Zodiac MPrint - Ride the Stars (Blue and Green)

Over ten years ago, a side project was announced by The R.O.C. and Blaze Ya Dead Homie. This duo would be known as Zodiac Mprint, and an album was rumored for the longest time. Only sporadic tracks from various releases would appear as Zodiac Mprint. Fast forward to 2016, and a release has finally seen the light of day; however, it is simply an EP with 7 tracks named Ride the Stars. 1 song is a simple intro, and 2 songs are finished versions from Twiztid’s 2014 mixtape 4 Tha Fam, Vol. 2 and so basically, there’s only 4 brand new tracks. Regardless, this is still a better offering than nothing at all. Also to note, there are two versions of Ride the Stars. The blue version is produced by Seven, while The R.O.C. produced the green version. Although the reasoning is not exactly known, it’s assumed that the green version was basically a demo take of the album, and not the desired finished product, thus the blue version.

1. Nova
2. Into the Cosmos
3. Ride the Stars
4. Keep It Jumpin'
5. Beware of the Wolf
6. Don't Stand Too Close
7. What's Yo Sign?

For the purpose of this review, various colors will be used to distinguish the versions. Text in blue will indicate Seven’s version. Text in green will indicate The R.O.C.’s version. Text in black will be relevant to both versions. “Nova” is the intro track and there isn’t much to it. Clocking in at 17 seconds, it is simply the same introduction as the older 2007 song “E.O.D.” from Clockwork Gray. Although it’s weird that Zodiac Mprint reused the sample, maybe it’s a simple reminder of how long this project has been in the works. “Nova” is a bit more unique on the green version. It clocks in slightly under 2 minutes, and consists of the low pitched voice talking for even longer with extended atmospheric sounds in the background, and ending with the “E.O.D.” sample. Although not too spooky or cliffhanging, it works out as a simple intro. “Beware of the Wolf” is one of the two songs remade from Twiztid’s mixtape. The main lyrical difference is that Blaze Ya Dead Homie’s verse is slightly extended, and makes the song feel whole. The beat has a slow rhythmic tempo to it and matches the two rappers properly. This version has a prominent drum beat to it along with a consistent keyboard line, and doesn’t stand out as anything memorable. For the sake of the track name, an occasional howl is added into the beat, which although it makes sense to have it, it seems to be a rushed addition. On this flip side, an additional synth line is used during the verses and adds a bit more diversity. The hook at the end of the song has a spooky guitar line, and gives off a sense of a midnight song session, and is the better sounding selection. “Into the Cosmos” is another song driven by both astrology and self-identification. A long speech is delivered at the beginning, and seems to hype the release. It seems to be simple filler, especially when there’s already an intro track. A generic sounding piano is throughout the song, and clearly sounds like a rushed demo take. Although the beat picks up slightly towards the end of the verses, it falls back down during the hook. Another speech and minimal music appears between the verses, and is more filler. An electronica themed beat accompanies the verses this time around, and is a lot more interesting than a rushed piano line. Unfortunately, the hook also falls flat. Although the music isn’t as minimal, it doesn’t enhance the speech part at all. “Keep It Jumpin’” is the other mixtape song remade for this EP. An extra verse is also added to the song, and yet again, makes the song feel a lot more whole. The original is titled “Gettin’ Wu Wit It” due to the samples used, and it’s hard listening to the EP versions and not think of the prominent synth line from the mixtape. The music is upbeat, with an accompanying drum pattern and mid-level keyboard lines. Although it aligns itself with the verses just fine, it isn’t anything noteworthy. The blue version however, trumps the green version by miles. A slightly distorted guitar matches the drum pattern which is basically the same, but it makes a huge difference in how the song turns out. This beat turns up much harder and is one of the better produced tracks on the album. “Don’t Stand Too Close” doesn’t stray away from the self-identification lyrics that Zodiac Mprint is known for. Blaze Ya Dead Homie manages to make a quick catchy phrase with “wicked wicked wicked” but other than that, no other lyrical concepts catches the ear. A low level synth accompanies the verses well, and an extra keyboard line matches the hook well. It’s dark and brooding, and for the lack of better terms, wicked. This version also has a synth line, but isn’t as brooding as the other version. The beat for the hook also doesn’t change up from the verses, and so the repetitive nature gets boring after so long, and thus doesn’t give the wicked vibes justice. “Ride the Stars” doesn’t change much from the lyrical content. The hook is quite catchy though, as they change it up thru melodic singing and is a nice change of pace from the other hooks. Various space sounding beeps and boops are throughout the beat, with a simplistic electric guitar; however, it somehow works out, even if it isn’t too complex. The hook is a bit more pieced together and sounds suitable. The electronica themes are consistent on this song, but the programmed guitar falls flat and overall sounds too generic for the song itself. There isn’t much to it, and nothing noteworthy can be said about the beat. “What’s Yo Sign?” is a bit different from the other tracks. The song is basically a pickup line track, with an astrology twist to it. A hookup song always has the potential to be generic and forgettable, but this time around, it’s a nice change of pace. The hook has a female sexually driven voice, and is a bit out of place though. The beat itself is dreamy to an extent. It has a melodic groove to it, and is a drastic change up from the rest of the album. On the green version though, the beat is more suitable for a club, as the tempo is increased from the blue version. It’s more danceable than dreamy and the track is more likable because of it, even with the other small flaws. Clearly, both versions have their pros and cons. It’s hard to say which version is better. The green version has qualities that point it out to be a demo and isn’t fully polished. The blue version has parts that are rushed and isn’t fully realized either. A listener will have to take both versions into consideration to make a final decision. But as a whole, Ride the Stars is a solid release. The interesting astrology concept paired with other subtle themes makes it a different release from other albums. It’s unfortunate that it’s simply an EP rather than a full album, and it might be an additional ten years for another release. For now though, this is the only offering from Zodiac Mprint, and it’s worth checking out.