Tha God Fahim - X-iled from Earth Review

X-iled from Earth is Tha God Fahim's fourth album, released on February 7th, 2016. The album artwork depicts a planet divided by a Yin-Yang symbol, hinting at the dualistic nature of his persona. Fahim is credited as the sole producer on the entire album; each track features one or more of his affiliates. Fahim continues building his foundation as he's still operating under Griselda Record's umbrella.

"War Path" opens with a brief skit about how one gets sent to Hell. The beat is built around a drum layered with a repeating xylophone melody. Fahim kicks off the track with a tightly packed verse, setting the stage for Heem Stogied and Anubis to contribute with their distinct voices. This is the first appearance of Anubis, who fits right in with a gritty, energetic verse. 

"Pyramid Temples" establishes an intricate piano melody over the drum. Fahim and Anubis handle the beat with a pair of solid verses. An example of Fahim's dense wordplay: "I told the blacksmith, make the blade toxic. So I can slay my enemies, enemies memories, penalties limit these, these so called entities."

"Craig Harrison" is named for the famous British sniper who once held the record for longest confirmed kill in combat. The beat uses repeating synths over the drum to create an unsettling, eerie vibe. Kungg Fuu's dense verse is gritty and violent. Fahim's style here is more experimental, featuring non-linear, one-liner bars that are hit or miss, though this line is a personal standout: "I shoot without looking, that's what I call glaucoma."

"Smack Fire Outcha Skit" features a short clip from the film Reservoir Dogs, in which Michael Madsen, as the character Mr. Blonde, speaks with the captured cop: "I don't have a boss, nobody tells me what to do."

"Assassin's Gift" features a haunting, hard-hitting synth beat. Smoke opens the track with a calculated verse, his smooth delivery fits the beat well. Fahim continues his experimental wordplay, which mostly lands. Kungg Fuu closes out the track with dark, high-energy bars: "I'm at your funeral, giving your mom a hug while stealing in her purse."

"Tha Here After" begins with a speech by Louis Farrakhan. Fahim produces a hard beat layered with methodical strings. Anubis delivers a dark, violent verse full of creative rhymes, followed by Fahim, who contributes a quick verse to close out the track.

"ledbjed" is a solo track featuring Anubis, who delivers a serviceable two-minute verse. The instrumental here is simple and repetitive, making it by far the least interesting beat on the album. Despite the minimalist backdrop, Anubis displays his introspection in the bars he strings together, concluding the track with a powerful lines that reflect the album's ethos: "I'm Heaven and Hell together, the Ether, the Nether, the Sun like stormy weather, my eyes golden feather, are you ready for whatever?"

"Cosmic Asswhoopin'" opens with a brief comedic intro before the beat drops. Heem Stogied opens the track with another high-energy verse. Fahim slides in with a brief interluding verse with punchy bars, such as: "I shoot you in your forehead, have you seeing out your third eye." Kungg Fuu closes out the track, matching the high-energy established by Heem Stogied.

"6th Dimension" establishes a raspy boom-bap beat over a looped chant. The track starts with Fahim, followed by Anubis and closing with Heem Stogied, who delivers one of the best flows on the album with his tempo-perfect bars.

"Forensics" uses a whimsical, layered instrumental utilizing strings and keyboard. Heem Stogied, Fahim, and Kungg Fuu fully return to form from their previous outing as they each deliver solid verses on the unorthodox beat.

"Vacation" rides out the album, closing with a solo track by Smoke, whose vocals are distorted similar to how A$AP Rocky chops and screws his own vocals. The chorus is catchy and he has some clever bars under the warped vocals. Fahim's beat is simple but fits the track well as the outro.

Although X-iled from Earth is most likely Tha God Fahim's weakest entry so far, some of the tracks still meet the high threshold he's established in his previous work. The large amount of features detracts a bit from Fahim's lyrical output, but his skills as a producer remain on point. Overall, it's a decent entry in his catalog, though at times it lacks the thematic cohesion of Shadows Over Nazereth or his two collaboration albums.

1. War Path - 3.5/5

2. Pyramid Temples - 4/5

3. Craig Harrison - 4/5

4. Smack Fire Outcha Skit - 3/5

5. Assassin's Gift - 4/5

6. The Here After - 4/5

7. ledbjed - 3/5

8. Cosmic Asswhoopin' - 3.5/5

9. 6th Dimension - 4/5

10. Forensics - 4/5

11. Vacation - 3.5/5