Saturday, July 25, 2020

Wordburglar Vs The Grouch

Wordburglar's one of those artists who's always pinged just on the outermost edges of my radar.  For example, The Bassments of Badmen was a must-have late 90s compilation album I eagerly hunted down for its early appearances by underground Canadian artists like The Sebutones, Jorun and others.  Wordburglar was on Bassments Volume 2, which I never actually copped.  And he's done a bunch of guests spots with artists I've listened to over the years; he just somehow never quite landed on a project I bought.  He's always been a "yeah, I know who he is" guy, though I've never actually heard any of his music until now.

If you haven't heard him either, well, I've got his two latest albums on CD here and he's really dug his heels into the style of 90s punchline raps.  Personally, I'm glad we've moved beyond the constant dad joke similes and arbitrary pop culture references, but if you've been pining for that era, boy, have I found the guy for you.  So how much of that is a criticism depends on you.  For me, he's way too jokey.  Humor's always played a critical role in Hip-Hop, all the way back to DJ Hollywood rapping poon-tang before Hip-Hop had even been committed to vinyl.  It's just a question of degree.

And to Wordburglar's credit, he doesn't sacrifice his rhythm and flow just to stuff in as much superficial cleverness as possible, like some rappers I could name.  Nor does he come with that too familiar, self-satisfied tone pointing out that how he's better than conventional rappers who always rap about bling, hos, and whatever other stereotypes.  He just presents himself as an affable guy rapping about whatever nerdy content he likes, and has more of a classic B-boy sound to his music.  His bars are carefully written and he's clearly mastered all the fundamentals long ago.  Like, the thing about most of those rappers in that Nerdcore For Life documentary is that they were mostly terrible amateurs with no ear for, or interest in, music, who were just trying to sell us on the novelty of their subject matter being comic books and after school cartoons.  Wordburglar's actually a adept MC who just happens to also be rhyming about comic books and after school cartoons.

So Rhyme Your Business is the first and his sixth album, and after a silly opening skit reminiscent of De La Soul's first album, the punchlines are flying right from the very start, "saying I don't fire fully? That's like Melania claiming to stop cyberbullies."  Every line is another simile.  "The rap addict, mad rabid Cujo, we're not the same dog, like Goofy to Pluto."  Or "[i]f you're not on my page, please, make like a tree on maternity... leave!"  Oy vey.  And that's just from the first song; it goes on like that, "something's afoot, and it's not the thing on my leg, so let me mix it to this beat like an omelette egg."  For his next album, I'd like to see him tackle a few self-imposed challenges, like not to use the word "like" once.  I think it might really help.

Not that it's all Catskills Rap.  Battle and skill flexing punchlines are one thing, but we dive into real nerdcore content as well.  I grew up with the cartoon and toys, and I still had to google to understand the title "Wrong Ralph Pulaski."  Wordburglar, we learn, has a serious dedication to GI Joe raps.  He already made an entire album of it, in fact, called Welcome To Cobra Island.  But silly as it is, committing to a narrative makes the song more engaging.  The same goes for another album highlight, "Verbserker," where he dons the persona of a Conan-like berserker in a Dungeons & Dragons-style world ("in times of brawls and war, I'm the guy you send a giant falcon for.  And if dying's your wish, I got a hungry pet that's a dinosaur fish"), incorporating cinematically atmospheric production and using the humor more creatively.

There are a few noteworthy guests as well.  "Used Crate of Mind" features Peanuts & Corn's Birdapres, and about half his Backburner crew show up for the posse cut "The 2nd Last Song."  The one that'll draw the most attention is surely Esoteric on "Damage Control."  It features some killer LL Cool J samples being cut up Uncle Fes (Fes and DJ Irate's turntablism contribute to the consistently impressive production on both albums).  I just wish they didn't waste the opportunity by doing nothing but name-dropping Marvel characters.  Recognizing a string of references just isn't all that engaging on its own... I thought we all learned that from that terrible Ready Player One movie.  The last song on the album, "Barter In Nostalgia," tells us he's at least self aware.

It's easy to be put off by all this.  I was.  But I have to say, what is probably Rhyme Your Business's best song, "Make Fun Not Bore," makes a strong case for everything he's doing here: "In the discog, nothing is boring.  Never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of snoring.  Buzz a beat like Kyle Lowry.  In an audio medium, you can hear me smile loudly.  Rowdy, Roddy Piper, kinda troublesome.  Styles so fresh I get ID'd buying bubblegum.  (How do you stay so young?)  Well, probably because mentally I believe I'm twenty-three and dress like I'm seventeen.  And by any means put fun number one, by (w)rapping all around you like a cummerbund."  How mad can you really be at his good natured attitude, just opening up about what he likes and trying to spread joy?

Album #7, SpaceVerse, is more singularly focused on sci-fi IP raps.  The opening cut drops endless Star Wars references over a loop of the official score, like that Walkmen record.  "From Earth" stands out as a more original concept, where he inverts the tradition of telling us extraterrestrial rhymes to instead explain our planet to space aliens.  There are Transformers and Star Trek songs... and I think one is Dr. Who (I recognize the term "Sonic Screwdriver," but I haven't seen the show enough to be sure that's what the whole song's about).  Star Wars comes back for songs called "The Mos Eisley Rap Show," "Remember the Hoojibs" and "Dude Where's My At-At At?"  Kool Keith appears on a song called "Space Defense Force" because of course he does.

Several of the songs on here (five, to be specific) are remixes of older songs.  For example, the original "Angels and Monsters" was on More Or Les's 2013 album Bigger On the Inside, which the liner notes helpfully point out each time.  I guess one goal of this album is for Wordburglar to collect a bunch of guest spots he's done in recent years, though also giving them a new spin for the completists who'd already had them all.

Speaking of the liner notes, this album also gives you a helpful statement about each song.  Well, they're more fun than helpful, I suppose.  For "Torontaun," it says, "[g]rowing weary of the constant galactic battles being waged on his frosty homeworld, Torontaun packed up and moved to Toronto in search of life, love and warmer temperatures!"  If you don't already know that a tauntaun is the camel-like creature from The Empire Strikes Back, though, you're still left in the dark.  And tauntaun's one of the easy ones.  Like I said, I grew up on all this Transformers/ Star Trek stuff, and a number of these songs still have me feeling like I have no idea what the heck this guy is on about.  So, I'd say Rhyme Your Business is the more accessible album, and SpaceVerse is for the more dedicated fan looking for deeper cuts.

Also, fans who also respect Hip-Hop's vinyl legacy - or those who just want an easy way to add the biggest marquee guest appearances without springing for two whole albums - will want to look out for his latest 7" single, too.  It takes from both albums with his Esoteric collaboration on side A, and the song with Kool Keith and Mega Ran on the B-side.  It's on Black Buffalo Records, the same label that did Buck 65's latest LP, and comes in a colorful picture cover.

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Please Do Not Disturb Werner... He Already Is!

Last year, I made a video trying to cover all of the recent Luke Sick albums... there's been a bunch since; I haven't even been able to get my hands on all of them, and I'm pretty damned dogged.  You see, they press so few copies (in this case: 50), they sometimes sell out now in a matter hours, and before you even learn they exist, you've missed out on them for good.  It's like a maddening attempt to shake us loose, a high speed chase where they cut across traffic and race down blind alleys to leave their fans in the dust.

But I am dogged. You may remember a brief moment in that video where I mentioned a rare, limited cassette of a fourth Disturbers album called Infidel Producer.  I flashed a small photo of the cover I grabbed online and figured I'd have to leave it at that.  But I never actually let go of the bumper, and well, I finally found a copy.  Turns out there's a vinyl single, too.

Here's the story.  This isn't a new Disturbers album, except in the sense that it wasn't released until last year.  But according to the liner notes, it was recorded in the "early 2000s."  And this time the line-up's a little different.  It's still Luke Sick as the front-man of course.  But this time Curator only produced one song out of the twenty-one tracks included here.  This time the music man is Son Tiff, who produced a lot of Hoop Legg.  He also produced a little of Negusa Negast and Go Hogwild under the name Tiff Cox.

So I think the first question that pops up with any Disturbers album is what it's like?  Is it more rock than Hip-Hop?  Is it a junk drawer collection of demo scraps?  Well, my first impression is that this has a more polished feel than previous Disturbers projects.  Maybe credit for that should go to master Bay producer Deeskee, who freshly mastered all this music.  Nineteen is a lot of songs for a single album, and as you can guess, you've got some short ones and strictly instrumental stuff mixed in, though no skits.  Tiff plays a lot of guitar and stuff on here, but it does have a smoother than previous Disturbers albums.  And yeah, as a strict head, this is satisfyingly Hip-Hop, with lots of tight breaks, some classic samples and Luke is killing it on the mic.

But there is still a raw, first draft quality to the album.  "Money To Burn" has a funky beat, but it feels like they're just playing around laying different vocal samples (particularly a Stetsasonic line they keep repeating) and bits over the track rather than turning it into a proper song.  The opening song sounds dope once Luke finally raps on it, but he just has one short verse at the end of a four minute track.  The last song, "Pre-Party (Swamp Boogie Remix)" is credited to Jason Slater of 3rd Eye Blind, and more pertinently, Brougham.  But Swamp Boogie is a producer who's been credited on Negusa Negast and even Retired.  So, has SB always been an alias of Jason Slater?  That's a fun bit of trivia to discover if it's true.  Anyway, the remix isn't very far removed from the original; it just feels like the same beat remastered with more bass and reverb.  Throwing two very similar versions of the same song definitely contributes to Infidel Producer's "and the kitchen sink" attitude.

But apart from two country-ish songs that feel tacked on at the end, I'd say this is the most accessibly Hip-Hop and easily listenable Disturbers album of them all.  Whatever ideas Luke is trying to communicate on "Daydreamin'," if any, are utterly mystifying, but it sure sounds fresh.  There's a ton of fun throwback and homages to the old school inextricably mixed with Luke's defiantly grimy, Bay area bar-stool aesthetic.
And then we come to the single, a 7" lathe cut limited initially to just 26 copies.  Then there was a second pressing, which I think was another 26?  I'm not even sure which pressing I have.  Like I said, it's like they're trying to sneak everything past us.

Anyway, the two songs here aren't actually produced by Son Tiff, but by AC415N a.k.a. Alex 75 of the legendary San Francisco Street Music.  And I don't think these two songs are from the same early 2000s recording sessions.  The first song is "Creep Player (Indian Summer Remix)," and "Creep Player," if you'll recall, is from Luke's 2019 album with DJ Raw B.  This remix slows and calms it down, giving it that kind of vibe for when you're splayed out on the couch and don't wanna get up.  I thought he gave it new lyrics at first, because the feeling is so different, but when you go back and compare, no it's the same content, just totally transformed.  And the B-side, "Cold Clutch," is some ultra-smooth west coast player shit.  The "Creep Player" remix is cool, but this song really steals the show.

Both of these tracks are also mastered by Deeskee, but otherwise I'd say this is more of just a new Luke Sick single than anything Disturbers specific.  But maybe Son Tiff had a hand in the instrumentation?  Definitely nab a copy if you can find one.  Who knows, maybe they'll do a third pressing, or they'll quickly throw up a few extra copies on one of their many bandcamps.  You just have to watch 'em like a hawk.

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Powerule's Off the Wall

I got a very nice email a couple... weeks ago?  I don't know, it's a pandemic; time has no meaning anymore.  But anyway, he suggested I should do something about Powerule; and my first instinct was to go to my site, find one of the multiple posts I've written and forward it to him in a nice reply.  But holy cow, he was right; somehow I've never done anything on Powerule over all these years.  So yeah, definitely time to correct that.

Powerule basically had three stages in their career.  1)  Their major label period, where Interscope picked up their indie single "Revenge" and put their album Volume 1 in every shopping mall in the country.  2)  Their raw 90s indie era, where they were putting underground 12"s on labels like Hydra and Stretch Armstrong's Dolo.  And 3) their recent internet-era comeback, which includes their second full-length album and a 7" through Red Line and Fat Beats.  Except for the fact that most groups don't have the tenacity to hang in there that long and go through each stage, it's a pretty typical, predictable story.  I don't mean that in a bad way, just that we've seen this path taken so often; if you were to fabricate a backstory of a hoax rap group, this is exactly how it would go.  Except there's one curious anomaly that doesn't make sense in the narrative.

"Brick In a Wall" is a 1990 single that came out on Revenge Records.  That's the same label as their 1989 indie debut, "Smooth."  When Interscope signed them, they included "Smooth" on that album, made a video for it and everything.  Then they put out the first single they recorded for Interscope, "That's the Way It Is" in 1991, which of course is also on the album, as is their next one.  But for some reason, that one single right in the middle, isn't.  It's not on any album, it's an outlier 12"/ cassingle-only single, with an equally exclusive B-side.  Why?

I suppose because of the sample?  This song is easily best known for being heavily based on a Pink Floyd sample, "Another Brick In the Wall."  Me being a purely Hip-Hop guy, I grew up with this single, completely unfamiliar with the source.  I recognized the "Big Beat" drums, but had no idea about the Pink Floyd.  I mean, I did notice it was making heavy-handed use of some kind of rock sample.  Besides the looped guitar riff, they even sample vocal chorus for the hook, which sounds like some distorted bunch of kids mumbling "[something something something] brick in tha wall!"  It didn't exactly sound like something Powerule orchestrated themselves.

So it makes sense that Interscope just couldn't clear the sample.  Except, then, why didn't they use the B-side?  I wouldn't think it's any kind of conflict with Revenge Records, since "Smooth" was on Revenge, too, and they grabbed that up no problem.  Oh well, guess we'll never really know.  Either way, I'm not mad at having some exclusive bonus songs from their Interscope era that they felt were strong enough to be a single.

That said, it might only be a single for the novelty.  I don't care about the Pink Floyd connection, but a lot of people seem to.  Personally, I don't think this is half as dope as "Smooth" was.  Still, a classic break beat turns it into something more credible than just a rap version of a rock song.  Ax provides a nice scratch breakdown in the middle of the song, and Prince knows how to capitalize on the mood of the instrumental.  But the rhymes include a lot of trite and easy platitudes, like "There's plenty of ways to get paid, so pursue it.  Just do it.  (Get into it!)  Be somethin', somebody, yo, anybody.  It's better than nobody.  Find yourself or you might take a fall and be another... brick in the wall."  His heart's in the right place, but he sounds like he's biting Ms. C. "Rappin" Pittman, The Rappin School Teacher: "in the school of cool, the first thing to learn is somethin' that brings me great concern.  This lesson can bring you tons of wealth.  Lesson number one is to love yourself.  Some of you say 'I love myself' and this just might be true; but you can't just say it, you have to prove it, by doin' the best you can do."  I also don't know why they title the song "Brick In a Wall," when both Powerule and Pink Floyd are clearly saying "the wall," which makes more sense metaphorically.

The B-side is actually sample-reliant as well.  "Let the Years Roll" is a nostalgic look back at how Powerule came up in their early days, "let's step back further in the Price Power's path, take a long look deep inside the hour glass.  'Cause years back, I wasn't down in videos, or even thinking of going to the studio."  It's got a decidedly funkier track with big looped horns, and each hook consists of the DJ playing a medley of classic breaks and samples.  "Brick" is always going to get the most attention, but I think "Years" holds up as the better song.

The cassingle pictured above just features the two songs in a cool picture cover.  The 12" has the same cover but also includes instrumentals and acapellas for both cuts.  There are definitely singles in their catalog that I prefer (the Erick Sermon-produced "Rock Ya Knot Quick" is a killer).  But this one's not rare or expensive at all, so if you're a Powerule fan, there's no reason not to have it in your collection.

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Bla.Zé the Live Homie

Here's one that's grown on me.  And by that, I don't mean I thought it sucked when I first heard it - it's inarguable that dude can rap right at the top.  But if this hadn't been on vinyl, and it was just another mp3 or youtube video, I would've listened to it the once and forgotten about it just like the bajillion other up-and-coming artists on the internet who you barely catch in passing and instantly forget.  But since I've actually got it on wax sitting here next to me, I ran it back a second time, paid a little more attention...  And then later that night, without expecting it, I've got the flow in my head and I find myself feeling the urge to go back and play it a couple more times.  I know springing for physical releases is a luxury we all can't afford, especially right now; but there's something palpable that makes audiences meet you half way when you commit your music to tangible form.

Hell, if you've been following this blog just a tiny bit you know we're still discovering obscure rarities from decades ago, while digital-only tracks by recent cats that had serious backing have completely vanished.  Did you know Grand Daddy IU, for example, had an EP called Long Island's Finest, back before Stick To the Script?  It's gone now; you can't find it on the 'net or anywhere else anymore.  And that's a crazily talented, established artist who's been signed to major labels and made great music for decades (apparently he has a new album called The Essence coming soon!).  Very few have that kind of staying power, so if his mp3s don't stick...

Well, with that indulgent tangent over and done with, let's get back to Bla.Zé.  The point I was dancing around up there is that this newcomer's debut single was good enough to draw me back, though he's fortunate he got Hip Hop Be Bop Records' backing to make that possible.  HHBBR made a name for themselves giving new voice to old school greats like Silver Fox and Sugar Bear, but now they seem to be investing in new artists.  But they're still given the full HHBB treatment... And I don't just mean that it's a small hole 45 7" in a slick picture cover, but they're bringing him in-house with production by Clandest and cuts by DJ Credit One.

But if you're guessing this is another UK rapper, you're mistaken.  Bla.Zé is from Wisconsin (I do believe that's the St. Louis Arch on his cover there) and his two-song single is "Never Give Up (Man On a Mission)" b/w "Awaken'd."  The A-side, as you could surely surmise from the title, is an aspirational song.  It's got a breezy, smooth summertime groove that's an ideal panacea for these depressing times, with a cheerful, throwback hook: "I'm all around the world, hangin' with the fly girls, feelin' like the Fresh Prince.  Shout out to Will Smith."  The beat's got a cool early Tribe/ later Jazzy Jeff vibe to it - my favorite part's probably the "Dis Be the Def Beat"-style shakers that come in on the chorus, along with Credit One's subtle but infectious cuts.

"Awaken'd" has a similar feel, but comes with a little more energy thanks to a combination of some catchy, rolling drums and a more tongue-twisting flow from Bla.Zé.  This is more of the skill flexing calling card track.  The one thing that might be a little divisive are the Rocky-like key-horns.  They're pretty catchy and definitely take you along for the ride.  Personally, I don't mind them.  But if you find the artifice cheesy, they might put you off at first... It doesn't help that they're associated with almost every corny battle rapper's debut CD from the last 20 years.  Still, the fast-paced bassline that has to hustle just to keep up with Bla.Zé's complex rhyme scheme ("I awaken from my slumber to the sound of the thunder; and I don't know how long that I've been sleepin' down under. I need some nourishment to calm my spiritual hunger, my astrology's a lottery and I'm playin' them numbers.  I'm searchin' for the missing piece of the puzzle; they think that I'm trouble, don't need no more, no need for rebuttal. They leave in a huddle, they're measly, they're needin' more muscle. I'm just speakin' what's on my mind, no longer needin' a muzzle"), and some more showy cuts by Credit One should keep anyone's head nodding.  Just stick with it.  Like I said, it was immediately obvious this record wasn't bad, but it wasn't until my second or third listen that I was able to get fully on board with what these guys have created.  But now I'm glad that I did.

Monday, July 6, 2020

2020: Year of MC Mechanism

(DJ Too Tuff's recordings with MC Mechanism the Articulate One have finally been secured on vinyl thanks to Chopped Herring Records. Youtube version is here.)