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| Track list: 1. Supervillain Intro 2. Gazzillion Ear 3. Ballskin 4. Yessir! 5. Absolutely 6. Rap Ambush 7. Lightworks 8. Batty Boyz 9. Angelz 10. Cellz 11. Still Dope 12. Microwave Mayo 13. More Rhymin' 14. That's That 15. Supervillainz 16. Bumpy's Message 17. Thank Yah Running time: 40 minutes Released: 2009 |
I have no inkling as to why I bought this. It's a complete left field inclusion. It may be that I stumbled over some other hip-hop around that time, found something I liked and looked for more of the same. Still, here it is, so listen I shall. 17 tracks in 40 minutes is quickfire stuff, so even if I don't get on with it (as I expect) it should fly by.
To be honest I have been putting this one off. I have had a few opportunities to listen but been turned away by what was up. Now, I feel guilty enough about my silent week to address it, and it will help cover up the god-awful noise from next door whilst I am at it.
The initial intro is utterly forgettable, then we get into it. I would never have put any "British" in the British-American tag (pilfered from Wikipedia, for what it's worth) on the basis of this track. The track is odd, Casio-tone in places, but I rather like the rhythm of the verse. I find myself enjoying it despite the concerns I had going in. Can't really comment on the lyrics as, like I have said before, I can't really follow someone else's words and write my own concurrently well enough. That said, I wasn't immediately presented with 101 troublesome elements, so call that a tick mark.
The next track slides by, unremarkable but similarly inoffensive, before Yessir! makes extensive use of the N word. Reclaimed or not, it stands out, and here there is plenty of language that makes me roll my eyes. It seems to lack the craft or charm of Gazzillion Ear too - no interest in the rhythm, the backing track means that the lyrics stand out more. That, or we're sensitive to the things we don't like and so it hit me here despite my typing. There may be a little bit of an old and unwelcome idea in Absolutely, but the track is far more pleasant... however the overall tone seems to be sliding into a comic book evil. That is intentional, clearly. Functioning as intended. I don't much like the intent or the result though. I find the linking between tracks and the cutting between tones (like switching scene) to be a little abrupt, especially as each track is pretty short.
Content and concept aside, I rather like DOOM as an MC - insofar as his delivery is clear and there is a nice bassy tone to his voice. That said there is no excuse for the homophobic screed that is Batty Boyz; I feel dumber for having experienced it.
This contrast - between clear style and skill and incredibly questionable choice of subject and language - is something I really struggle with when it comes to hip hop. There are elements I really like, but almost inevitably they come along with problematic elements - misogyny, violence, homophobia, drugs in the content. It is impossible to escape, and impossible to stop them influencing the impression of tracks that don't exemplify those ideas. I find it much harder to separate art and artist when the problems are endemic within the form I guess. Yet a number of these tracks have had pretty decent composition, and I like the delivery for the most part. It is just the message that falls flat, but that flatness pollutes the entire output. That is particularly frustrating in a case like this where the elements are not as all pervasive as in some (and probably some I have to come).
I find myself without many words to share as the album winds down. My ears have not disliked much of it; there are bits and pieces here and there where the combination of music and words is not at all pleasant, but for the most part the construction of the album is very solid. However my mind won't let me enjoy any of it and I find myself not wanting to engage with it again, even those tracks that I thought were put together really well, with samples that sung in combination with the gruff vocals. Ah well.
To be honest I have been putting this one off. I have had a few opportunities to listen but been turned away by what was up. Now, I feel guilty enough about my silent week to address it, and it will help cover up the god-awful noise from next door whilst I am at it.
The initial intro is utterly forgettable, then we get into it. I would never have put any "British" in the British-American tag (pilfered from Wikipedia, for what it's worth) on the basis of this track. The track is odd, Casio-tone in places, but I rather like the rhythm of the verse. I find myself enjoying it despite the concerns I had going in. Can't really comment on the lyrics as, like I have said before, I can't really follow someone else's words and write my own concurrently well enough. That said, I wasn't immediately presented with 101 troublesome elements, so call that a tick mark.
The next track slides by, unremarkable but similarly inoffensive, before Yessir! makes extensive use of the N word. Reclaimed or not, it stands out, and here there is plenty of language that makes me roll my eyes. It seems to lack the craft or charm of Gazzillion Ear too - no interest in the rhythm, the backing track means that the lyrics stand out more. That, or we're sensitive to the things we don't like and so it hit me here despite my typing. There may be a little bit of an old and unwelcome idea in Absolutely, but the track is far more pleasant... however the overall tone seems to be sliding into a comic book evil. That is intentional, clearly. Functioning as intended. I don't much like the intent or the result though. I find the linking between tracks and the cutting between tones (like switching scene) to be a little abrupt, especially as each track is pretty short.
Content and concept aside, I rather like DOOM as an MC - insofar as his delivery is clear and there is a nice bassy tone to his voice. That said there is no excuse for the homophobic screed that is Batty Boyz; I feel dumber for having experienced it.
This contrast - between clear style and skill and incredibly questionable choice of subject and language - is something I really struggle with when it comes to hip hop. There are elements I really like, but almost inevitably they come along with problematic elements - misogyny, violence, homophobia, drugs in the content. It is impossible to escape, and impossible to stop them influencing the impression of tracks that don't exemplify those ideas. I find it much harder to separate art and artist when the problems are endemic within the form I guess. Yet a number of these tracks have had pretty decent composition, and I like the delivery for the most part. It is just the message that falls flat, but that flatness pollutes the entire output. That is particularly frustrating in a case like this where the elements are not as all pervasive as in some (and probably some I have to come).
I find myself without many words to share as the album winds down. My ears have not disliked much of it; there are bits and pieces here and there where the combination of music and words is not at all pleasant, but for the most part the construction of the album is very solid. However my mind won't let me enjoy any of it and I find myself not wanting to engage with it again, even those tracks that I thought were put together really well, with samples that sung in combination with the gruff vocals. Ah well.
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