MIXTAPE REVIEW: Kool A.D.- 19 and 63
Das Racist is broken up. No more Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. No more Girl. No more Rainbow in the Dark. No more Michael Jackson. Now more Who’s That? Broooooown. No more Das Racist.
Now, the three former members have to go out on their own and figure out what to do. Dapwell didn’t really do anything in the group to begin with, so I’m not sure what his plan is. Plus, Heems should be totally fine on his own. His last mixtape, Nehru Jackets, was pretty great. But then there’s Kool A.D.. He’s probably the better lyricist, but his mixtapes have been leaving me yearning for more. His Palm Wine Drinkard tape was a messy excuse for some kind of experimental music thing. And then 51 was forgotten about 5 minutes after I heard it. I want Kool A.D. to blow the world away with his masterful lyrics and weird musical style, but he’s yet to really prove that.
19 and 63 both don’t really help.
The first mixtape, 19, is probably one of the worst Das Racist affiliated projects out there. It’s not as bad as Palm Wine (Which was easily one of the most disappointing releases of 2012.), but it is still bad. The production is incredibly messy, the lyrics are unfunny and not innovating (Just repeating “Bieber” over 
and over again is neither funny nor a proper form of social commentary). In fact, a lot of this feels like some kind of Chief Keef/ Odd Future cross over, which is just gross. He might be trying to satirize this style (Which, for Kool A.D., wouldn’t be a shock), but it just comes across as…well…forced. The only part I enjoyed was Krispy Kreme (I believe it was Krispy Kreme) ranting over the Workaholics theme. And even that was stupid.
The second mixtape, 63, is nearly good, but it’s still kind of underwhelming when we compare it to Das Racist’s greatest works. While 19 is focused on wonky and ugly beats, 63 takes R&B and eccentric 70s styles and meshes them into a weird concoction of weird. It’s a lot of fun, and there are some tracks that truly are great. The posse cuts are great, and all of the unknowns here bring something to the table, which is kind of strange in this day and age. However, there aren’t any tracks that really stick out in memory. It’s all very pleasant, but it doesn’t stick. Basically, the only thing that made me like this album way more than 19 was the more traditional sampling.
I miss Das Racist quite a bit, and I’ll always wish they stayed together. Now, I’m just worried about Kool A.D. Heems can live in a post-Das Racist world. I’m not as confident with Kool A.D.
Summary: 19 and 63 vary in quality, but neither really cement Kool A.D. as the talented rapper and lyricist he was in Das Racist.
Choice Cuts: Sclera, Red Wine
19- 2/5
63- 3/5
You can download both mixtapes here.
Retrospective Blues: Das Racist Edition
Now time for a new segment real quick before we blow into list week. Last week, it was announced that Das Racist broke up. Not only had they broken up, but they’ve actually been broken up for months. Heems, Kool A.D., and Dapwell (Who, let’s admit, really didn’t do anything) won’t make music together anymore.
I’ve been a big fan of their stuff, including their nearly game-changing mixtapes Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man. I’m also one of the only people who thought that Relax was pretty great. They just an ear for great beats and smart lyrics. Plus, these guys did bring in a huge line of underground rappers such as Danny Brown, Mr. MFN eXquire, Despot, and brought El-P back from a near hiatus. So, in honor of them not being a band anymore, I present my 5 favorite Das Racist songs, in no particular order.
You Oughta Know (From Shut Up, Dude)
Probably my favorite Das Racist production this far, the sample of Billy Joel’s Movin’ Out gets me every time. So does their weird “sing-along” over it. Kool A.D. and Heems have some fantastic lines and delivery on this track, too. It’s just a great song where everything just works.
Rainbow In the Dark (From Shut Up, Dude and Relax)
This track is great, showing a lot of weird charisma and charm from Kool A.D., a great beat that switches from subtle to kind of booming. While Heems isn’t really the focus, it still manages to feel as if he’s there. Plus, this is the best I’ve ever heard Kool A. D. rapping, so that’s something, too.
Who’s That? BROOOWN (From Shut Up, Dude)
This is the first Das Racist song I ever heard. The beat, while initially incredibly annoying, it grew on me as something loud and oddly defiant. The lyrics are, as usual, pretty great. The beat is pretty great, too. Also, Heem’s verse is pretty great, too. This song made me a fan, and while at first it annoyed me, it grew into something I really loved.
Michael Jackson (From Relax)
The lead single to their debut album got a lot of mixed response. The song doesn’t make too much sense, the beat is an aggressive 90s fighting game theme sped up, and this is the most aggressive thing they’ve released. But that’s why I love it. It keeps the Das Racist style but amps up the energy a bit. Heems sounds like an absolute monster on his verse, and Kool A.D. sounds out of place (In a good way?) with his incredibly calm delivery.
Girl (From Relax)
This is another song that some people don’t like. It shows a clear pop direction, focusing more on the absolutely amazing beat and Kool A.D.’s earnestyl off-key singing. But that’s what’s great about it. The rhythm, verses, style, and pop attitude is something that showed something new for Das Racist. A direction that we’ll sadly never get to see anymore of. Unless Heems and Kool A.D. decide to take it into their solo releases. We’ll have to wait and see.
LATE ALBUM REVIEW: El-P- Cancer 4 Cure
El-P is a well regarded Producer and Emcee from Brooklyn, and the founder of the Hip-Hop label, Definitive Jux. The guy has been in the music business since the mid 90s, and is famous for his work with Company Flow, along with his previous solo album, and the Hip-Hop masterpiece that is Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein. That sure is a good album. He also recently produced another album I love, Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music.
Cancer 4 Cure was released just 1 week after R.A.P. Music, so it’s been quite the year for El-P. While it’s well known that El-P is a phenomenal producer, it sometimes seems that people forget just how good of a rapper he is, too. His flow is weird, intricate, and confusing (in a good way). He doesn’t drop guest verses too often, but when he does, it’s mind blowing and seemingly revolutionary (Case in point, his work on Mr. MFN eXquire’s Huzzah (Remix)).
Before I go into detail about this album, I’ll flat out say right away, while I really like this album, it’s no album of the year. While there’s a whole lot of “Right” in it, there’s also some noticeable “Wrong”. I’ll get the wrong out of the way right away so that we can get to the praising. I will say some of the tracks are not immediately great, and some of them just aren’t great. There aren’t any bad tracks on this album, but some of them are just noticeably weaker than the stronger parts of the album. Whether it’s the weird not rapping on Works Every Tim (I do really like Interpol’s Paul Banks on this song in the chorus), or somewhat mediocre hooks on the second half of the album (For My Upstairs Neighbor), this album does have noticeable flaws.
But a lot of these flaws can be pushed aside because of jut how hard this album is. The production is amazing, shown at its best on opening track Request Denied. A weird, dissonant sounding guitar feedback plays, with the sound growing ever so slowly. A vocal sample drops, ending its speech saying “Storm the Studio”, and then aggressive percussion kicks in, threatening synths explode, synths both wobbly and quiet. The guitar becomes alone again, and then El-P drops his first verse of the album, and he sure does go in on it.
The bangers on this album are the best part of it. The Full Retard (For the easily offended, this is a reference to the movie Tropic Thunder) has a sample of “PUMP THIS S***”, and El-P raps hard and mean over the weird, wobbly synth lines. Then there’s a weird bridge with a high-pitched voice speaking of peace and love, which is cut off by gun shots. Then the beat changes up (Something El-P’s been doing a lot of this year), and El-P drops an even HARDER verse that closes out the song.
After the weird Works Every Time, Drones Over Brooklyn drops, featuring a heavy, very dark beat, which I enjoyed quite a bit. Then two flat out amazing Hip-Hop group cuts drop. The first being Oh Hail No, which features Mr. MFN Exquire and Danny Brown. El-P’s first verse is aggressive and unforgiving. Then, Mr. MFN Exquire drops the verse of the year. His verse is absolutely mind blowing, the first time I heard it I had to go back and listen to it 5 more times. His flow is immaculate and hits with power I haven’t felt since El-P himself had a guest verse on Exquire’s Huzzah! remix. Exquire’s verse is so hot that Danny Brown’s verse, which is pretty great, kind of ends up as an afterthought. Then Tougher Colder Killer continues the pattern, with El-P dropping another hard, unforgiving verse (“To the mother of my enemy, I just killed your son/ He died with his face to the sky and it can not be undone”. Daaaang), and then Killer Mike and Despot drop great verses, and they sound great over the beat. Side note, Despot is easily the most underrated rapper on earth right now.
The rest of the album is a lot like the first half, except a little less interesting. The production remains immaculate and interesting (I love the Das Racist sample on True Story). El-P’s rapping, however, gets a little (Only a little) old after a while, but that’s probably just me. And it’s not like that matters, because the production is just so fantastic that El-P’s rapping is kind of an afterthought (And considering how good of an Emcee El-P is, that’s astounding).
Summary: El-P’s Cancer 4 Cure may be slightly inconsistent, but it’s full of phenomenal production, great guest verses (MR. MFN EXQUIRE), and hard hitting tracks with El-P’s rapping at its best.
Choice Cuts- Request Denied, The Full Retard, Oh Hail No, Tougher Colder Killer
4/5
Stream The Full Retard and Tougher Colder Killer below (WARNING: Because it’s Hip-Hop,expect some language). Cancer 4 Cure is out now on Fat Possum.
Vantage Point Music 