Abstract Sounds, 2007

Necro has always been a rapper obsessed with death, violence, sex, and the darker themes of the human psyche, all of which defined his first three proper albums. In 2005 he released an outrageous concept album entitled The Sexorcist which – as the name would suggest – was exclusively about sex. The lyrical content on that record was so explicit, putrid, and borderline-nauseating that even GG Allin would take offense to Necro’s treatment of women and the “colorful” language he used so liberally.

Additionally, Necro abandoned his trademark dark production which has been the cornerstone for his work with Non Phixion, Ill Bill, and his own albums – and replaced it with stagnant white boy funk. Most of the beats were dull sounding, and the only interest on that record gripped with what outrageous things Necro would say next. The Sexorcist would have deserved as much a 5 star rating as a 0 star rating. As terrible as most of the songs were, and as ridiculous the choruses, the novelty of a pornographic rap album of that caliber was so ridiculous that it almost made the record endearing. Even though it is one of the worst albums I’ve ever heard, I still consider it one of my favorites.

Death Rap is only marginally better. Necro’s 2007 release finds the rapper/producer revisiting his violent horrorcore themes of past, and is far closer to his more iconic releases of past. The album actually starts of somewhat strong. “Creepy Crawl” has solid production before regressing into a sing-songy chorus of “stab you / stab you / stab you / until you die.” Necro has never been the most prolific rapper of the Non Phixion family, but occasionally he flows well given the right production. A listen to The Sexorcist’s “Whose Ya Daddy?” which pins Necro’s sex raps over the Zombies’ “Time of the Season” is fantastic – in its own way – and proves that Necro has skills.

There are a few tracks on Death Rap which recall his best flow, including “Keep on Driving” and “Some Get Back (Revenge).” Otherwise Necro tends to be as stale, ranging from being unremarkable to completely unlistenable. On numerous tracks Necro taps into his metal influences, and makes an ungodly metal-rap hybrid that lacks any of the accessibility of the sound’s mainstream equivalent. Granted, listening to “Belligerent Gangsters” is probably better than listening to the likes of Limp Bizkit, but not by much. Several tracks on Death Rap are frankly painful to listen to.

At the end of the day there is simply no reason Death Rap should have been made. All of the themes explored here have been beaten to death (no pun intended) in every past Necro release. Even though The Sexorcist was the album where porn stars sang hooks to songs like “Horney Honeys” – the record still managed to be enjoyable, and at the very least a change of pace. I’m not sure exactly where the market for Necro’s brand of metal-laced death rap comes from, but he keeps making it and presumably people keep buying it. Chances are if you liked the previous Necro albums you’ll like this one, but if you haven’t heard of the man just stay as far away as possible.

Definitive Jux

El-P’s name is prolific in the indie rap scene and has been for nearly ten years. From his start as emcee and producer in the widely-acclaimed group Company Flow in the mid-nineties, El-P has been consistently putting out groundbreaking music year after year. In 2001 he produced two exceptional albums, Mr. Lif’s I Phantom and Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein – the latter being arguably the best hip-hop album of the decade thus far. 2002 saw his solo debut Fantastic Damage, a nearly flawless record showcasing El-P’s trademark dense production and confrontational lyrics. In the past few years El-P has continued producing for various artists on the Definitive Jux label, including Cage and the lackluster Mr Lif follow-up Mo’ Mega.

Naturally, when I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead was announced, hip-hop heads around the globe had high expectations. Even those who didn’t appreciate the harsh, computerized production on “Damage” were curious to see what direction El-P would take his next record. For a man that has been innovating hip-hop music since Funcrusher Plus in 1998, following up with an album that managed to appease both his fan base and casual listeners would not be easy.

Frankly, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead does not match the quality of its predecessors. The record is not as groundbreaking as Funcrusher Plus, and not as immersive as Fantastic Damage. That said, ISWYD is still a fairly solid record and a highlight of hip-hop in 2007. Still, coming from the man responsible for the above-mentioned records, ISWYD is a bit of a disappointment.

I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead is notably littered with collaborations from indie-rock heavyweights. Omar Rodriguez, Tunde Adebimpe, Cat Power, and Trent Reznor are all present on this release. This begs the question, why? Reznor adds little to “Flyentology” where he lazily sings over an El-P beat. Numerous other guests, including Rodriguez and emcees Slug and MURS are essentially unnoticeable under record’s dense and occasionally haphazard production.

It is unlikely that El-P chose to feature this artists to appeal to a cross-over audience, but the music certainly gives this impression when it’s difficult to see what these guests (save Rodriguez and maybe Cat Power) add to the record, where on the previous Fantastic Damage guests like Cage and Camu Tao added verses that were stylistically connected to El-P’s own and created a generally more coherent sound.

Standout tracks on this record include the bouncy (but still dark) “Drive,” the image-heavy “League of Extraordinary Nobodies,” and “Run the Numbers,” one of the best head-nodders El-P has ever written. Alongside these high notes are relatively more average tracks, such as the needlessly-dramatic “Tasmanian Pain Coaster” and the fairly incomprehensible “Habeas Corpus (Draconian Love).” Additionally, this album also features “EMG” which is easily one of the worst songs El-P has ever written, both lyrically and musically, and “Smithereens (Stop Cryin’)” which is also unremarkable. Both of these tracks were released as singles, strangely, when much better songs like “No Kings” would be more appropriate.

Casual listeners and indie rock fans would probably appreciate I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. El-P’s lyrics and delivery would probably appeal to the average Mars Volta fan, who is used to incomprehensible nonsense and unnecessary dramatics. El-P fans looking for raw, unfiltered hip-hop would be better off re-purchasing Fantastic Damage and pretending the year is 2002 again.