Album Review: “The Quarter System” by Classified Flow (Bay Area, CA)
A album straight from the heart of Classified Flow. The Bay area is known to be home of great MCs in the past, and it’s good to hear that artist’s like Classified are preserving the integrity of Hip Hop in that area with his latest release “The Quarter System” produced by Rhapsodist Beats. Currently a 4th year student at UC Davis, he takes us through a metaphorical student experience alongside some great boom bap beats. An 8 track EP which seems like a much longer album because the music is that good. Tacks to take notice to: Just Say It, Sidetracked, and Station Break.
Lastly “Station Break” is def a track that is a MUST DOWNLOAD! The rhymes and beat selection are on point! “Boom Bap Rap” – Classified Flow
About Classified Flow:
As an undergraduate at University of California, Davis studying Exercise Biology, Greg Tam (Classified Flow) strives to do his part in contributing to the music community. He states that “in order to continue the cycle of music, it is essential for those who are capable of making music to give back to the scene, otherwise there will not be enough of a variety of artists in the future and a handful will monopolize the business.”
Greg was first introduced to music production and recording through his long-time friend Mustafa M. Eisa (formerly known as Eis). He began recording music during the summer after graduating from high school and released his first single with Eis called “The City”, an anthem dedicated to the San Francisco Bay Area. Following this single the two artists decided to make the duo official, forming Proof Theory. Besides working with Eis as Proof Theory, Greg also makes music on his own. He released his debut solo album, The Quarter System, on October 28th of 2013 which is available for free download on bandcamp in the description section.
While growing up, Greg listened to a lot of old school RNB, funk, and soul music through his mother (Al Green, The Emotions, The Gap Band, and many others). Although Greg has many influences in his music, his most notable ones are from R&B, jazz, and hip hop. As shown in his music, he incorporates different elements of these genres to add to his instrumentation and compliment his vocals. His style of lyricism comes from artists like Masta Ace, delivering messages through storytelling and vivid imagery. He gets his style of flow from the many influences he has, a wide range of Hip Hop artists. Content is all over the place, but it’s always there. Jazzy, classy, groovy, soulful beats are the ones he picks to set the mood of his tracks.
Taking on a busy schedule, Greg attempts to juggle pre-medical education, music, and dance. He takes pride practicing a unique style of Hip Hop dance called “Popping”, competing in underground dance competitions state-wide. Early signs of Greg’s interest in music were his involvement in his high school orchestra and dancing to his mother’s music in the living room when he was a toddler.
Above all, Greg hopes to reach out to all hip hop and music lovers with tracks that they can bump anywhere, no matter who is around them. That means no parental advisory needed, so get the kids into it too.
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