Thought Provokah – Beautiful Sorrow EP #CyphLyfeReview

New Yorks THOUGHT PROVOKAH is back again to share with his listeners how he has managed to find beauty in the hideous. With Trump back in office, seemingly hell bent on turning this country upside down and shaking the money and hope out of their pockets, THOUGHT delivers a message of a hope to big to be stashed in a wallet. A beauty that lasts much longer than any brand of makeup. A joy that can help get us through even the waking nightmare we are presently facing. Welcome to THOUGHT PROVOKAH’s latest opus of optimism, BEAUTIFUL SORROW.

THOUGHT invites us to “Love ourselves more and Appreciate Life through the hardships that teach us about ourselves” as he “Makes up the ugliest times with a beautiful message” on the EP’s self titled opening track. The New York wordsmith who I have often compared to a reincarnation of Nassir Jones’s pen sows thought streams and wordplay schemes from Estheticians Services, to Faith, to Cardiovascular Systems, to Kitchen Lingo, to Weather forecasting seamlessly to work of arts which he describes as Mona Lisa’s turned to Issa. PROVOKAH describes his latest project as a form of turning “poison into medicine” in his album synopsis…

 “If you ever needed a reminder to find your happiness in the most harrowing situations ,this is for you. This album is dedicated to turning the darkness into light, poison into medicine and hard times into sobering lessons.”

Rightfully so, on the 2nd track of the ep, POISON INTO MEDICINE he describes how, through faith, he has learned to “taking a malady that’s challenging and used it all to balance me” as he boasts with bars like, “Your death stalker’s on life alert, wont feel a thing/ In a Scorpions Death Lock, Reverse the Sting/” (#WrestlingBars #Provokinish). With witty wordplay he delivers the practical message that with the right attitude, you can turn a physical ailment into an experience that strengthens you and allows you to share hope with others.

PROVOKAH then pokes fun at the musicaly ignorant on A DEVILS GOD COMPLEX which starts with what sounds like an overly entitled Gen Z’er expressing his hate for anything soul or boom bap, labeling it “Unc Shit”.  Wow, hadn’t heard that one before. Don’t like that “Unc Shit” huh….where he comes a double dose.  The soul sample that starts the 3rd track is so rich it gives my old head spirit diabetes.  What follows is a wonderful retelling of the rise and fall of Lucifer, the fallen Angel of Music. A genius story of the duality of man and the muses that inspire/tempt us. THOUGHT plays devils advocate and explains on the 3rd verse he would hate the sound of soul music too, if he didnt have one.  Everything about his song, from the 3 perfectly penned verses to the witty, minimilistic, spoken word sounding hook, makes this one of my personal favorite tracks on the 6 song EP. This is chased by a palet cleansing accapella of alliterations aptly named THOUGHTS ALLITERATIONS INTERLUDE which is superbly scripted and delivered by THOUGHT. This is crack for poets right here.

Then comes the apex of the album, at least in my opinion.  The gorgeously produced SAME DIFFERENCE, which catches you from the opening vocal sample about our miseducation to the Hip Hop Classic horn sample that gives this track the same feel as Pete Rock’s T.R.O.Y. back in the early 90s. THOUGHT drops that “Provokinish” , stating all of his movies are going straight to Tubi as he blacks out for 3 minutes worth of verses giving you access to a triple helping of “Super 16 Bar Sutras”.  With only one song left to listen to, I am convinced as a long time follower and critic of THOUGHT PROVOKAHS music, that I may actually be listening to his best release to date.

The EP’s closing melody, an intoxicating warble titled LIFES A BEACH, pounds the coffin closing nail firmly in place, sealing the deal on my opinion.  This is definetly THOUGHTS best project so far.  In a deepining pool of 21 EPs and LPs, BEAUTIFUL SORROW is definitly standing out as one of best listens in his quickly growing discography. Be it due to the amazing production by JAY FEHRMAN, who handles production on all 6 songs, or THOUGHT PROVOKAH’s sword which has reached its sharpest point after years of grinding it down to a razors edge, this project IS IT.

As I count the number of releases that I have had the joy of covering for him, I am amazed at how quick that number has grown.  I remember 1st hearing THOUGHT on 2021’s LOSE OR GAIN OUR SOUL, during the Covid Era, and thinking “this dude is pretty descent for just having a couple of releases out.”  He never stopped working though.  Instead he put the foot on the gas and increased his output rate.  I recall him proudly informing me in 2024 of his personal goal to beat his prior years record of 4 releases, and watching him drop 5 gems on his growing fan base as he achieved another objective on his long To Do List of life.  Now with BEAUTIFUL SORROW, his 1st release of 2025, he sets the bar high, with an album that is both sonically and lyrically uplifting.  This project not only had my head nodding, toes tapping and face smiling through out its 6 excellent tracks, but most of all it had my mind racing to catch all the lovely imagery he sculpted out of sad situations. This is “Hope Hop” at its finest.  May it spread throughout the Hip Hop nation as virulent as its cancerous commercialized cousin does. We need a lot more of this than coke rap to get us through the years ahead.

You can follow THOUGHT PROVOKAH on Instagram: @thought_provokah 

Support & Pick up your copy of  THOUGHT PROVOKAH – BEAUTIFUL SORROW and check his whole catalogue at https://thoughtprovokah.bandcamp.com/music

Spotify – THOUGHT PROVOKAH

Founder of Vice City Cypher, WVCC Radio, PROFRESH Publicty. With over 20 Years in South Florida’s Hip Hop Scene 8ch2Owens has carved his name into the Miami Hip Hop history books, and now uses his talents to promote the best in South Florida Indie Hip Hop and Underground Hip Hop from around the globe.