The Agony - Discourse demo album was recorded at Boomin Studios in Flint, Michigan and was engineered Ahmad Weston in 1995 which was when recording took place. Production was also done by him. The demo had a more hip hop influenced pro-black sound than any of the albums in Flint at that time. The genres and sounds of hip hop, jazz, and electronic all meet each other on this album. The album is on the Black Panther tip with politically charged songs such as Panthers, Enter Tha Pantha, Amerikka, Welcome, and Hypocritical Hypothesis.
Ahmad Weston was the producer, composer, and main artist behind the Agony album. He was the backbone and brains behind everything in the group. Ahmad Weston was an engineer for Boomin Records at that time. He also engineered at Boomin Records for many years. Agony is Stamina, Lady Lo, BJ, and Agony.
Agony’s album was a demo issued on cassette. This demo cassette was pressed up in limited quantities. Possibly less 300 copies of this demo cassette were ever pressed. Today the Agony - Discourse demo cassette is regarded as one of a kind treasure. This album is of those Boomin Records mystery tapes in a cluster of several albums that were recorded at Boomin Records from 1991 to 2005.
Side A is labeled as Dramacide and Side B is labeled as Traumacide.
The song Voodoo is about voodoo magic. You can feel a vibe of uncertainty and tensity as you listen to the song. The beats Ahmad used on this song are thick and so is the bass. Voodoo serves as the opener for this album and the Dramacide.
Voodoo opens up with a calm opening on a dark night. Crickets can be heard chirping in the background. A kick drum is used throughout the song. There is a numbing blaze. Agony creeps in through the air. Something eradicates the body and then play up on the fears. Agony has that voodoo. The song makes references to voodoo magic.
Panthers is a song dedicated to the Black Panthers. Agony takes a pro-black stance in this song getting on revolutionary tip. This hip hop song uses a hodgepodge of samples. Lady Lo raps here too.
Agony had to learn a hard lesson on Panthers. Catching drama keeps him stressing. Days are getting longer. He doesn’t know how to adhere to all of this drama. Winter is almost through and he is getting evicted from the crib. His baby mama is pressing charges against him. So it’s time for him to lay down a track at Boomin Studios. He plays his song over again. Agony believes his life goes faster when he’s loyal to the game.
Agony tells black people to raise their fists up. He says, “We can take this nation if we get pissed enough.” Until black people fight the war for justice, they will never see peace.
Lady Lo raps after Agony. Her verses came hard in the paint. She wants to get high off that endo (marijuana) and black power. She is high as hell and ain’t gonna give it up. Lady Lo shows much love and appreciation to the Black Panthers. Gangstas and thugs have her back.
Freaky Demo is an East Coast rap styled hip hop song with a touch of jazz hop. Notice the boom bap beats and medium bass. The beats give away an East Coast rap vibe. Hip hop meets jazz on Freaky Demo. Lady Lo and Stamina rap here too.
Freaky Demo is a posse cut in which the group Agony seeks to break out people with their complex features in the style of rhythm and poetry which is rap.
Stamina is doing damage worldwide with his East Coast style of raps. Just like that. Take flight as he is in command. He is bringing death and destruction to your label and production team. Stamina needs to supersede over all MC’s. Stamina sounds very much similar to Big G of MOSS when he raps. He raps 2 verses on Freaky Demo.
Midnight Cheradez has a laid back relaxing sound with a super chill vibe. You can hear the relaxing sound inside the instruments used on this song. Agony is on a late night creep in the night club. He meets a female who he finds himself in love with. It’s an Agony love song. Orgasmic is one word to describe Midnight Cheradez. The song is surreal.
It’s midnight. Agony is on a late night creep. Agony feels like he was in heaven. It’s freaky yet subtle. It feels like a dream but its reality. He meets a female who he finds himself in love with. Her conversation with him touched his soul.
The atmosphere is okay. Agony picked up a lighter from the table and grabs himself a cigarette. He leans back to roll back more blunts. She whispers in his ear. She grabs the end of his blunt with her mouth. This blunt of his is French flavored. An illusion occurs when they both see visions of each other when they close their eyes. This illusion is soon interrupted by the vibrations of his pager. Their emotions keep them rested.
She wants him and he want her. They confess. Agony asks her, “Why don’t we get together?”. So they engage in another blunt session. Agony tells her, “You’re an exceptional lady of mine. Let’s dine on each others fantasy. We can fall apart and come together.” “I respect your mind and your body.”
Hypocritical Hypothesis is song where the group Agony calls out hypocrites. On this song is where Agony switches their style of rapping. They rap in the form of fast paced style of Memphis rap. Coincidentally this song has that eerie vibe you hear in Memphis rap. Synths Ahmad used on this song give away an eerie unsettling vibe. The song is surreal. He gets into the religious tip on this song.
Agony make light of how many African American men are incarcerated in prison as part of the prison industrial complex in America. That is what the line “Of black men, 50,000 negroes incarcerated in camps concentrated” means. He is comparing the prison industrial complex of America to concentration camps. That is how the conditions are.
Da Crib uses a jazz hop oriented sound where jazz meets hip hop. Freeform jazz also meets upbeat jazz with a touch of funk. The grand piano gives that away. Ahmad uses distorted bitcrushed synths and keys on this song. Agony uses a fast paced style of rapping on this song.
Da Crib is a song about how Agony attempts to persuade a fine female to come over to his crib. He wanted her over at his house right now. They have plans to do some shit.
BJ is not paying for anything that’s going to leave a rash. He uses petroleum on the end of rubber condom for sexual intercourse. In 9 months he could say the child is not his. Fucking bitches twice was sure damn nice. They had to pay the price the same week.
Cypher Fields is a rap battle and cypher where rappers Agony and BJ rap against each other. It’s about who’s the better rapper. It’s straight up rap with lyricism that gets to the point with hardness.
Welcome is a soothing jazz hop song that is laced with heavy bass and a single old timey piano. Jazz meets hip hop with a bodacious sound on Welcome. Agony would rather treat his people than to beat on them physically by assault. He loves his people. Black people. He welcomes them with open arms.
All I Seen (Straight Souljah Mix) uses a different sound than the original. This version of the song uses a much darker sound. Some of the lyrics are retained from the original version. This version uses an angelic chorus which singing in harmony in the background throughout this song. This version is the pro-black Black Panther version.
Agony uses a robotic voice to discuss the evil and wickedness in this world. Sometimes he just can’t take it. What can a person do? Sometimes it’s based on where a person lives. It’s hard for a young black male to live in this world. He tries to keep his soldiers strong and army tight.
You know the old saying, “Everybody knows why the dove cries.” Agony tries to get ahead in life by increasing his knowledge through education.
The lyrics “It’s hard to be alive/The struggle continues” make frame of reference to how living every day is a struggle. Daily living is a struggle. The lyrics “Earthbound/we are walking dead” represents the insanity we face on Earth. Agony shows us he is aware of violence. These lyrics are an example “Yesterday we played in the rain/Todays streets lay with blood stains” These lyrics exemplify a violent chaotic world.
The Debut is the song which slows down the mood for the album on Traumacide due to the slow beat programming by Agony. Rapper Stamina makes his debut on this song. The song uses a hodgepodge of collected samples.
The song Ghetto Classic is a classic song all into itself. The song incorporates the sounds of rap, hip hop, funk, jazz, and soul by using samples of many different songs. Ghetto Classic is a solo cut where only Agony himself raps.
Agony gets some stress off his chest in the form of rapping on Amerikka. The song uses medium bass over soft processed beats. The song is laced with medium bass. It’s straight up hip hop and lyricism that gets to the point.
Agony has some stress to kill and get off his chest. He shares his true genuine feelings. He’s keeping it real. Distance is getting the best of him. He claims the government hates people and separates them. Sadly this fact is true. It’s really a separate but equal type of deal. It’s evil what the government does.
He makes several references to the religion of Christianity. These lyrics are an example: “The son of God and brother of Jesus/you need us”
The song deals with Agony trying to find peace and his place in America. These lyrics are a reference to what I said, “Sometimes I find no shelter/Heaven or hell/Still I find no peace for me/Sometimes I’m brokenhearted/Dearly departed/Don’t get me started/I’m just trying to play my part/Dearly departed”
Enter Tha Panther is a politically charged pro-black rap song that is on the Black Panther tip. Agony goes hard on this track.
Agony’s pickup line is “Do you have any sisters or friends that I can fuck with? Do you run with hella bitches I can trust?” . What are the facts behind the lines Agony is spitting? That is a question that has yet to be answered. Don’t fuck with the brother dressed in black. Things are happening more locally than globally. Even on the richter scale. Agony paints a picture with his vocals. That’s why they call Picasso.
Mental Ejaculation is a sexual song with subliminal messages. Agony gets kinky on this song. He gets very lyrical and hard as usual.
Cum Wit Me has a tropical Caribbean vibe and feeling. The feeling is mellow and calm. A soft piano seems to have been used. Agony learned his lessons. His confessions keep him going. Agony is a state of psychosis. He learning the game of life while getting drunk. He invites us to come with him.
Flint Wil’ is one funky hip hop cut laced with hazy synths, bodacious piano notes, and thick beats. Funk meets hip hop on Flint Wil’. Flint Wil’ was recorded in 1995 and recorded again in 1997.
The very beginning of Flint Wil’ uses the sample of James Brown - The Big Payback. That is where the funky guitar sample comes from. The sample begins at 0:02 and ends at 0:12. A hazy synth can be heard repeating itself every 3 seconds. Agony thinks about all the bullshit that has gone on in time as the years progress. You know how Agony does. It’s straight up hip hop and lyricism that gets to the point.
The Defeat is a hard edged rap song with heavy beats that is laced with an enjoyable sound. Stamina and BJ rap on this song.
All I Seen uses thick beats and low bass over a hodgepodge of samples. The beats used are snares, toms, and kicks. Female vocals sampled from a classical music composition are used on this song. The words from the classical music composition say, “All I see are my shadows” . The classical music composition is layered over an organ you would hear playing in an old horror film.
There are 2 downsides. One downside is the instrumentation and vocals are not equally balanced on a 50/50 level. The instrumentation overlaps the vocals making listening to the vocals very difficult. The other downside is not being able to hear the vocals.
Agony takes us into his mind. Things he shares are not wholesome or pretty. He discusses how generations and nations breed terrorists. Terrorists are bred off of hate and fear. Not to mention corruption. Agony wants to get up and fight the feelings he has been facing. It’s hard to be alive. The struggle continues.
The lyrics “It’s hard to be alive/The struggle continues” make frame of reference to how living every day is a struggle. Daily living is a struggle. The lyrics “Earthbound/we are walking dead” represents the insanity we face on Earth. Agony shows us he is aware of the violence. These lyrics are an example “Yesterday we played in the rain/Todays streets lay with blood stains” These lyrics exemplify a violent chaotic world.
Addicted To The Pain is a solo cut written and performed by Agony.
I rate this album 4/5****!
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