Codiac is one of the best artists coming up out of the US. His latest project the Yang is a 5 track EP that forms part of a duo—the Yin & Yang EPs. After a successful spell with the album “In My Skin,” especially on Pandora, Codiac drop the Yin and Yang EPs, which should further take his ever-budding musical career to a greater height.
Comparing the Yin & Yang EPs
From the A-side of the album (Yin EP,) the focus is mostly on the emotional life of survival, intrigues, disappointments, and challenges depicting the never-easy life of a man with tenacity willing to do what it takes to make it against all odds. But the Yang EP appears to focus more on a relaxed mood, ambition and a sense of achievement. Codiac seems to be achieving his life-long dream of being among the best in the rap game.
The Yang EP has 5 tracks (same number with the Yin), with “Hype” at #2 being the shortest of the five. But the shortest track when both sides are being played back-to-back is “The Cings Interlude.” As for the beats and uptempo, both the Yin and Yang EPs have great grooves. The lyrics are fairly thought-provoking, but regarding depth, I would go with the Yin EP—particularly for “The Cings Interlude” and “Nameless” tracks.
Lastly, while the Yin EP features two of Codiac’s friendly rap artists—Cing Curt and Devin Burgess—the Yang EP doesn’t feature an artist.
The Yang EP Tracks Reviews
Let’s take a brief look at what each of the tracks that make up the Yang EP.
#1. Constellations
Sound almost like “Subconscious” on the A-side. The beginning was soft, the lines are relaxed, and the melody is simple so that you can even vibe with it. As for the hook, a female voice would have added some spice and soft touch, as against the ‘little bit hoarse’ masculine voices. Notwithstanding, Constellation appears to be the right intro that gives a glimpse of what to expect from the rest of the EP.
#2. Hype
This track appears to be the bomb regarding the intro! Superb reverb and sludge driven beat mixed with rhyming background echo gives the Hype a truly headlong start. Once again, it’s all personal with Codiac describing a passion for being the best, while there is a shift in the progress he is trying to make and obstacles trying to keep him down. But throughout the lyrics, his ambition defines his conviction to be real. You can tell that from the delivery and how the content holds the ‘hype joint’ that defines this warm and mean EP.
#3. Want it
One thing I find so remarkable about the Codiac style of rhyming is his clear vocals. Even at such pace between bars, you can easily hear every bit of what he was saying. “Want it” encompasses solid bar drive with raw and concise syllables—a song that dares opposition without confrontation. The track is made for a specific audience (of which I’m not a part,) but on a fair day, this should be on the ’hit list’.
#4. Target practice
No dulling from start to finish. Codiac’s commanding crisp and clear vocals doing the magic on an otherwise technical song. With precise break-in syllables that get chopped up, Codiac describes his mental state and the reason why he has been working so hard to be where he is today—love for his kids and family—.
“I do this shit for my kids’ sake…. swear I am always working…. “Spend my whole life trying to be the man….”
And surely he’s a man that prefers the hard and honest way to the quick and dirty means of making it.
“All I ever dream about is getting bigger; I got GPS to make here the long way, I don’t need no shortcut so I can make it quicker…”
That’s one powerful and emotional rhyme I will always keep up my sleeve. Target Practice is an excellent reflection of a man and his belief system towards family and achievement. The selective flow and outro beat play make this one of my favorite on the Yang EP.
#5. Under pressure
This track lacks that deep and personalized emotion and life intrigues that characterize most of Codiac’s songs. Rather, the lyrics are full of raw and extremely confrontational contents. However, the song showcases perseverance and success against difficult odds (like the recognition by Spotify,) but the clear intent to play crude if possible, is very vivid.
All in all, the Yang EP and the Yin EP is a two-part series released and available for sale in digital formats on CodiacMusic. They are designed to be played back-to-back, and it doesn’t matter which of them you start with.
