Tha God Fahim - Dreams of Medina Review

Dreams of Medina is Tha God Fahim's debut EP, released on December 15th, 2015, via his Bandcamp page. This is officially his third project, following his first two albums, Shadows Over Nazereth and Blvk Pearl. The title primarily refers to the holy Islamic city, Medina, Saudi Arabia, as pictured in the album artwork. However, given that Fahim was born in Ohio, it is also likely a double entendre referencing Medina, a suburb of Cleveland. The EP is largely self-produced with only two guest-produced tracks. Fahim closes out 2015 with another solid entry into his rapidly expanding discography.

"Dreams of Medina" opens the EP with a soothing keyboard melody by Brooklyn producer August Fanon, who previously contributed to Mach-Hommy's debut album, FYI. Fahim gets dark and introspective in his opening verse, closing out the track with blood-chilling bars: "I smoke a blunt to take the pain out and if I wasn't high, probly try to blow my brains out."

"Devils Messenger (Interlude)" functions as a bridge, featuring a synth buildup leading into a smooth, jazzy clarinet solo as the beat drops.

"Fire Lord Ozaii" immediately transports the listener to a charred battlefield in feudal Japan with a hard-hitting drum layered over a pulsating synth melody. Fahim delivers a potent two-minute verse, skillfully melding ancient and urban warfare while referencing pop culture and creatures in fantasy. The track continues the dark, feudal atmosphere he established on his debut album, Shadows Over Nazareth.

"Samurai's of Homicide" uses a hard-hitting drum over a layered woodwind melody. Fahim shares the beat with Kungg Fuu, as they each deliver a serviceable verse. The wordplay and pacing work well with this unorthodox beat, but the lyrical content lacks the impact that they display more often than not.

"Rainy Dayzz" utilizes a silky smooth piano loop over a classic boom-bap drum. In under three minutes, Fahim establishes an effective chorus and verse to pair with my favorite beat on the EP. The chorus is introspective and hard-hitting: "Go through a deadly phase, stuck in this labyrinth, caught in this maze, ain't no escape from rainy days."

"Myths of Evil" uses a eerie synths over another hard boom-bap drum. Fahim brings back his aggressive delivery and violent wordplay, asserting: "Ready to die, why the world is to blame, got the illest clique in the game, pouring champagne." Sound effects of a lightsaber battle conclude the verse, after which the beat rides out for the final minute. The track ends with a quote from Emperor Palpatine: "Your hate has made you powerful."

"Swamp Water Death Trap" is produced by Giallo Point, a UK-producer and founding member of Crate Divizion. Giallo uses an intricately layered instrumental that effectively creates a mysterious energy with keyboards, chimes, and woodwinds. Fahim provides another solid verse, full of clever rhyme schemes. The track opens and closes with dialogue from an unidentified film involving Shaolin monks.

"Karate Chops & Glocks" perfectly encapsulates Fahim's style—the title, chorus, and the simple, atmospheric beat that accompanies it. Kungg Fuu returns with another slick verse to complement Fahim's presence as they close out the EP.

Dreams of Medina feels like an extension of Shadows Over Nazareth, continuing the thematic combination of ancient Far East warfare with modern urban crime. Fahim once again proves his production capability, crafting instrumentals that perfectly match his gritty demeanor. With a lean 20-minute runtime, it flies by and easily warrants multiple playbacks.

1. Dreams of Medina - 4/5

2. Devil's Messenger (Interlude) - 4/5

3. Fire Lord Ozaii - 4.5/5

4. Samurai's of Homicide - 4/5

5. Rainy Dayzz - 4.5/5

6. Myths of Evil - 4/5

7. Swamp Water Death Trap - 4/5

8. Karate Chops & Glocks - 4/5

The God Fahim & Giallo Point - Eyes of War Review

Eyes of War is a collaboration album by Tha God Fahim and Giallo Point, released on January 11th, 2016. Giallo Point is a UK-based producer under the independent label, Crate Divizion. He previously produced a track on Fahim's debut EP, Dreams of Medina. This is their one and only album together.

"Fields of Fire" begins and ends with a snippet from the classic 1966 spaghetti western, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Clint Eastwood famously says: "You see in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig." Giallo sets the stage with a hard boom-bap drum layered with whimsical piano chords. Fahim impressively opens the album with a single verse that surpasses two minutes in length. He effortlessly connects bars with clever rhymes and flow switch-ups as he navigates the beat with ease.

"Guillotines" opens with dramatic strings, followed by a subtle drum behind a delicate piano scheme. The track is kicked off by an uncredited feature by PhybaOptikz—a UK-rapper, Crate Divizion affiliate, and close associate of Giallo Point. Phyba handles his minute-long verse, setting up Fahim for one of his own. The contrast of Phyba's British accent against Fahim's American dialect makes for a memorable track.

"Hira" uses a dramatic instrumental that resets every other bar with a pronounced cue, mixing in sound bites and flow switch-ups as it goes along. Fahim's verse is calmly aggressive; his delivery calculated while his bars depict horrific scenes of violence.

"Gallows Thief" showcases Giallo's old-school vibe with a scrubbed sample chorus that connects two quick verses by Fahim. The atmospheric beat is layered with orchestral strings on top of a snare drum. Fahim rapid-fires a pair of dense, 40-second verses that maintain his output standard for this project.

"Trained 2 Kill" utilizes layers of piano, synths, and woodwinds over the drum. Fahim's flow and wordplay continues to impress, delivering deep and insightful bars, such as: "Corrupt systems got me searchin' for divine wisdom, I'm just tryna make it out this crime prism."

"Shiloh" uses a sample from Black Moon's "How Many MC's..." from their 1993 debut album, Enta da Stage. Giallo subtly scrubs and layers the instrumental to give off distinct 90's hip-hop vibes. Fahim delivers a pair of aggressive verses with a familiar style and flow.

"Pistols & Lies" opens and closes with cryptic dialogue between mobsters; the source is currently unknown. Giallo increases the tempo of the drum, mixed with an eerie synth and delicate keyboard, setting up Fahim to deliver his most violent and aggressive verse thus far: "Two twin glocks pop nigga, you spinnin' doom's wheel."

"The Trap" briefly begins with a laidback intro before abruptly cutting into his most aggressive chorus to date. The beat matches the tempo of the previous track, and Fahim continues upping the ante on his violent, horrorcore lyrics: "I pull up where your baby at, unload the clip and spray the Mac."

"Brasco" is the standout track on the album for me. The beat is immaculate: a hard-hitting boom-bap beat layered over a delicate piano scheme. Fahim establishes a memorable chorus between his verses: "When I die bury me with a pound of haze, I pray that God wash my sins away."

"Golden Sun" is nearing drumless territory, as Giallo relies on a simple snare rhythm and guitar riff for the beat. Fahim uses an extremely precise rhyme scheme, stringing together references with letters, for example: "Peace to Big L, peace to AZ, N.A.S. Nas, B.I.G. that raised me." Fahim closes out the track with a quirky repeated line: "I hit a rapper with a shanghai bicycle kick."

"Parallel to Hell" uses the iconic bars from Nas' NY State of Mind as the chorus. Fahim references Nas' famous words in both of his verses, clearly showing respect to one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all-time in Illmatic. 

The unique chemistry between Tha God Fahim and Giallo Point comes together with Fahim's gritty demeanor mixed with a 90's hip-hop backdrop. With standout tracks such as the intro track "Fields of Fire" and the impressive "Brasco," nearly every verse on the album demands dissection upon multiple playbacks. Fahim continues to establish himself as an underground hip-hop legend as a member of Griselda records.

1. Fields of Fire - 4.5/5

2. Guillotines - 4/5

3. Hira - 4/5

4. Gallows Thief - 4/5

5. Trained 2 Kill - 4/5

6. Shiloh - 4/5

7. Pistols & Lies - 4/5

8. The Trap - 4/5

9. Brasco - 4.5/5

10. Golden Sun - 4/5

11. Parallel to Hell - 4/5