Field Squad brings the country grammar, without Nelly’s pop-rap posturing and lame Nike rhymes. The Mansfield troupe’s debut, F.S.Q. Crew, comes correct, with head-banging beats and galvanized lyrics.
Like a hardcore Digable Planets, Field Squad’s sound is both funky and feral. MC V-Hyphen is one of the area’s more promising MCs, with a booming voice and rhymes that snap like a pack of Black Cats. Infarhyme brings the street knowledge with a rapid-fire delivery, and female MC Sonorah Giles offers a break from the bravado with lissome wordplay over soaring, string-inflected production. From chest-thumping anthems like “You Couldn’t Go Against tha Squad” to the smoked-out slow burn of “Flourish,” F.S.Q. shows this crew having a Field day with the local competition.
This article appears in May 21-27, 2003.