Rittz - 'Last Call' (Album Review)

Now that speedy spitter Rittz has proven he’s no fading presence or disappearing act in rap (as far as technical skills are concerned), it’s time to focus most of all on what he has to say, basically his character. The relentless rhyme-killer from Strange Music Inc. releases his fourth studio LP on full steam thanks to his “top of the line,” momentum-making work of 2016. Aided by satisfactory production directed by Seven, Rittz does what he's best at in Last Call, sharing sad but valuable stories that scarred him, changed him or taught him priceless lessons. Rittz makes this blues-rap motivational in fact, inspiring us to beat the odds and prove the naysayers wrong. In his own case, Rittz will boost and boast of his own set when no one else will and even go in on the competition. The only problem is that he can come off a little too mean at parts, hurling one too many insults at the haters. In just one example, it’s unclear which artist or artists Rittz is alluding to in “Dork Rap” when he impersonates a hipsterish new-age rapper, but his subject of ridicule actually brings up some good stuff, like tofu and vegan friends. Likewise, to eliminate the disease in “F*ck Cancer,” Rittz mentions a few measures to take except for one of the most effective if not the most effective—a whole food, plant based diet that minimizes or better yet excludes animal-derived products. For the most part though and when one takes into account all of the project including the bonus tracks, Last Call is another impressive, even compassionate Rittz set but next time he might want to try the opposite of hard, rough and charging. 

¡MAYDAY! – ‘Search Party’ (Album Review)

The Mayday men of Strange Music can't celebrate the release of their sixth studio album Search Party in their native Miami, as scorned mother nature has dispatched Hurricane Irma to unleash fury upon the Caribbean and now Florida; however, no matter where they are for the initial reactions to the LP, they'll no doubt be close to fans, as supporters of the trio can now be found all over the country and around the world. In many ways, Search Party is standard product for Mayday, despite their having lost a few band members in the last few years (down to Wrekonize, Bernz and NonMS). It could also mean they’ve tried harder than usual, to get back that breadth of sound and style they had with more personnel. Basically, this particular search party has more or less found what they were looking for.

In the beginning, the guys set themselves up like conscious distraught truthseekers, with thoughts on being lost and found, the problems we as people face, and how we’re separated and apart from the true nature and essence of life and thus alone. Starting around track five though, in the “Better Place” station where the crew start to find amusement for themselves, the tone changes to a fun one for a bit, if only for a couple songs. Tech N9ne shows up and we pretty much get a real party, just enough of a party and not a crazy wild one either. The rest of the revels on Search Party pop up sporadically, in throes of flirtation found in “Have Someone” and hangouts and after hours in “Do.”

The bulk of the album then is patented Mayday pensiveness and poignancy, several times concerning romantic relationships. In “Pretender,” a one night stand is (probably rightfully) seen as an intimate rendezvous that sticks in the mind and obscures the vision, sexual attraction and urges are seen as distractions and unwanted beckoning calls in “Tempted,” and “Extra” focuses on the overwhelming nature of a partner. Needless to say, the goings get stymied due to this negativity, but it does help that in their last relationship-related discussion, “Same Old Us,” Mayday say that while the connections they’re in are typical day in and day out, they are in fact reliable, unshakably trusty.

With all this mental malaise happening, it’s no wonder Mayday make time to purge (“System”), disconnect from the everyday routine (“Airplane Mode”) and go to their coping strategies (“Save Me From Myself”), and last song “One Way Trip” is a perfect description of what getting older is—not going back to where and what we were before, for the good mostly but also for the not so good as well. From top to bottom, Search Party takes the slightest of dips as far as offering intellectual subject matter goes and this is really just the usual based on the group’s reputation, but the cool expert production is chill and enjoyable, the emceeing is still quite solid and there is just enough variety of topics to keep us tuned in, if just for one listen. (3 out of 5 stars)

Bernz gets by with a little help from his friends in 'See You On The Other Side'

See You On The Other Side by Bernz

Strange Music fusion group Mayday has become exquisitely popular in hip-hop circles in the last several years due in no small part to its four man panel of highly creative musicians but also due to the two emcees in the band, Wrekonize and Bernz.  Of both men, Wrekonize started his single-man career first, releasing one LP in 2010 and then another in 2013, but now it's Bernz' turn to shine solo.  See You On The Other Side, Bernz' official debut studio album (July 8, Strange Music Inc), is a less than ecstatic hip-hop goodie made by experts and professionals of their craft, but before anyone goes into the project, they should know that while it is structurally hip-hop to the core with plenty of bluesy cool productions and toe-tappable beats with solid vocals of course (including some from other Strange Music artists), it drips with melancholy, poignant pensiveness and heavy feelings of helplessness from its big filled-to-the-brim cup of coping elixir, metaphorically speaking.  It's for the mopers.  Be warned.  It lacks a good measure of positivity, powerful charging resolve and resoluteness, but if you take with a grain of salt all the gloomy despondency found nearly everywhere on S.Y.O.T.O.S., you'll be just fine.

"Came To Say Goodbye" offers disillusionment before possibly the album's best cut overall, "Outta My Brain."  Atlanta lyrical wizard Jarren Benton joins Bernz to deal with life frustrations over fast catchy guitar strums.  It's a real banger for the summer or anytime, venting and letting all its burdens hang out, with swagger and great showmanship.  "Smoke N' F**k" is dedicated to Bernz' dream girl, "Dancing With The Devil" to living on the edge, and "Chasing Shadows" to general malaise where the philosophical nihilism is directed at dissing the everyday capitalistic grind and bloggers among other things.  The sadness continues in "When It's Gone," this time because of no faith or confidence in a relationship, and then MURS, who is great, makes a few remarks in "Bed Of Nails" to the effect that critics build artists up waiting for them to fall, which in virtually every genuine case couldn't be further from the truth.  MURS just released a masterful LP in 2015 called Have A Nice Life so how could anyone wish hard times on the man for it?  It was a great sincere gift; however, part of the whole staged attitude of the song feels a little scripted to service its theme.  His dislike for critics might be exaggerated to an extent for the track.

Moving on, we get some cynicism in "Vicious" with an uncredited feature from Thirstin Howl III and then some feelings of disapproval in "It Don't Go."  "Call Me In The Morning" drinks and smokes when the troubles stack up (hopefully not to destruction) and the next and last three songs though still kind of down and out tend to chill and mellow a bit so things don't feel so nasty once the finale "Sunday Sin" comes through pumping and pounding in the music so we can all clap our hands and nod our heads.  Bernz is a good rapper and emcee for his class here bar none, not out of this world, but very much respectable, yet to some people, his all-original rhymes might seem to be at too intermediate a level, in the casual delivery he often uses.  The themes, topics, tropes and subject matter could benefit from getting out of the house, but then again they are a reflection, analogy and address of these days' very hard times and concomitant disenfranchisement.  SYOTOS' greatest life lines are its solid music and guests though.  It's definitely a rap album one hundred percent but maybe not a technically mind-blowing or jaw-dropping one from a lyrical standpoint, plus it's incredibly depressive which hurts somewhat.  Overall, and as far as hip-hop albums are concerned, the final verdict for Bernz in See You On The Other Side is - good.

3 out of 5 stars