Support him or not, Philadelphia's most famous death row inmate has undoubtedly touched off an international firestorm of support that finds the 215 as the epicenter of the movement. Intentionally or not, Mumia Abu Jamal has come to represent much more than just himself and the merits of his own case. For a generation of disenfranchised youth of all hues, Mumia has come to symbolize the perceived wickedness of AmeriKKKan police brutality and racism. It's only appropriate then, that a Philadelphian lead a crew of accomplished Afrocentric emcees in shedding additional light on the circumstances that led to Mumia's ultimate conviction.

The Philadelphia Police Department in the 1970's was corrupt, violent and overtly racist and proud of it. This set the stage for where we are today. I know this because I witnessed it all firsthand in the 70's. It's from this shameful environment that we find ourselves at Mumia 911. The Roots front man Black Thought leads the way as he delivers a lyrical beat down that exposes the true depths of his angered emotions.

Over a simplistic yet magnetic beat created from a bottomless bass, Diamond D works the reanimation of the instrumentation brilliantly, ensuring that it serves as the perfect launching pad for Chuck D's continued dedication to bring the noise, the controlled aggressiveness of Pharoah Monch's power chords and the justified anger at the ghetto AmeriKKKa that propels and inspires Tragedy Khadafi's poetry onward. Witness the clearly stated refrains of "somebody screamed bloody murder inside of my head, the executioners clock controlled by the Feds, take illegal action they want Mumia dead, this nation of savages been tryin' to kill us for years" that set the tone for this slice of decidedly hardcore testosterone on wax.

Mumia 911 travels the path that N.W.A.'s classic F!@# The Police blazed nearly a generation ago. It shouldn't be forgotten that N.W.A. considered what they did nothing more than a West Coast interpretation of what their West Philly idol Schoolly D was already rhyming about in the areas around 52nd and Parkside Avenue. All things come full circle. We should all be proud of the Illadelph emcee leading the latest cycle of rage. Welcome to the proud power of Philly Hip Hop.

theroots.com

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Review by Funk Wizard Snow
Editor- PhillyHipHop.com
April, 2003