Then, "They Don't Want It" is a very short opening song that does not even have a rap on it. It's just a chorus repeated: "They don't want it, They don't want it, Those b*tch ass n*ggaz don't want it. Time and time again they rhyme about the same ol sh*t..." Then, there's the next skit!!! They, Po and Pharoahe see Malice walking home and they shoot... Couldn't they just do this in one skit???

Next, the real song starts. It's called "9XS Out Of 10" It's a cool song.It has a dope beat and pretty cool chorus. Though it doesn't stick in the head like the other songs, there is nothing wack about this song at all.

The next song is dope! "Questions" has a cool beat and a dope hip-hop melody. Pharoahe and Po go back and forth with a dope chorus: Prince Poetry: "Brotha why don't you explain, how hip hop got caught up in this ill rap game"  Pharoahe: "Yo, I got a question,  who they followin? The niggas with skills or them niggas that be hollerin'" The chorus goes on but they both agree along with a help of a woman's voice that "Just cause the n*ggas got doe don't mean they got that flow". This is a dope hip-hop song, poetically induced while fun and thought-provoking at the same time.

The next song is a very commercial song called "Soundman" where they "Tell the soundman to turn it up!" An R&B singer even comes in for one part of the song and sings "Turn it up!" In the last album they asked, "Why do you choose to listen to R&B?" and now they have an R&B singer... at least she doesn't do the whole hook throughout the song..

"Move" is another commerical attempt where they say "You better move something!" In these two songs, I can feel the gritty edge of OK dwindling away.. hanging by a thread but they come back and grab their reality!

"Confrontations" is dope song with a powerful message. "Actions speak louder than words in all situations!" Though it's not as catchy and bouncy as "Questions", the song is not have a wack beat nor does it have wack lyrics. It's brings back the gritty fighting feel of "Bring It On" without the crazy flow or the yelling/wild chorus.

The next is another skit with Life and Malice with continues the story while "Numbers" is an intelligent song with a bouncy chorus. Both emcees make a play with numbers for their play on words.  The chorus is filled with numbers too: "Funky Four +1, you know makes Five- Fantastic, romatic, got live- Furious was cheeriest, the Treacherous Three - We be the Awesome Two most definitely". This song is filled with mathmatics and wordplay. Prince Po kicks a dope rhyme:"Fifty/fifty eight and thirteen inches of weapon- 7-1-8 to 2-1-3 on the 747 - Three strikes, two tokes, once again for the mass- Furious like the Five with Grandmaster Flash" Though it's not gritty and hardcore, it's bouncy and hip-hop without being wack. It's intelligent poetic rap.
"Shugah Shorty" is a song about picking up girls. Hurricaine G talks on it, kicking ONE rhyme! The chorus is kind of silly for group that prides themselves on intelligence: "Shugah Shorty why you backin up, got a nigga out here iggy actin up(3X)- You kept walking shugah, yo I started catchin up- Peeping game now I'm the nigga that you smashin up" It's allright but not the greatest song.

There's another skit called "Interior Car Nite" which introduces a jem called "Invetro". This song has a dope beat and a cool melody using vibes. Pharoahe even sings in the background: "Ba-e-ya-ah-e-ya-yeah!" The intelligent rhymes show that they aren't your average rappers. They rhyme through the eyes of a fetus. Pharoahe takes the stance where "I'd rather not be born". Pharoahe kicks some real thought-provoking rhymes which kick the song off: "Where the fuck do I go from here?- Cuz when the afterbirth disperse it's hard to persevere- I swear I can't f*ck with it -She hits about two packs of cigarettes a day and I'm stuck with it-The asthmatic, internally scarred from crack addicts -Who share needles outside in the rain on Kraftmatics" This is how OK use to write songs... with this intense feeling and controversal style. Though the subject matter may make some people uncomfortable, this is an amazing song.. though depressing. Po flips it and suggests that God takes care of the children in heaven: "Oh well, I still prevail, God always has something in store for me- outside this hell, move on, Torn in the eyes of Allah, scorned when the dawn distortion upon- My abortion clinic visit in the morn" It's weird how those other two party songs are on the same album as this...

"Chuck Cheese" is about the crazy thug "n*gga" that every project has.. It's full of gun blasing imagery of underworld dealings... Gunshots are even in it.. It would be a better song if they didn't use the name "Chuck Cheese"... Doesn't sound corny? It reminds me of that kids palce with the mechanincal animals and that big mouse... how can that be played on to be a metaphor for thugs and drug dealers who are criminals and victims of poverty? It's an alright song. The scratches make it better. There's nothing wack about it but the "Chuck Cheese" name should have been something else. There's another skit called "Interior Marisol's Apartment" which rolls the story on.. The next two songs are concept songs which are way out there..

"Sin" opens up with a baby crying and Pharoahe whining. It's a weird song but has a cool beat, especially one where it gets really fast as it hammers down. Pharoahe goes off and then gets in this weird chorus: "You can not oppose me- God has choose me to battle against evil and win. You can not oppose me.-God has choose me to do battle against all who sin.And even when I'm gone, My energy returns to it's original form-Thus must warn"  Though it's original because he replaces the ego tripping of emcees with a god-like all powerful feel, the song is not as cool as the others.

"Hate" is rapped through the eyes of white supremacists who hate African-Americans. OK are good at rhyming through the eyes of various people and things. In "Invetro", they rhyme through the eyes of a fetus while "Stray Bullet", they rhyme through the eyes of a bullet. Now, they are white... not the ordinary good white people but the ignorant oppressive racist white people. It's a clever song with a strong beat and a wild guitar loop. Though it's not for everybody, it can show people how stupid and ignorant hate is. It also shows how contageous it is. Pharoahe kicks some ill rhymes in his ol' wild style: "Awww, you are sadly mistaken if you think my Aryan race- can be taken out by the likes of you Apes, Kikes conservative n*gga loving Gooks, Spooks, and Dykes-My Spikes, bald headed white laces, Braces the fact that I'm prepared for vicious acts of war-WHITE POWER!-HATE!" Though this song makes you hate white people, it's needed in this racist filled world to show how ignorant and powerful the hatred of racism has grown. It's like one of those rude awakenings, one of those songs that you don't want to listen to but you should. The next skit follows nice after the "Hate" theme because Malice gets shot.

Then, the popular "Somehow,Someway" follows which uses the chorus from a Snoop Doggy Dogg line: "Somehow, someway, we be coming up with funky fly sh*t like every single day!" Though I do think that OK could have thought up something much more original and clever, this song has grown on me. It's got a dope beat and a both emcees flow very tight. They wild and ill style is missing from this commercial attempt which tries to maintain a street credibility. It really has nothing to do with the theme or the story but it's a good jam. Pharoahe does kick dope rhymes in his section: "Isn't it bug how I bust lyrical slugs, and thugs that mug niggaz for loot and sell drugz" First, it's Po, then the chorus... then, Pharoahe and the chorus again... It's predictable. One thing I liked about OK is that though the songs were tight, the flow and delivery of the rhymes were not... hence.. Organized Konfusion.

The "Epilogue" is told by the narrator where Malice actually lives and decides to give up the street life and settle down with a woman. It's a mature statement which many may not want to hear. There's a secret track which is untitled. "We all stand united as one" It's a cool song. Original and not wack..nothing cheesy about it.

Overall, the album is dissapointing next to the previous "Stress: The Extinction Agenda". The wild and unpredictable flow and rhyme delivery is replaced with tight rhymes and deep though-provoking lyrics and themes. Unfortunately, the lack of unique flow and rhyme delivery had them lost in the other hip-hop songs on the radio and video shows. Where "Stress" sticks out after the first listen, "Somehow, someway" makes you think of Snoop. The story is interesting and well done but there are way too many skits. They could have been shortened and tightened up. Some of the songs do not fit either. "Soundman" and "Move" are blatent commercial attempts while songs like "Sin" are so out there they can lose the listener. In an extremely stressful world, we hardcore hip-hop heads need albums like "Stress" more than we need "The Equinox". Don't get me wrong, this is a well made album with very thought-provoking lyrics. The only problem is that it doesn't come close to the brilliance of the previous LP. Production wise, Showbiz, Buckwild, and Rockwilder steal the show. OK do produce some songs by themselves too. There's not one wack beat on the album and the production is actually better than the previous album. The beats are louder and thicker...but the low-fi aspect of "Stress" gave it a more underground/hardcore feel. There are some scratches but there should have been more.... much more. On the first couple of listens, the beats all kind of sound the same and the only way to tell the songs apart are the lyrics and choruses. The flow of the album is jagged due to the many skits and the story line. The begining is very jagged especially due to the opening skit, a very short song with just one chorus and no rap, and then another skit. The first half of the album has more party songs  which are hip-hop motivated while the second half has more serious songs about abortion, sin, and white power. The album is capped off nice with the two ending hip-hop loving songs which express a unity and strength. Lyrically, both emcees are intelligent as they stick to their themes. They don't have rhymes which are about nothing important... Guns, poverty, women, hip-hop in general, abortion, racism are just some of many topics. A good emcee can rhyme about anything and OK has that potential to maintain a versitality to their topics.  Instead of "Move" and "Soundman", they should have made a more thought-provoking theme. They have the potential to be one of the most very important conciousness groups like Goodie Mob and Public Enemy. They should have kept the tight choruses and maintained the wild and unpredictable flow of their rhyme delivery... this is a major aspect that causes the album to be not as good as it should be. Hardcore wise, they have a somewhat soft side. Though they rhyme about guns, blunts, and death, the negativity of the rhymes suggest that they are victims of poverty. Though on a skit or another song they may be shooting a gun while on another song, they may be expressing how dangerous guns are. Still, they express their rhymes from their heart. They hard core due to their expression. Obviously, no one is like Organized Konfusion. Especially with "Stress", no one put out an album filled with the harsh reality of life in such an original form. On "The Equinox", they maintain that originality but the tighter rhyme style mixes them up with the other typical rappers. The orginal and unique storytelling where they rhyme through the eyes of a fetus or a white person maintains their high creativity level. Pharoahe and Prince Poetry have done it again. The equinox is when the sun crosses the Earth's equator... Obviously Organized Konfusion are deep, their rhymes will shine all over your reality
Beats: 8.5/10
Lyrics: 9/10
Production: 8/10
Album Flow: 7/10
Originality/Creativity: 9.5/10
Hardcore Rating: 8/10
[ Overall Rating: 8.3/10 ]