The Prime Potential is here, and it's something worth to check out. With plenty of good sounding production, smooth vocal presentation and solid lyrics. “My name came about when I was looking for something explosive or flammable. I came to the realization that gas is flammable. So me and my homie Kevin aka Da-1 came up with Oktayne. There is a term going around the industry defined as gas and where I am from originated. Gas means a rapper can murder or dominate a beat. ” He says. Oktayne (aka Albert Devon Tatmon) is a Bay Area rapper whose music embodies his influences. His rhymes shine with Nas’ wit, lyrics and delivery are Ludacris-aggressive, and an onstage presence is reminiscent of KRS One. Oktayne cut his lyrical chops long ago performing spoken word but music pulled him into Hip-Hop. To date, he has released 2 albums: 2008′s Self-Explanations and Feature Presentation in 2012. The single “Mindgames” was released in 2011. His mixtapes include Self-Explanatory Vol. 1 (’09) and Tell ‘Em I’m On 1 & Tell ‘Em I’m On 2, both released in 2010. This year finds Oktayne hard at work with producer Chief and a crew of singers, rappers, and a poet on his upcoming album, Prime Potential. For an independent artist, Oktayne has earned a large following numbering in the thousands. His videos for “Red Carpet Lady” and “Positive High” have racked up more than 25,000 views! With an army of followers on each of his social media sites. Now Oktayne has a project coming out called Prime Potential. BUT back in 2012 (when the world was set to end) things took a turn in this guys life. He was ready to call it a day, to give in, to turn his back and walk away. The industry can be kind, it can make you up or spit you out. The gas had fizzled and he was on the outs. Then something happened. Peeps rocked up, the kinds of peeps he’d been hunting for… and they were not going to let him go. So he picked himself up … jammed a little … found himself and wrote 4 songs. ” This wasn’t supposed to be an Album” . Clearly, his peeps had other plans! There’s nothing sexier than hip hop fusions. Especially when you’re dropping the right beats over something as smooth as piano cords. It chances the dynamics, and brinks sexyback to the vocals. It was a fleeting part of the dream… the sweetest part … and then we wake up into the rest of the album. “I came to realize that I could do anything.” He admits proudly. ” I love to push it, move a little further than I am. So I did. I don’t want to be just another local musician. There’s a bigger world out there. California, New York City, Arizona, Russia. There’s a world out there.” Sounds to me like his setting his intentions to take it on. With a little love of course from his fans. That’s where the beats picks it up and actually hold the track. It’s groveable, danceable, and oh no snoreable. It catches your ear and gets you listening.And in a world of so much sound, and so much noise, it’s notable. Why, it works and our guy is starting to have some fun. You can hear the laugh in his voice. The album peaks with maturity with a track called “I feel good” and it’s good. If you fast forward the convo intro on track 6, you feel it too.Reminiscing that tail end of track one. It props the sound in a whole other vibe. From here on out, personally, its a better deal for me. Then it hits the club groove. Slow, smooth, but another sound. I guess he’s exploring his potential and stepping into different streaks of his voice … without dropping his identity. Liking the chorus on track 8 especially. Tracks to listen out for : Old Skoolness Vibrations of Track 9 deserve a replay. There are a lot of sounds on this album. Popness prepsome rockabilly track 11. Hip Hop scatters, and then something else. ”There are a lot of people out there. A lot of musicians. I just want people to know that there is real musical talent out there. Real Musicality. That’s all” Eazy? Eazy is that really you? Rapper in review – Oktayne – references how he used to want to rap like Common, but after a thorough listen to his new LP Prime Potential you might come to the same conclusion I have here; Oktayne is much like what I’d imagine the legendary rapper Eazy-E might just sound like today if his was still on the M.I.C. (R.I.P. E.Z.E.!) Our introduction to Oktayne actually came through putting his video & lead single “Turnt Down” on our show SBS Live This Week. At that time and through that track we learned about ‘Tayne’s ability to create anthem-style rap tracks with hooks that stick deep in your memory. Now that Prime Potential is out and available, on a personal level I was excited to see just what else Oktayne has been coming up with in the shadows of rap awaiting his turn in the spotlight. What I appreciate a whole hell of a lot in rap right now are the rappers that are taking chances in the writing of their own hooks, ones that try something new and don’t just rely on samples or the chorus of a hit song to ensure their tracks are heard. Right away on the first track “Prime Dreamer,” Oktayne comes in with a hook that at first sounds nearly awkward and over-complicated against a really minimalist background beat. I mean…Yeeeeeeeeeeez! Who does THAT remind you of? That style of minimalism through the music and supremacy in the lyrical department has paid off big time throughout the last year of rap music. While Kayne might not have had the commercial success through Yeezus that he had achieved in the past, hundreds of thousands of musicians well outside of the rap game still had to acknowledge the genius in that record and the way that it all came together. Oktayne has taken a similar approach with Prime Potential – while the background beats are tight and banging out at all the right places, he never relies on the beats to make the tracks memorable. That’s a responsibility he takes all on his own, every time he steps to the mic. And whether it’s cuts like “Strong Like Hard Liquor,” “I Feel Good“ or “Do Your Dance Mama“ – that ability to write a memorable hook and deliver it with confidence, flair and style is there and on full display at every turn. Some of those hooks seem like they were meant to be, others resonate with the true confidence of Oktayne, almost daring you to follow him through the rest of the track to find out how it all fits together. There’s a lot happening through the vocal delivery, which might result in a little confusion on that first listen as you adjust to Oktayne’s style – but rest assured by only the second listen there’s a hook from EVERY track that has worked itself into your brain and the Prime Potential truly becomes realized. It really is a perfect name for this album. Prime Potential is a perfect description of Oktayne, where he’s at and how this music he has made is ready to launch him into a lifelong career. The “blueprint,” so to speak. Every rapper that has ever put a rhyme into a microphone has surely wished they took out a word (or seven) of a verse or a chorus to perfect the metering in a particular cut, but at the end of the day it’s all about what the true foundations in the writing ARE. Oktayne is probably no exception to this – 99% of this LP flows flawlessly through the lyrics. Sure there’s a bit of stretched out wordage to fit the scale, but again, as the title says – this is Prime Potential. He’s well aware that there’s still room to grow and refine his skills, but confident enough to know that his current skill set should absolutely lead to him being sought out as a number-one music draft. And who wouldn’t want a little extra Oktayne on their team? There’s evidence all over Prime Potential that shows just how well he can play with others. Featuring guest stars like Kareless MF’ah and Charlie Fingaz, Oktayne adapts and has no problem sharing the space in a track in order to strengthen the overall song. A perfect example of this is “Ask Me Anything,” a guaranteed hit if ever there was one, featuring Kassanova. Intelligently arranged and expertly produced and delivered – this should be all the evidence that you need to support the opening of your studio-doors if Oktayne ever comes knocking. At his most playful – a track like “Murda Self Esteem” resembles the laid-back summertime vibe that surfaces in the rhymes and music of Shwayze. Kareless MF’ah comes in to lay down-and-dirty verse in this combination of rap skills, vocal effects and good-times. Oktayne delivers some of his best here once again, never letting up on his ability to make his songs leave a lasting impression. Really. Really, really, really, really, really. Listen to Prime Potential – you’ll get it. “Really Really” is a great example of what I’ve been talking about with Oktayne all along. Listen to this track and tell me that you’re not saying “Really Really” for the next month in your house, in your car on the way to work, while you’re mowing the lawn, while you’re in the grocery store…I’m sure you get what I mean…really. Finishing just as strong as it started, Prime Potential wraps up with rap tracks “Rockin And Rollin” and “Potential.” Intense and geared to leave a lasting impression, these tracks being as strong as they are finalize an album laden with consistency and skill. Oktayne is bringing excitement and enthusiasm into independent rap – that’s unquestionable. And the best thing about the word “potential” itself? It ALWAYS implies there’s even more to come. I’ll be looking forward to it, every time. Oktayne did not sport idle hands nor muted microphones since his 2012 full length Feature Presentation and now the California native is about to invade your sonar receptors with his fresh attempt to declare himself as a voice you not only want-, but need to relate to if to regard yourself as a competent aficionado of the independent hip hop scene of 2014. Oktayne, fortunately enough, chose to keep the delightful, fun, entertaining direction he was treading on intact, resulting in an experience that once again exhibits excessive urges to throw your way as many sounds as possible per second, arranged on retroid - yet, paradoxically : fresh-sounding - backdrops of true, larger than life mid tempo subwooffer pummel power. Read on to know more. As mentioned, Oktayne still sounds be a laid back and peaceful hip hop guy, who now seemingly transitions through the highly relevant evolutionary process of striking up a creative balance between two of his favorite behavioral extremes : rampant embellishments "VS" hooks of quite monolithic harmonic power, offered along more orthodox builds that are quite straightforward at heart, but maintain the right to surprise with well researched methods of commonality-interruption. The entry called "Summer Vacation" is a good example of the latter methodology, as we are talking about a track containing a piano hook that successfully rearranges your inner images of Godzilla-grade harmonies, pulling this feat off from a spirituale direction. The relevance of this occurrence is considerable, as Oktayne manages to put a gentle finger to the common/shared pulsation of spirituale and hip hop without blaming any ingredients of this unusual-, yet ever-so logical stylistic pair. The album still is coated in Oktayne's over-the-top retro video game music charms, - his vocal delivery still is brisk, funnily impertinent, and conveys an authentically friendly, non-violent timber/disposition in which black on black crime is only a possibility if you happen to stumble on the doorstep of your neighbor, and your dick accidentally gets stuck in the neighbor's wife. Add to these fascinations the secret soundbank of the Motown music factory, - I have no idea how Oktayne obtained those, but I'm pretty sure he has all the secret codes worth dreaming of - as a conscious decision is observable not only to pump these patterns up to extreme proportions, but your host also shows increased amount of inventive, brave movements per track - track 9, called "MurdaSelfEsteem" is a prime - pun intended, of course - example on how rabid Oktayne can go as, exploring ideas of widely varied character, offering the zones of interconnection with cleverly placed samples which he offers pretty much all along the way. The very next entry, "Really Really" showcases the trademark rhetorics of this artist, a rhetoric by which nothing is meant to be taken dead serious, but nothing is offered without a grit AND clear underlying intent in it. A quite well researched and soulfully created full length, one that showcases true creative ambition and I feel the statement will give the artist the jump start for a successful, High Oktayne 2014. "Oktayne (AKA: Albert Devon Tatmon) is a Bay Area rapper whose music embodies his influences." This is a quick introductory quotation from his official artist website, and indeed runs parallel with my thoughts on his music after listening to Prime Potential in it's full form. Elements of the hip hop produced by Nas, Ludicris, and KRS One (among many others) leak into his stylistic sensibilities, and help to ultimately shape an interesting sounding album. While the basis of any solid rap album will undoubtedly be on the rhythm, vocal performance, and lyrical prowess; Oktayne showcases some interesting instrumental characteristics on this sophomoric release that helps it to stick out in my mind. Prime Potential is definitely an album worth exploring in more detail. Production/Composition Right out the gate, it is apparent that much time was spent mixing and mastering Prime Potential. On the whole, it is a great sounding album of music. At times, it stands out as sounding "different" when compared to other hip hop artists, like on the track "If I Had A Child," which has a very odd, almost carnival styled, instrumental loop playing in the background. Somewhat reminiscent of listening to a xylophone paired with hip hop beats, it works to convey the lyrical message of the track. Other moments like the following track "Do Your Dance Mama" heads in a far more aggressive direction, with heavy emphasis on synth bass and loud, compressed snare drum hits via the electronic drum kit. This blend of sounds and musical directions works to the benefit of the entire album, and while there are some shaky moments and a feeling of repetition that comes later in the album (partly do to it's 12 track length). As for the compositions, Oktayne does a solid job to write these fairly catchy, pop friendly rap/hip-hop tracks. Some of these tracks could easily fit in on the radio waves with the likes of Eminem and Lil Wayne. With that said, again touching on the length of the album, more diversity in terms of the song structures would likely benefit this album. Considering his background in spoken word poetry performances, I'd even like to see some longer form raps that would be capable of droning on nicely for an extended time period. Not only would this be unique to the genre, but interesting to listen to, and add a sense of diversity to an otherwise pop oriented album. Instrumentation/Vocals Unlike many rap albums that seem dependent on the rhythm and bass elements (R&B), Oktayne puts on display an assortment of interesting, often melodic, components that allows Prime Potential to set itself apart from the onslaught of artists working within the same genre. "MurdaSelfEsteem" sticks out as a very memorable track because of it's opening piano and poetic vocal styles, then it merges into a semi-piano driven hip hop track. The EDM components of "Rockin and Rollin" makes it extremely catchy and easy to imagine, again, on the radio or in a club atmosphere. And it's not some dull, monotonous dance track either; it features some stellar melodic lead synths and is well produced as well. On the whole, the instrumental component of this album is more interesting than not. As for Tatmon's vocal performance, it is pretty solid as well. There are a few moments from time to time where his voice gets a bit shaky, even to the extent of not rhyming well with the beat, but these are infrequent and ultimately the vocal performance is diverse and intelligently displayed. His voice is very accessible and easy to get into if you enjoy popular hip-hop found on MTV and similar outlets. With that said, the lyrical content is a bit average from what I can gather. Really interesting and nicely phrased and downright poetic lyrics like those in the verses of "Strong Like Hard Liquor" come paired with status quo lyrics catering to people who traditionally listen to this style of music. On one hand, it's not a bad thing considering Oktayne is looking to bleed into hip hop found in pop culture; but on the other hand it can be irritating to someone like myself who enjoys deeper and more intricate, underground, rapping styles and lyrical content like can be seen distributed by artists like Jedi Mind Tricks (among others who are less known). Overall Impression Prime Potential by Oktayne is a solid album. Don't get me wrong. It's got some flaws, some of them objectively justified and others just personal to my listening perspective. Fundamentally, it is an album that sounds good, with great production values, some interesting beats and instrumental qualities, and a solid vocal performance to boot. I've waged my critiques throughout this review, but I expect they will be null if you already are privy to this style of music; and traditionally listen to hip hop stations on the radio. It's worth checking out.