Review: Zeale’s DISASTERKRFT mixtape
Thursday, October 28, 2010 13:19by: Laurie Lyons 
On the surface, the title of the newest mixtape by one of Austin’s most beloved hip-hop artists, Zeale, is a bit of a misnomer, because DISASTERKRFT is far from being a train wreck. Instead, it’s a fluid work of 18 musical tracks that pay homage to the electronic duo MSTRKRFT; it’s a party album, a message album, and a biography, amongst other things. It’s diverse in both its lyrical content (lyrics that are clean, crisp, and easy to understand, a rarity in hip hop music these days), and song production, with every turn becoming more and more interesting.
It’s a serious album that doesn’t take itself too seriously-with nods to Ric Flair and Kenny Powers, the sense of humor infused throughout the album is quite evident. And what’s a hip-hop album without guest stars (I mean, you can’t really have a party by yourself, right?)-Disasterkrft features DJ Protégé, Houston’s Fat Tony, Bluu Suede, and others. You’ll feel right at home listening to it, too, as Zeale mentions hometown favorites like Congress Avenue and First Thursdays. He’s also not trying to be anything he’s not-there’s no need to include lyrics about Cristal or Hennessy, when Zeale is like most other Austinites in preferring a glass of Firefly or bottle of Corona.
Zeale is an accomplished freestyle artist, battle rapper (he’s been a finalist in Scribblejam, and lots more), mixtape master, and MC, and this mixtape definitely shows you why he’s performed and toured with the likes of Talib Kweli, Nas, Drake, and Jason Mraz.
Find out for yourself just how fun this album is to listen to in your car with the windows rolled down. Tonight is DISASTERKRFT’s premiere party. Click here for more info. Oh, did I mention that there’s a Nintendo-themed song?
