![]() In 1998, Divine Styler released his third studio album, Wordpower 2: Directrix to positive reviews. Spiral Walls received mixed reactions from within the hip hop community, and Divine Styler embarked on a four year hiatus.ĭivine Styler returned in 1996 with a verse on House of Pain's final album, Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again, exhibiting a more traditional hip hop style of lyricism similar to his work on Word Power. The album is notorious for being wildly experimental, and utilises a wide variety of music genres such as rock, electronic and funk, in addition to hip hop. ![]() This style is reflected on his second studio album, Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light, released in 1992. In 1991, Divine Styler converted to Sunni Islam, changing his name and adopting lyrical themes concerning the teachings of Islam and praising Mohammed. The album was well-received by critics and fans, but was not a commercial success. He first emerged as a member of Ice-T's Rhyme Syndicate collective, and released his debut album, Word Power, in 1989 on the Rhyme $yndicate Records label. Although he has not experienced much commercial success, he is a well respected factor from the late 1980s and early 1990s West Coast underground hip hop scene. ![]() Enticing, informative, and done with nothing but the upliftment of man and woman at heart, which alone is enough to be applauded for.Mikal Safiyullah (born Mark Richardson 1968), better known by his stage name Divine Styler, is an American hip hop musician from Brooklyn, New York. While, DS does a nice job of using hip-hop as a medium for getting his message out to the masses, his lyricism takes a backseat to his uncompromising underground production. His elevated, intellectually stimulating word power is a nice change of pace, and far from the usual M.O. Divine Styler's style is unlike anything you've ever heard, and it takes more then a few listens to fully decipher what's going on. DS finds a nice groove on the B-side, whereas side one is much less cohesive and uneventful. There is a huge discrepancy in terms of quality from the first side of this LP to the second (where most of the tracks mentioned above are located). DS outdoes himself with "Make It Plain" as he implements sonic explosions that hit from every possible angle, making it an unparalleled listening experience. The old-school breakbeat and quick thrusting bursts of energy propel "Before Mecca," as it has lost no luster off its original shine. "Microphenia" continues assaulting your eardrums, befuddling you with its seemingly out-of-nowhere soundscapes. SOB combines wonderfully with DS, as Takbir's performance is especially invigorating. Joining forces for the first of two collabos with his labelmates Styles of Beyond, "Nova" has a definite "Hot Sex" vibe permeating its every orifice. DS spits his lyrics out in a robotic talking mode, fluctuating in and out of this hazy futuristic track. Creating nothing but timebomb's waiting to explode, "Directrix" is guaranteed head-nodding material. With "Time Fold 79," Divine puts his breath control on full display over a plush piano arrangement, a true dedication to hip-hop's glory days. The exquisitely original in-the-house-of-God "Hajji" attacks from the jump with its voice-manipulated supernova distortion, and DJ Rhettmatic's scratches on the 1's and 2's. The Pharaoh Divine Styler divulges potent doses of uplifting abstract lyrics, but the true genius of this recording lies in his work behind the boards. In a virtually loveless industr industry, Divine Styler's second solo album is a truly inspiring love piece focusing on the self-empowering aspects of life over acid-infused breakbeats.
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