Now for those few of us who are still looking for music to rewind back to the days of pure lyricism, raw content, metaphors, wordplay...etc...free of the bling bling..."my ride is better than yours"...or the thousands and thousands of songs that constantly show us just how deep in poverty the majority of us (fans) are really living when compared to MTV cribs or the common rap video...this artist is for you... For those of us who still attempt to tune to the radio but spend majority of our time NOT listening but switching from station to station praying to find something of quality listening...this artist is for you. His name is C-RiDE King of Babylon, but you can call him C-RiDE. The phenomenon started in 2000 - C-RiDE, a long time believer of hip-hop, and an artist himself, joined up with his childhood friend DeciBle, who made beats on a keyboard for fun. In 2002, C-RiDE made his first feature on an album entitled "Only Time Will Tell." Featured on five songs, he brought a sense of the roughneck realism of struggling in poverty to the album. Shortly after the release of "Only Time Will Tell," C-RiDE took a brief hiatus to work on his delivery and perfect his craft to his liking. After a year of working hard and realizing the harsh reality check of what the music industry is really like, C-RiDE was back in the lab in the summer of 2003 recording his solo debut album, "Thru My Eyes." Rarely do you find an album that consists of 15+ tracks and actually find yourself listening to each and every track (and you will most likely repeat a few along the way!) I am more than positive that any fan of good music will not only appreciate this album...but will find themselves becoming more aggressive in their choices of music, because C-RiDE shows that true lyrics and rawness can be put out there without killing the albums integrity. In 2006, C-RiDE ventured back into the lab recording his second release "Beneath The Surface." His latest single "Do It Right" blasted through the speakers just when I was convinced C-RiDE was doing just that. He also critiques those not in it for the love and at turns reveals rare glimpses of vulnerability, whether financial or emotional. However, these remain nothing more than tantalizing teases of a much more devestating and complex MC.