Often when communicating a central message, one must show rather than tell his audience what he wishes to convey. Unfortunately, no one ever passed that memo along to ScholarMan. The Maryland rapper’s name implies a higher level of insight and intellect, and while his ultimate goal is clearly to uplift with his wisdom, the content on Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul falls short.

Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul is ScholarMan’s musical statement of perseverance. He opens with “Just Me,” where he introduces himself as much more than an ordinary rapper, stressing his revolutionary ways of thinking and rapping. The only problem is, ScholarMan is more or less an ordinary rapper. Though technically skilled, he spends the majority of his bars big-upping his authenticity, especially in relation to other (whack) rappers. The requisite ode to hip-hop track is present, as is the squeaky-clean love song. ScholarMan professes his music’s noble intentions and uses catchy hooks to reiterate his points, but does not pinpoint specific problems and solutions. He tells the listener he’s socially conscious without truly showing it. Therefore, many songs come across as all-too-familiar, leaving the listener bored by the halfway point.

This is not to say that ScholarMan is void of bright ideas. On “Reap, Sow” he dismisses drug dealing, and instead advocates for longer-term solutions. “Hood Stories Vol. 4” depicts men caught in a bind, who (unsuccessfully) resort to armed robbery for salvation. It is during these cautionary street tales where ScholarMan excels.

Content aside, Free Spirit of a Troubled Soul has other shortcomings that must be addressed. While the production is soulful and pleasant from track to track, there are no definitive beats that stand out; everything settles somewhere between decent and good. The exception here may be “Hopes & Dreams.” Therefore the album has an ease in its progression and flow, but overall it is entirely too bland with minimal surprises. Furthermore, ScholarMan’s insistence on squeezing in overused lines such as, “I’m on point like a needle,” or “I spit acid rhymes,” is obnoxious, and detracts from his central thesis that he is, in fact, not an ordinary rapper.

Fans may find solace in the fact that ScholarMan has not fallen victim to the ills of mainstream hip-hop. His intentions for his music are honorable (and blatant). Inject ScholarMan with a dose of adrenaline and a dose of creativity, and you’ve got yourself one formidable rapper. Until then, Free Spirit is running on life support.

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