Toronto-based emcee Eternia (government name Silk Semiramis Kaya) makes an EXTRAORDINARY debut with "It's Called Life". First off, if you're just too lazy to read this lengthy review, I'll get to the point: BUY THIS ALBUM. Trust me. It garners "The Nines" status. What else do you need to know?

For those of you real heads still around, you're in for a treat. How fresh is this record? Enough for me to unveil a RapReviews first: lyric snippets for the entire first half of the album. See, when something is so good that you can't put it into words, you have to let it speak for itself. So rather than me blabbing on and on and running the risk of exhausting fancy adjectives like "amazing", "incredible", and "unbelievable", you can see for yourself. You might be asking, "But what about the beats?" Provided by the Tone Mason, Rude, and others, they are not to be underestimated. I liken the beat selection to Obie Trice's "Cheers" album: dark and ominous with plenty of subwoofer punch. Top-notch quality. Of course, industrial instrumentals require rock-solid rhymes. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, Eternia:

"Evidence"

"Muthafuckas don't listen, no wisdom
But if the beat's hot it still knocks up in they system
And now "Jesus Walks" in the club, that's real
And kids getting blessed by the bar; what's that, a baptism?
It's the new religion, era of the me sinning
I won't preach to ya, I'm from the same system"

"Hate"

"And the funny thing is, I know you know this is about you
Ask yourself why that is, why your own self doubts you
Self-hate can lead to self-deprivation, man
So while you're hating this inspiration, all part of my plan"

"Family"

"How I got to this place, that remains to be seen
Still I know that my bloodline's tainted it seems
And on the real, those that's really real really come through
when the Kaya legacy is never really been true
But I'm raised with you, so I'll stay with you
That don't mean that I trust you or like you or need you
But blood is a funny thing
Especially when you beef with your own kin, so let the drama begin"

"Time"

"You seem to think that you can catch up in your later lives
Like it's guaranteed you're gonna live until you 95
Until you've reached your goals, made your peace, realized
all that you had planned to achieve, now you ready to die
It don't happen like that, today is all you've got and
if you live in a fallacy, you getting caught and
if you love someone, tell 'em now and tell 'em again man
cause it could be your last chance, you gon' meet your end
And that's a fact, time is like that, a constant
Whether you want it, it's still there regardless"

"Control"

"If I lay with you, then I'll behave with you the way I please
Usually it's what you see, that's me, that's how I be
If you don't like it then leave it, don't try to change it repeatedly
Obviously you need something different, a change of scenery"

"Understand (If I)"

"Now feel me, I wanna meet you, you ain't seen me lately
Both of us been crazy doing shows so you know the days be
disappearing, I'm fearing losing touch and such
Maybe we can get together, it's now or never, it ain't much"

"Balance"

"Verse two, it's another phase of my life now
Don't got to school, don't go to work, I just write down
Starvin' in this new town with new friends
Chillin' in a circle of mean emcees with no pens"

And the hits just continue for the second half of the album. From battle raps ("Hate") to personal sagas ("Understand (If I)", "Control", "Love") to the slick "I Used to Love H.E.R."-like concept track ("Balance"), there's never a dull moment in "It's Called Life". Eternia has mastered the art or rhyme.

Oh, by the way, Eternia is a light-skinned female (In fact, she's the former girlfriend of Demigodz leader and NY underground favorite Apathy). Does her gender really matter in this day and age? Good music is good music and her race and sex should not overshadow her body of work. As you can see from the lyrics, her skill speaks for itself. This is one of the best albums I've ever reviewed, period.

Music Vibes: 9 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 9 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 9 of 10