Once upon a time, Southern Hip-hop wasn’t a money making laughing stock of the music industry. Before the cartoon dances, the synth-heavy tempos and the gold-capped riddles of the trap house, rap from the South was a movement where Hip-Hop musicians from around the world had its’ eyes locked, looking for pointers in creativity, musical depth and profound storytelling. During the Atlanta rap boom in the early 90’s, legends such as OutKast, Goodie Mob and Cee-Lo made their voices heard loud and clear, as they still resonate today. But when the name Witchdoctor is spoken, some might get confused. As one of the first solo artists out of the Dungeon Family (‘98’s grossly underrated A S.W.A.T. Healing Ritual), Witchdoctor has been hard at work keeping his name warm, building his own label, and bringing back that kind of down home soul music that fills you up and sticks to your ribs.

As the founder of Dezonly1 Records, Witchdoctor has created his own musical niche, and stuck to his instincts, crafting the remarkable Diary of an American Witchdoctor. A natural born writer and storyteller, Witchdoctor has his genius vocabulary laid against soulful, zooming, southern fried funk. This piece of work is very reminiscent of Marvin Gaye in his prime, as Witchdoctor walks the perilous line of spirituality and sex, with a little bit of gangsta thrown in the mix. The album starts out with God Iz Good, a modern day gospel mantra, where we find the doctor giving thanks to his heavenly father over lukewarm, bluesy plucks. On the song Just Like You, Witchdoctor reassures that even though he is an entrepreneur and doing for self, it is always a struggle everyday; “I’m like you/I’m real too/Stressed too/I’m late paying bills too.”

The lustful Put a Spell on them Hoes finds Witchdoctor expressing his sexual desires vividly, from position to climax (check for the song on the upcoming CunninLynguists LP with Phonte in the mix). The much underrated Khujo Goodie, out of the Atlanta Empire Goodie Mob, makes an appearance on the reflective Part of Your Brain, as the two ATLiens plead with us to live our lives, but to build our hopes on things eternal. Best Year is a stimulating anthem that your grandmother and kids can enjoy. This is where we see Witchdoctor having the most fun, as this is the joint you can put on repeat at the family get together. The Doctor kind of falls out of place with Semi-Automatic and Oxygen, as if he gets a little bit of writer’s block and goes delving into the all too familiar trap music. But he picks up the pace with the thought provoking gems Are you Happy There? and Mercy. Witchdoctor is a walking oxymoron, as his name represents a demonic allusion, but there are spiritual overtones in all of his work, letting you know that Witchdoctor is trying to reach for something greater than a career in music, he wants to touch people’s souls.

Diary of an American Witchdoctor is an amazing feat for Witchdoctor, as he blends the southern sounds of yesteryear and today. Covering all aspects of the game; from your 1:00 AM jump-off, to the little bit of herb you hide in your cookie jar, to waking up to pray at Sunday Mass, Witchdoctor paints a visual landscape of life, as the canvas is our eardrums.