Happy 20th Anniversary to Lifesavas’ debut album Spirit In Stone, originally released June 12, 2003.
Spirit In Stone aptly represented an area of hip-hop that doesn’t get much love these days. In the midst of a period when many artists were furiously seeking mainstream appeal, the Portland-based trio Lifesavas recorded a project that had loftier goals. The crew, made up of Solomon “JUMBO the Garbage Man” David, Marlon “Vursatyl” Irving, and Ryan “Rev Shines” Shortell, sought to elevate the hip-hop art form. They approached this task by releasing a 60-minute-plus mix of skill-oriented displays, high-concept story rhymes, apocalyptic visions, and day-in-the-life observations.
Lifesavas were part of the Quannum Collective, an imprint that evolved from Solesides, a label that flourished in the early to mid-1990s. Originally comprised of DJ Shadow, Latyrx (Lateef and Lyrics Born), and Blackalicous (Gift of Gab and Chief Xcel), the crew looked to create original left-of-center hip-hop through the late 1990s and much of the ’00s. Though most of the artists were Northern California-based, as the 21st century began, the collective looked to expand its roster.
Lifesavas had been recording together since the 1990s, as Vursatyl got his start as a gospel-inspired rapper, with JUMBO serving as the group’s DJ. Throughout the 1990s, the group had numerous iterations with larger line-ups, before settling on the two emcee/one DJ configuration. Chief Xcel “discovered” the trio, after hearing the cassingle “Head Exercise” playing in a Portland record store. He tracked down the crew and eventually brought them into the Quannum fold. Spirit In Stone, released 20 years ago, is the group’s thoroughly enjoyable debut.
“Head Exercise” seamlessly fits into the Quannum oeuvre. The creative endeavor features both Vursatyl and JUMBO executing complex verbal gymnastics over pulsing keys and a bubbly bassline without breaking a sweat. The wordplay and complex deliveries displayed make the song even more enjoyable. While JUMBO “beat[s] a dead horse into glue-stick acoustic,” Vursatyl asserts that “I travel in time devices / Today I’ll mark you for death and leave you at your midlife crisis.” Reverend Shines gives his most dynamic performance on the album, expertly adding scratches and cuts to bolster the track’s mood.
Vursatyl is an extremely skilled emcee, and it’s a shame that his talents didn’t garner him as much attention as he deserved throughout the ’00s. He shines on the rugged “It’s Over,” another of the group’s skill-oriented undertakings. JUMBO puts together one of the album’s best tracks, constructing a beat composed of vocal yelps and a few chopped piano notes. Vursatyl’s description of himself as “the hidden track somewhere after your CD seems to end” is appropriately off-the-wall. He later lacerates style-above-substance rappers, proclaiming, “Who cares if you can rhyme in Arabic with a Portuguese accent and change your name to Acknickalous Guggenheim? / Recorded your demo 30 below zero in the basement of a Buddhist shrine? YOU SUCK!”
“Hellohihey,” a Vursatyl solo track, is one of the most well-executed story raps released during this era. He converses with both a young, hungry, and brash up-and-coming emcee and a jaded, self-important veteran artist, who gives him props but still passive aggressively disses him. It’s also one of the few songs that pulls off a “twist” ending (there’s a reason that Vursatyl voices both of his compatriots). In an interview with the Maximum Fun podcast, Vursatyl said he originally envisioned the song as a dis track to other rappers on the Portland scene, but during the writing process recognized that he often looked to feed his own ego.
Listen to the Album:
“What If It’s True?,” the album’s second single, features the two emcees both displaying their skills and pondering life’s mysteries while utilizing abundant religious imagery. “Livin’ Time” features some of Chief Xcel’s most interesting productions, as he expertly chops and rearranges stabs of pianos alongside a thumping drum track. The song shares similar spiritual overtones as “What If It’s True?,” with the emcees seeking out the right way to live their lives. Gift of Gab shines in his guest appearance, pondering the meaning of existence in both this world and after death. The delivery of his verse is dizzying in its complexity, with Gab weaving syllables and phrases seemingly without taking a breath.
The group utilizes reggae/dancehall influenced tracks to great effect throughout Spirit In Stone, especially on “Fever,” where the two emcees seek female attention over a skanking groove. These Caribbean-inspired sounds continue on the bouncy “Selector,” buoyed by a peppy flute and horns sample and a clattering cowbell, while featuring an outstanding verse by New York underground hero J-Live.
“Fa’ Show,” the album’s third single, follows the group’s appreciation for the women who populate independent hip-hop shows around the country, paying respect to the many who are in attendance out of love for the art form, rather than chasing a scene. “Skeleton” is an entertaining exhibition in “chipmunk soul”-style hip-hop production a year or so before it really took hold in the mainstream. In this case, JUMBO uses a sped-up sample of the American folk standard “Ghost of John” as the backbone of the track, where he and Vursatyl lambast rappers and others who try to fake their way to success.
The early 2000s brought about a not-inconsiderable fear of societal collapse, and these sentiments show up in Spirit In Stone’s lyrical content. The United States was just a couple of years removed from the September 11th attacks and this country was embroiled in more than one war and occupation of another country. Lifesavas tackle the reality of global conflicts throughout the album, issuing numerous calls to action. The three-part “State of the World/Apocalypse/War” suite is the most musically interesting, particularly with Vursatyl acting as a jazz vocalist, crooning descriptions of societal decay.
The posse-cut “Emerge” is intense albeit in a different manner. Much of the Quannum collective come together for the track as it’s produced by Chief Xcel and features verses from both members of Latyrx and Gift of Gab. Furthermore, vocalist Joyo Velarde provides back-up vocals and DJ Shadow serves as the “scratch engineer.” The track churns with crackling energy, powered by live instrumentation that includes swirling organ, keys, and bass. All five emcees display an array of styles and deliveries, thundering across the track like titans rising from the deep.
“Me” gives Spirit In Stone its emotional crescendo. The track sparkles with energy, as both emcees recount their lives as young b-boys growing up in Portland, hanging with friends and pursuing the opposite sex, with Vursatyl casting himself as the “church boy with a Fila sweatsuit in every color.” The song’s underlying message is about the pair surviving adversity, as life inevitably gets more complicated as they grow older. Both chronicle losing their innocence, with Vursatyl dealing with a close family member’s drug addiction and JUMBO losing a friend to gun violence.
Lifesavas got even better with their sophomore release Gutterfly (2007), an ode to Blaxploitation flicks and their soundtracks. Regardless, I miss albums like Spirit In Stone, where artists take pride in their commitment to their craft and extol the principles of respecting hip-hop’s spirit. Lifesavas were extremely ambitious in putting together this project and their efforts paid off.
Listen: