Album Review “With Light” by Anwar Sadot

The story of Anwar Sadot’s career is an unusual tale. Despite being one of the most talented artists, he releases projects once every four years. Perhaps more akin to MF Doom than Drake, Sadot is a rapper’s rapper, an artist other emcees admire and wish they could mimic. However, fans who have heard any verse from Sadot will tell you that not only is he a premier talent, but he’s yet to hit his apex. And no better project exemplifies this train of thought than his latest project, With Light, a collection of unreleased songs spanning over eight years, pieced together for our listening pleasure. 

The highest praise one could give With Light is that nothing sounds dated or out of place. In fact, for a project of “throwaway songs,” this could and would still be considered anyone else’s best album if they released it tomorrow.

In terms of content, this project is what you would expect from Southfield hip-hop’s prodigal son, as he chalks the tape to the brim with a picturesque flow and bars that routinely challenge the higher-echelon of emcees. Sadot, through 13 songs showcasing his evolution, remains brash and confident. However, he proves that he has the talent to back it up. Whether the song is soul-searching “Driving” or the Deziray-assisted “Desires,” He constantly strives to show his penmanship is second to none while bearing his soul over a dramatically detailed instrumental. 

Sticking to the song “Desires,” this track truly stands out as the Sadot experience as Deziray sings for the heavens behind his passionate lyrical plea, truly capturing the essence of the emcee. However, for the remainder of the project, Sadot displays that he is one of the slickest spitters, and throughout, makes you wish songs were one verse longer or verses grow from 16-bars to 32-bars of lengthy spills. 

Overall, once you realize these songs were not good enough, in Sadot’s eyes, for an album, this project becomes more like a snake shedding its skin to begin a new path, and you can only imagine what’s next for the artist. However, this project can be summarized by one Kanye West quote: “I’ve forgotten better s--t than you’ve ever thought of.”

You can listen to With Light here.