Vibe.com, January 20th, 2006
Influenced by artists such as Nas and Rakim, Lawless Element, who consists of cousins Kavi "Magnif" Tapsico (20) and Alfred "Griot" Austin (22), immersed into the Detroit hip-hop scene at the early ages of 7 and 9, respectively. In 2001, they began to take their music to the next level. Their hard work paid off when they signed to Babygrande Records in April 2005. By September of the same year, they'd released their debut album, Soundvision: In Stereo.
Soundvision features numerous guests, including lyricist Diverse, who has worked with Mos Def, and production from J. Dilla, former member of Slum Village. Griot and Magnif have crafted a flow that displays the gritty message that [could only come] from living in Detroit, mixed with their politically conscious rhymes.
Griot cites that one of the reason Soundvision is so distinct is because of the level of production. “We not working with key board beats,” Griot laughs.
This is due in part to Magnif. Not only is he an MC, he also produced 10 of the 12 tracks on the album. “I was self taught. DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, and other producers from the early ‘90s influenced me.” When asked what was their moment of truth, Griot is thoughtful for a second. “Best Buy. Seeing the album at Best Buy was nice.”
But Lawless Element won’t stop there. They have already started working on their second album, Soundvision Volume 2. Their New Years resolution - “To make as many tracks as possible.”
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