Who would have thought that one of Madison College’s own would write and produce their own hip-hop album? Well, thanks to student Shia Fisher, aka “Folie Stasis,” we’ll wonder no more.

The debut album of Fisher is called “The Wave Game.” It takes on serious and playful tones throughout, which will satisfy many listeners. The opening tracks, “First Page” and “Theory In Seven,” contrast greatly to introduce the album’s varied styles; both lyrically and compositionally. In fact, the latter turned out to be one of the best pieces on the album with its catchy lyrics and piano. Some tracks, such as “Change The Game” and “Sonic Sound,” have guest appearances for vocals and Beat Box, respectfully. They add a little something extra to break up the solo work by Fisher.

Something that could have been capitalized on in this album is the serious-style present in just a few of the songs. This isn’t to say the playfulness is bad, but rather it isn’t as memorable or as well finessed. Songs such as “Sonic Sound” prove to be very catchy while remaining separated from the seriousness, and that is purely on account of the fast rapping by Fisher. It really works great. On the whole, his voice is great at fast speeds, but not so much when it’s slower, like in “First Page.”

One thing that really stands out on the visual end of this album is the artwork. Designed by Madison College Graphic Design student Gavin Folgert, as well as Tom Weimer and Pat Fowler, it’s colorful and fits the mood of the music.
On the whole, the album has synergy and resonates well. While some audio effects sound somewhat repetitive at times, the vocal variability more than makes up for that with the featured artists and Fisher’s range of style.