Scheme ‘s Manifesto Sneak Peek!
By Ricardo Castillo

“… stories of a poet, embedded in black blood/
I’m better than whatever you said, so I raise up/
face up, eyes steady scheming on the prize and/
trying to enterprise so I take ‘em by surprise and/
live life never hesitate to ques-tion/
the artist in the person, always king to his crea-tion!…”

-Scheme in second verse of “Respect the Art” from The Manifesto EP

       Respect the art indeed because The Manifesto EP grants you the goose bumps! During Scheme’s visit to Laredo, for the shooting of the “Chicano” video, he graced us with a sneak peek at his newest baby.
       For his second solo album, Scheme reunited with The Sound Merchants, and came through once again. The luminous lyricist, Scheme, member of Chicago’s Molemen camp, takes the listener on a grand hip hop journey. In an era were a lot of garbage manages to hit the airwaves, The Manifesto EP reminds us that “real” music is still being made. Scheme’s manifesto features one of New York’s beloved Jean Grae, Astonish from Molemen, Tone Pro and Chi-City’s, Wes Restless.
       The Manifesto has a lot of diversity in sound, but at the same time blends well flawlessly. Right off the bat, Scheme delivers his crafty wordplay, over a raw-street-jungle Merchant beat, in his intro.
The transition to the first joint, “Respect the Art” pulls you quick into the rest of the album. The Sound Merchants lace the beat with a smooth horns sample that compliments Scheme’s cunning delivery.
           “Let it begin the commencement, hencement of these benchmen/
                       never under estimate me/ you must pay attention…”
         You can’t help but pay attention to the rest of the EP. “Spotlight,” quickly makes its presence before you blink and takes you on another direction at a faster velocity. Scheme expresses the reality of the music industry and explains the harsh truth such as the selfishness one must possess to survive the game.
         One of the tracks that jumps out at you from The Manifesto EP is, “Modern Day Warfare.” Scheme shares his views on today’s materialistic and egotistical world. His penmanship and the steady beat, keep your head bobbing on a serious but much appreciated channel.
         “Chicano,” makes its way in and provides the listener with culture. This song is an anthem that many can relate to in the multicultural country that we live in. More importantly it is one of Scheme’s more intimate songs. It depicts the callous reality of being a Mexican-American rejected by both sides of the border.
          Before closing the doors, Scheme lightens up the mood with, “Extravagant Lifestyle.” Astonish and Tone Pro, make this joint a favorite. No matter what genre of music you listen to, “Extravagant Lifestyle,” is a song for everyone. Whether you are cruising, at a party, or getting ready for work, this song works. For some reason it seemed like all three artists were competing to see who busted out the best verse because they all shine on it.
          The Manifesto EP is slated to drop on June 16th, 2009. Scheme is on “a whole ‘nother level,” and he will not disappoint. The collection of songs were very well hand picked, making The Manifesto a success, and leaving the listener imploring to see what’s next for Scheme. Make sure you check out The Manifesto EP. It will be available on Itunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, emusic, napster, UGHH.com, Molemen.com, and many more. We will keep you updated here at www.cinedelaredo.com! ***Ricky C. – cinedelaredo publications

Tags: Chciago Rap, Hip-Hop, Molemen, Rap, Scheme, The Manifesto EP

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