Flobots’ newest album, Survival Story, continues their wide range of hip-hop influenced sounds. The album contains elements of many genres, from rock, to blues, to rap, and more. All of these influences give Survival Story a unique hip-hop sound that you’ll find almost nowhere else. Flobots use guitar, bass, drums, violin and viola, trumpets and more to support their two MCs.

Johnny 5 and Brer Rabbit definitely know their stuff when it comes to lyrics. They both rap and sing about everything from the challenges of their childhoods to pollution of the environment to politics. Some listeners may find their lyrics overly preachy at some points, but their skill with words can’t be denied.

The album is very well produced, almost to the point of being overly produced. The sound mixing isn’t quite as raw as their earlier albums, but its still very well done overall.

To sum it up, Survival Story is an excellent example to prove that hip-hop is most definitely not dead. If you can put up with very minor flaws like overproduction and occasionally preachy lyrics, you’ll find a masterfully-crafted album that blends old-school hip-hop with modern influences.