Five years ago, Company Flow’s Funcrusher Plus changed the face and sound of underground hip-hop with brutally minimalist, abrasive beats and an independent-as-fuck stance. (The band once compared major labels to pedophiles.) Since then, MC Big Jus and DJ Mr. Len have released solo albums, but the biggest buzz has centered on rapper El-P, who has teased us with a handful of singles and compilation tracks. The dense production of his solo debut, Fantastic Damage (Definitive Jux)—reminiscent of vintage Public Enemy—sounds much different than Funcrusher Plus, yet it shares a confrontational stance, as well as a perhaps excessive similarity to his protégé Cannibal Ox’s masterful Iron Vein.
El-P’s flow is designed for multiple listens, and even though many of the lyrics are still virtually impossible to make out, the rapper’s discernible content is far more personal than the battle rhymes of Funcrusher Plus. He laments violence against women, recalls his memories of old-school hip-hop, and pens a love song that pays homage to his favorite writer, Philip K. Dick. Even the weaker tracks, like the sex rap “Dr. Hell No and the Praying Mantis,” are jaw-droppingly weird.
The album features one masterpiece, “Stepfather Factory,” at once a brilliant sci-fi story worthy of Dick, a depiction of domestic violence and a cautionary tale about technology. It’s the most moving song I’ve heard this year. Though El-P’s lyrics are often too verbose for their own good, if he keeps coming up with songs as good as “Stepfather Factory,” he may go down as one of the all-time greatest rappers.
—Steve Erickson
When Weezer resurfaced last year with the eponymous “Green Album,” they left fans wondering. What took them so long? Why was the record so short? What happened to the complex songs of their previous LP, Pinkerton? Weezer gave all sorts of excuses and justifications in interviews, but it’s this year’s Maladroit (Interscope) that really begins to tackle the important questions. The Green Album and Maladroit are a set; one answers the other—sometimes literally, as on the new album’s “Take Control,” which twists a lyric from Green’s “Crab.” At 10 songs and 28 minutes, the Green Album was taut and homogenous, while Maladroit’s 13 tracks lack cohesion in style or theme. Weezer’s latest isn’t the concise, listen-from-start-to-finish experience that its predecessor was, but the best songs stand far above those on the Green Album.
Some of the emotional complexity of Pinkerton has returned. “Love Explosion”—with its messy guitars and the dark line, “They’ve been wanting to kill you in your sleep”—would’ve fit nicely on that album. In perhaps Maladroit’s best tune, “Slob,” Rivers Cuomo spits out vituperative lyrics backed by a great, tension-building arrangement. But in keeping with the LP’s heterogeneous nature, “Slob” gives way to the sappy lyrics and breezy music of “Burndt Jamb.”
Weezer are still the pop band they’ve always been, just thinking bigger and rocking harder. The prevalence of crunchy guitars and big drums makes it apparent that they’re happy playing the big rooms, but on a song like “Slave,” they demonstrate their enduring power to be both uplifting and forlorn in under three minutes. The five-year hiatus remains a mystery, but with their current work ethic, Weezer prove to be one of the most vital mainstream rock bands in the world.
—Todd Anderson
Cee-Lo Green has been OutKast’s third member (briefly) and part of the Goodie Mob foursome, but his solo debut Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections (Arista/BMG) is more experimental and expansive than anything by his colleagues. The 21-track disc constantly shifts between acoustic and electric instruments, preproduced snippets and freestyle expositions. Green nicely blends gospel-drenched vocals and sinful raps, while taking listeners on a wild excursion through R&B, ’70s jazz-fusion, steamy ’80s urban fare and contemporary street preaching.
Green’s prominent, compelling singing and equally energetic rapping is at its best on “Closet Freak,” which boasts a superb horn chart and a punchy arrangement. “El Dorado Sunrise (Super Chicken)” features a booming bass line and a rippling organ accentuating Green’s energetic exhortations. He displays proficiency at unadorned rapping and hip-hop production on “Big Ole Words (Damn),” then takes a funk turn on “Awful Thing,” a silly, captivating tune that echoes Cameo, Maze and the Fatback Band while possessing its own distinctive, squiggly beat.
This CD might’ve been better at 53 minutes than 73. Wasted excursions into smooth jazz and “quiet storm” R&B—such as “Suga Baby,” with its lame extended percussion-and-horns foray—could’ve stayed in the can. Still, Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections boldly displays Green’s eclecticism, which sometimes results in chaos, sometimes in inspiration.
—Ron Wynn
In brief
Eminem has one of the most impressive cadences in rap, and any performer gutsy enough to lay his life completely bare deserves some attention. But just some. Despite rumors that The Eminem Show (Aftermath/Interscope) would boast bold stylistic innovations, the new album’s tracks are still mostly syrupy, Dre-style productions cursed by aimless vulgarity and interminable MTV-friendly choruses. And though Eminem’s self-absorption sometimes makes for strikingly personal, morbidly fascinating music, it’s also symptomatic of modern pop celebrities’ distressing misconception that appearing on a few magazine covers is equivalent to real social importance.... For far more interesting takes on hip-hop, check out Antipop Consortium’s Arrhythmia (Warp) and Blackalicious’s Blazing Arrow (MCA). The former is the second experimental rap release from a New York crew who put a premium on eccentric beat patterns and rhymes. Their “antipop” ethos can get in the way of a good groove, but even when AC aren’t working the listeners’ feet, they work the brain. As for Blackalicious, their own second rap LP filters the history of African American arts and crafts through a mix that is tuneful, engaging and every bit the equal of their debut masterpiece, Nia. It’s one of 2002’s best pop records.... There’s not much to say about Moby’s 18 (V2), except that it sounds a lot like Moby: easy-on-the-ears electronica that finds the crossroads of folk music and Eurodance. The most noteworthy aspect is its almost mournful, elegiac tone, which seems designed to promote post-9/11 healing. It’s a worthy, affecting effort.
—Noel Murray
