to hear a full album by just Opio. His flows are tight on the Hiero tracks, and so I figured this would be an instant classic. 17 tracks of Opio and guests rippin up the mic. I think that Opio is one of my favorite emcees in the biz.

With that being said,

I have to admit that I have somewhat mixed feelings about Triangulation Station. Some of the beats are a little lacking, and others are tight. Its inconsistant in the beat area. Opio's vocals are on point half the time, which is inconsistant as well. Which kind of goes to show me that Opio is not yet ready to hold his own, away from the Hiero crew. Granted, this was his "breaking in" into the solo world. A-plus, Pep Love, Del and Casual make appearances, as well as Shake Da Mayor, Pigeon John, Bootie Brown, Souls of Mischief, Rasco, and Roc Raida. Those from the Hiero clique and Planet Asia flow tight, but the other guests have different styles and it seems to conflict at times.

Don't get me wrong,

Opio's flow is tight. Mad tight! It seems that he altered his style a little for his solo album, but I believe that is because he wrote almost all of the songs. More structured than on the Full Circle. I can see that there is much room for improvement in the beat area. A solo album is tougher than a posse album because the spotlights on you. All the lyrics and chorus' come from just you, its a lot of work! SO I can see why this album seems a little rushed and somewhat wet behind the ears. Its setting the stage for a killer sophomore release though, which makes me excited. But, its a really good album. The production, ranging from A-Plus to Opio himself is pretty tight, opio produced about half of the album, with A-Plus, Domino and Bootie Brown throwing down some beats. In general, every beat is tight. In speculation, some of the beats seem kind of out of place, or un-evolved.

I would recommend this to true Hiero heads, and lyric lovers, I think even the casual listener would dig this album. Despite some faults, Triangulation Station holds its ground in an ocean of rappers and emcees and the dregs of the music culture. Pick it up, listen for yourself.

A-Plus' future releases "My Last Good Deed" should be off the hook! I personally believe that A-Plus is the most underrated Heiro member and master emcee. His flows are rugged yet smooth. But props to Opio for a decent release.

I was skeptical after reading some reviews on this CD.. but i had to give it a shot, and i am very glad i did. This CD has very powerful tracks both in message and musical content.. of course the beats are so good alot of time i dont hear the words im sure u know how that goes. Its great to hear music like this again. sure some tracks have explicit language .. but its not the stuff that makes u feel strange when blasting it in ur car in front of school children or the in front of the parents house ITs just good music TRY IT OUT

Let me first say to the group of hip hop listeners that are only concerned about getting crunk or ice-shinin' cuts this album is not for you. This album is for the true hiphop heads! I can't say enough about this Tri-Station cd. I love it, I haven't stop listening to since I bought it. I personaly can listen to this cd straight through I can't say that for most of the hiphop out today. I was kind of sceptacle when I saw Opio produced most of the tracks but to my surprise he can make some beats, different but tight! If you like Hiro then this is a must have album. His flow was definetly stong on this album and must say he put out a great solo effort.

This album is a certified banger once again from the hiero crew. Every track is tight and Opio does not disapoint on his first solo venture. Plus even the Cali Agents make some apperances. Souls of Mischief are actually performing in my hometown in Wyoming tonight and it should be another great hiero performance. One Luv to the whole crew and all underground hip-hop.

WHAT CAN I SAY ANOTHER BANGER FROM A MEMBER OF THE HIERO CREW.LYRICS AS ALWAYS TIGHT PRODUTION GREAT GUEST.WAITED FOR YEARS FOR OPIO TO DROP A SOLO AND IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT.

this album is incredible..since i got it ive been listening to it non stop for a few weeks.. i would say this is the best hieroglyphics album since third eye vision.. souls of mischief is 1 of my favorite groups so when i heard opio was doing a solo album i had high expectations..i always considered him the most talented from s.o.m. with triangulation station opio has surpassed even my high expectations..the 1 thing i was worried about on this was the production..but opio has come through extremely well.. producing for his own rhymes has taken him to another level..the beats are all quite different but the album has a great flow to it.. i can honestly say out of the 17 tracks there is not 1 weak track..not 1! some absolute stand outs though is "granite earth" with pigeon john..and "whats wrong with this picture" with del.. i think triangulation station shows opio has a lot to say and he really made the most of doin a solo album.. this is easily the best rap album for 2005.. any hiero fan this is a must have..and if you are into real hip hop..pick this up you will love it..notch up another hiero classic

Before I start, I just want to state that Opio has perhaps the worst voice in ALL of Hip Hop. His flow is decent, but sometimes his voice may leave the impression that his flow sucks as well. I'm not hating on Ope, in fact I met him briefly and he's a very down-to-earth cat. I only saw him because he opened up for Zion I. While his live solo performance wasn't overly impressive (he needs to make better use of the stage and move around more...move around at all) he was still incredibly focused, passionate, and well...professional up there. The crowd was definitely with him, and I noticed some interesting lyrics coming from him, so I bought his cd for $10 after the show and Opio signed it for me. I've known Opio from the Hieroglyphics for a minute now, and I knew exactly when this cd came out yet, I never had any desire to buy it. Well...I'm more than glad I did now!

The whole cd was a pleasant surprise. I'd never been overly impressed by Opio's performances on the Hiero albums, but wow...he seemed like a whole new rhymer throughout the album! Opio expands his usual lyrical topics and makes a few political, social, and spiritual statements. He also delivers with more of his renown mystical and sports & pop culture metaphors. I'm under the impression that Opio is the most spiritual member of the Hieroglyphics (well, maybe next to Pep Love).

The cd gets off to a fantastic start. The first track is great, but the second, "Dream...But Don't Sleep," might be his most poignant moment, and perhaps my favorite joint off the album. Tracks 6-8 are outstanding. "Granite Earth" w/Pigeon John is upbeat and uplifting. Track #7 with Del is informative and inspiring, and Del shows that he has gotten wiser with age. Later on, "Mind, Body, Soul" is a fast-moving winner and the following track with the other Souls of Mischief is a banger and one of my favorites here. "Talk Dirty" w/Pep Love may throw you off at first (do I need to explain what it's about?), but it actually does what it intends too effectively. The beat definitely helped there. "Grassy Knoll" w/Planet Asia is the last one worth mentioning.

Almost every song is excellent of this cd. There are arguably some mediocre ones like "Confederate Burning," "Things Do Change," "Roxanna," or "Perseverance," but none of them are a dud. The guests only enhance the experience of the album, instead of taking focus away from the main man. The beats worked throughout, and help set a variety of moods from funky, to melodic, to hard-hitting, to trippy ("Dream").

Opio's only downfall is that his voice might turn off many stubborn, skeptical listeners out there. I've realized that he always must of had some freakin' skill to make it with a voice like his. You'd never expect someone with a voice like this to ever get a record deal in the first place, but he did because he's obviously got skill. And it's amazing how fresh he sounds and he's been in the game for 12+ years now technically. So like I said, not everyone out there's gonna be feelin' this cd, but diehard and even casual Hiero heads should be pleasantly suprised and enthused by this, Opio's debut. He makes it perfectly clear that the three names to mention from the Hiero crew are now: Del, Pep,...and Opio. You had me fooled before, Ope, you had me fooled!