The Hartford Advocate Review of Hope Flies
Sun Zoo was once the kind of rapper you would call precocious: He had produced and self-released an EP and an LP before he graduated high school. On Hope Flies , the Avon/Brown University MC puts away childish things and grapples with the adult world. The astounding track ¨Escaping¨ analyzes white rural neighborhoods with the same hip-hop lens that black rappers use to examine city life. What emerges is a picture of alcoholism, gambling addiction and marital discord that´s every bit as ¨real¨ as crack, hustling, and rap misogyny. But Sun´s not trying to be conscious -- he´s just being honest about what he sees. And Hope Flies is all the more compelling for its lack of pretense. This is the kind of shit that can break down race barriers and change cultures. You can download Hope Flies for free at sun-zoo.com.

by Dan Barry, Originally published in the Hartford Advocate, Feb. 16, 2006.