Alright, heres the deal. As you know I live in North Carolina, the best place in the world for underground rap music. Excuse my bias but thats just how I feel. With that said I will be reviewing local artists submissions here on Carolina B.R.L. Those of you who know me, know that I have done radio for the past three years. This experience has made me very critical of music in general and especially local music. So I promise three things
1. I am totally unbiased, I don't give a shit what anyone thinks of me or my opinion and I REALLY don't give a shit who else likes the artists/songs I review. What you will read is MY opinion.
2. There will be no favoritism, the only person I really work with heavy is Big Treal in Charlotte and Kooley High & Inflowential in Raleigh. i will be posting their music from time to time but I will not be reviewing it. Basically those are the only three groups in N.C. that I'm head over heels for and everyone else is subject to a scathing tounge/keyboard lashing should I deem it necessary.
3. If I am asked to review it, it will be reviewed. No one will be turned down for revue no matter what.
Now heres my grading criteria...
* Lyrical Ability (Rhyme scheme, use of analogy, metaphor, etc..)
* Subject of Song (That's right folks your song has to be ABOUT something)
* Replay Value (I will try my hardest to listen to your song until it becomes nauseating. This is to simulate radio air play, we're all familiar with their methods cough cough Power 98 cough cough)
* Sound Quality (This might be the most important, if your mix sounds like shit then your song sounds like shit. End of story)
* Artist Comparison (If you ever get famous the rap critics will compare you to an already established rapper anyway. I'm just heading them off at the pass. Cool points for you if you are truly unique and don't sound like anyone)
* The Beat (We all know producers have taken over rap music. If the beat ain't hot your song will suffer...immensely. Kudos to those rappers that can make a horrible beat bearable)
* The Hook (This is supposed to be the "catchy" part of your track that the tasteless masses will repeat even if they don't know one word of your actual lyrics...so make it good!)
* The Feeling (This one is best described as the head bob in the beginning, the little smirks at they sly remarks, and the text message to my friend which will read "YOU HAVE TO HEAR THIS!". If you can achieve those three my friend, you're going straight in the Ipod)
All these categories will receive a certain number of backpacks from 1-5 5 obviously being better than 1. At the end we'll average the total of packs and you will have your score giving you either a 1,2,3,4, or 5. 5 being the highest.
WHEW!
***wipes head***
First up is Ty Bru. The Name of his track is "King of the Cack" (Quite the boast Mr. Bru) I'll be the judge of that...J/K ;)
Ty Bru- King of the Cack from his release "The Iconoclast Sessions Vol. 2"
Lyrical Ability:
His rhyme scheme isn't bad at all. I really like the flow on the second verse. Although it ends pretty abruptly. The actual lyrics given the subject matter are to be expected. However, Ty Bru doesn't really drop any jaws with lines such as "I stay underground like Harriet Tubman's jeans". With that said 2 book sacks is generous, I gave him some leeway because apparently he "switched up his style a little different from the norm" And I always applaud emcees who try something new.
Subject of Song:
Okay... So apparently there is some impostor parading around as "The King of the Cack". Talkin out the side of his neck, claimin' sovereign rule of the rap world of the Queen City. Well, Ty Bru is here to put a stop to all that!
There, I've had my fun. But the subject matter of this song is pretty general. In Ty Bru's opinion, he's the best rapper in the city, which makes him the king. He sounds pretty angry on this record and there are some lines that could be applicable to real life situations so I give him the benefit of the doubt and say this could be a diss track too. That said one of the things I prided Raleigh on was its unity amongst rappers. I was hoping Charlotte would be the same but unfortunately thats not the case. Anybody who is part of the scene in Charlotte knows that the hate runs deep. But hey, at least this isn't one of those "shoulders, chest, knees, toes" joints WIPE ME DOWN SON!
Replay Value:
Sorry Ty. Had to give you the goose egg on this one. Nothing in this joint I'd wanna hear again. Let alone a bagillion times a day on Power 98
Sound Quality:
Sound quality is on point, not crystal clear cd quality but way better than average.
Artist Comparison:
This guy is confident, and determined. Spits with a lot of passion. Not overly country or southern but still got a lil drawl in him. I say he's a mixture between Master P and Slim Thug. A good combo if done right.
The Beat:
I'm all for minimalist beats, however, this is a little vacant. Sounds like a stock fruity loops sound scape. Obviously, it didn't really incite the necessary head bob. I do applaud the producer for doing a true original production. I know its hard having to compete with all the sample heavy producers in N.C. With that said, the beat still gots to be hot and this one is barely luke warm.
The Hook:
The hook is terrible. Although it is something easy for fans to remember and it rhymes. One might say its easy to remember because it rhymes. Other than that u got nothin. I'm not gonna front tho the way Ty says "You ain't the king of the cack" really sounds like he means it and it was stuck in my head for like 3 min.
The Feeling:
Eh. Its Aiii. Little head bob during second verse when Ty really started riding the beat. One smirk when Ty said "I got a good point like Denver/I know how to prove it". One of the more lyrical lines. A nice little jewel, golf claps for Ty. Not texting my friend tho, so u still got some work to do brother.
Final Score:
Well... there it is ladies and gents, the first ever installment of "Local Flavor" on Carolina B.R.L. Shouts to J Coleman for submitting the track and shouts to Ty Bru for being a rapper. Don't get it twisted, like I said it's nothing personal, I have no idea who Ty Bru is. This was just an honest, unbiased review. I support all local artist and encourage everyone to keep growing, keep writing/producing, and I wish everyone the best.
COME BACK NEXT WEEK WHEN I'LL BE REVIEWING A TRACK FROM LEVI STRESS!!!
WANNA HEAR MORE FROM TY BRU???????
Reverb Nation
Myspace
all local artist submit tracks to here
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