State of Emergency

Laughed at before anyone even heard it, State of Emergency is a surprisingly good album conceptualized and co-written by Bill Cosby, a man who was anything but hip with the hip-hop heads in 2009. Speeches concerning his disappointment with African-American youth and especially African-American youth culture had drawn a backlash, and when you add a bunch of old pudding-pop commercials thrown up on the Internet for mass mockery, you don’t even need to mention the garish Cosby sweater to 86 his cool factor. Those with an open mind get the last laugh, as this Bill Cosby Presents release is co-produced by someone named Cedric Ulmont Miller, a legend Ultramagnetic MC's fans know better as Ced Gee. He’s part of this Cosnarati crew, along with rappers Jace the Great and Brother Hahz, who are both serviceable, sometimes exciting, wordsmiths. With Cosby’s moral compass as their guide, the crew create tracks that challenge morally and musically, best being the title track. Clashing sirens and saxophones together on the cut, Ced creates a busy, noisy soundfield that’s the sound of urban chaos Cosby has spoken of, and when the despair of “Dads Behind the Glass” needs to be illustrated, Gee goes back in Cosby’s own catalog and borrows a bit of “Ursalina” from the 1990 album Where You Lay Your Head. Doubtful that any dope-pushing dealers under the age of 40 will appreciate all the intricate work Ced and company have created for the album, and when it comes to the hip-hop youth of 2009, it’s hard to imagine them being swayed by any moral messages wrapped in underground throwbacks. Ironic kids still laughing at their download of the 1971 album Bill Cosby Talks to Kids About Drugs will ignore this in droves, missing some prime Ced Gee work they’d most likely appreciate. State of Emergency is a success in search of an audience, but of interest to Ced Gee fans and those who love befuddling records.