EP Review: Homeboy Sandman ‘Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent’
New York MC Homeboy Sandman had one of my favorite albums of 2012 in First of a Living Breed. It was his first full length album on LA’s famed hip hop imprint Stones Throw Records, following two outstanding EPs (Subject Matter and Chimera) that were also released on Stones Throw in 2012. Sandman’s forging a similar path in 2013 with his initial release, Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent, also coming in the form of an EP.
Fertile Crescent was released digitally a couple months ago, so it’s not technically a new release, but I decided to hold off on reviewing it until it got a proper vinyl release this month. After listening to Fertile Crescent for the past couple of months, I can definitively say that is his most consistent release and my favorite Homeboy Sandman project. That’s saying a lot considering the numerous projects he has released in the last five years, but it’s not surprising considering his ability to constantly improve and reinvent himself.
In terms of rapping chops, Sandman has been one of the best MC’s on the planet ever since his first album dropped back in ’08. His writing, flow, wordplay, and creativity have been consistently excellent on each and every project he’s released. Conversely, his advanced writing and ability to tackle topics that other MC’s wouldn’t touch have limited the cohesiveness of past works. You always know you’re going to hear a few songs on a Sandman album that are utterly unique, but this uniqueness (both in his beat selection and songwriting) sometimes makes his albums tough to listen to straight through.
That is not the case on this EP, and it is largely due to the excellent front to back production provided by EL RTNC. EL RTNC has made a handful of beats for Homeboy Sandman over the last couple years and while he may not be a household name at this point, I predict he won’t be staying anonymous for long. All of the beats seem to draw from a 70’s rock/soul template and feel connected, but they never run together. This is helped by the fact that EL RTNC adds short intro and outro beats and samples throughout the EP that raise the level of musicality and cohesiveness.
“Peace & Love” stands out with some of the best songwriting you’ll find on a rap song in 2013. His verse about how easily strong relationships can crumble alternates with a great vocal sample and Sandman builds on the verse with every pass through, giving the verse a chorus-like feel and helping to burn it into your memory. Homeboy Sandman has always been more adventurous with his song structures than the average rapper, but it’s these types of songs that really put him at the forefront of the genre as a songwriter.
It’s hard to single out any other songs on an EP that’s so consistently good, but Homeboy Sandman’s creativity shines through on every song. He breaks down stereotypes he faces daily and sings in Spanish on “Oh, The Horror,” shows off his acrobatic, wordplay driven flow on “Dag, Philly Too” and “Men Are Mortal”, and details the dangers of dating someone and hoping they’ll change on “Moon.” Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent is the best EP I’ve heard this year and a tremendous start to what should be another great year for Homeboy Sandman. He recently released another excellent single, “Give You The World” and has a full length project scheduled to drop later this year. Pick up the vinyl for Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent for only 9.99 over at Stones Throw and get an instant digital download.
Connect with Homeboy Sandman via Facebook
Written by John Bugbee
Album Review: Cult Favorite ‘For Madmen Only’
Knowing versus believing. The nature of truth. Having vision and being accountable to it. Perspective’s impact on complacency. These are the types of themes and concepts that run wild through Brooklyn MC Elucid’s rhymes. The yin to producer A.M. Breakups yang, Elucid shows throughout For Madmen Only, the duo’s first album as Cult Favorite, that not only is he one of the best MC’s in the world, he is a flat out brilliant writer no matter how you classify his words. Elucid’s past tendency to rhyme mostly over busy, glitch-hop beats may have provided him the aesthetic that he desired, but it often shrouded his abilities to all but the most adventurous hip hop listeners. At first listen, A.M. Breakups production might sound similar to the electronic production that Elucid is used to rocking over, but A.M. is incredibly versatile as a producer and knows how to capture a vibe while making sure that he’s still showcasing the MC that he happens to be working with.
For Madmen Only is a quick listen at almost 36 minutes, but it’s been two years in the making and is about as dense as a 9 song LP can get. Throughout the album Elucid and A.M. consistently seek to explore the varying gaps between perception and reality (Elucid through his rhymes and A.M. through his atmospheres and clever vocal sampling). Elucid is especially adept at getting a listener to look at the world through a different lens while infusing his own hard earned knowledge and philosophies. A.M. Breakups’ lifelike production is the perfect setting for Elucid’s parables and helps give the album an ageless quality. A.M. also contributes an excellent instrumental track, “Planet Earth About To Be Recycled”, that is reminiscent of MF DOOM’s legendary sample based collages from the King Geedorah album.
Right from the jump Elucid lays out the album’s concept. “People’s Temple” is a song that immediately reminded me of John Hawkes chilling portrayal of a horrific cult leader in the 2011 film “Martha Marcy May Marlene”. Elucid rhymes, “Catch them preying upon the lost/ Speaking to your distortion/ Sheep ‘ll follow for fortune/ Seek until they’re exhausted/ Pay till they can’t afford it”, laying out a devious depiction that could really just as easily be applied to an opportunistic pastor as an evil sociopath. Elucid then follows with the messiah’s mantra- “Fear not you are perfection/ Would you die for my message?/ After all that I’ve invested?” before repeating his own commentary- “For who so ever believes.” This stretches the concept even farther showing how manipulation can turn a mere mortal into a godlike figure. Elucid has a curiosity for the gray areas in life and an ability to show how wide or how narrow the spectrum of these gray areas can be.
“Then He Rose” is another standout song that features metaphorical religious imagery. This time Elucid uses the track as an exhibit of his outstanding wordplay, depicting himself as a Christ-like figure on the mic. A line like “Still cut the cards I’m dealt/ shuffle, perspectives tilt” might not resonate at first, but the more you dwell on it the more impact it has. Conversely, when he rhymes “rappers hocking poppycock/ my cosmic slop layered like a Basquiat” the impact is immediate, but equally impressive. Perhaps the best display of Elucid’s unique vocal talents, “Then He Rose” is also a prime example of A.M. Breakups ability to have a lot going on in a track, but still not make it sound overwhelmingly dissonant. No matter how experimental A.M.’s production gets, he never loses the melodic root that his music grows out of.
The album’s lone guest appearance comes from Thoughts On Tracks favorites billy woods on “Omega3”, who seems to have found a kindred spirit in Elucid. Woods has worked with both A.M. Breakups and Elucid in the past and plans to release a collaborative EP with Elucid later this year. Billy is the type of MC that tends to outshine most MC’s that get on a track with him, but Elucid has always held his own alongside woods. “Omega3” is no exception, as Elucid spits my favorite verse on the album. He opens the song with the lines- “Have you ever asked a redneck how his sister taste?/ I just got called a n***** and that really made my fucking day/ I smiled for a second, asked the aforementioned question/ First time when I was 6 alone in my daddy’s green cutlass/ wouldn’t say it corrupted barely knew what it meant honestly/ just an old white man walking past, I’m far from Rockaway” Elucid’s vivid reflective verse was the result of a self-described “shitty customer service job experience where (he) was racially harangued on the phone”. The eye opening verse shows off Elucid’s development as an MC and his ability to turn a common life experience into a compelling artistic statement.
Elucid’s gruff delivery and apparent indignation might be the first thing that grabs your attention on For Madmen Only, but it belies a strong emotional core that allows him to be revealingly honest about every aspect of his life. His vulnerability in relationships with the opposite sex is made clear on a few occasions, especially on “For All Of These Birds”. While the song is a virtual kaleidoscope of Elucid’s personal philosophies, the end of the first verse details an exchange with an ex that was particularly memorable for Elucid. Although he seemed committed to putting the relationship behind him, her closing salvo “You are what you attract and I be back on the reg” left him questioning how much control he truly has of his life and relationships.
Cult Favorite’s music allows a lot of room for personal interpretation, but For Madmen Only closes with its clearest statement “Mollywhop”. While both Elucid and A.M. usually tend toward the abstract, on “Mollywhop” they take a more traditional route to making a classic hip hop song. A.M.’s stripped down beat gives Elucid room to drop jewels like “Whatever truth is, shouldn’t need to be explained” and my favorite bars of 2013 to this point, “5000 years they been talking ‘bout the last days/ I don’t hear a word of it/ Talking crazy, “Melo kinda hurt the Knicks””. Elucid and A.M. Breakups are fully committed to their vision, a fact that may not help their bandwagon in the present, but will only help it grow in the future. Cult Favorite’s debut album may be a culmination of years of hard work from two talented artists, but it feels like the genesis of a new chapter in the bible of hip hop. Stream For Madmen Only below and cop the limited edition vinyl over at CultFavorite.com.
Connect with Cult Favorite via Facebook | Twitter
Written by John Bugbee
Thought on Tracks 