Rap rock. Normally this is a tag that turns many listeners away, as in order for both of these musical genres to collide successfully, the project needs to be handled with delicacy and much respect. Damon Dash, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, loves The Black Keys and invited the musicians to meet with himself and rapper Jim Jones in a studio to see if anything could potentially evolve from the meeting. Soon after, Mos Def jumped into the studio and then the party began as numerous rappers (Raekwon, NOE, RZA, Ludacris, etc.) jumped into the booth to spit some rhymes over the bluesy rock provided by the Keys. The album needed only a total of 11 days of recording and illustrates itself as being a noteworthy addition to the fusion genre of rap rock.
The album contains the aesthetic of hearing the MCs spit rhymes (or some singing) over the bluesy, slow, laid-back chug-along rock of typical Black Keys fashion. This key formula works on most of the tracks (enter a few tracks here) but also seems to fall short on a number as well. The album is lacking a couple up-tempo pieces that would help pace the album a bit better and remind the listener that these artists are not just fumbling through the motions. For example, a high energy piece with an aggressive, angry performance from someone like Ghostface could have definitely helped this album become better rounded and become a more pleasing listening experience. So if one is expecting something like “Guerrilla Radio,” you will be disappointed. The point of this album is not to excite and ignite, but rather to sit back and chill out. At 38 minutes, the album’s length is not too long-winded and the formula followed shows its success.
Now, the process of creating the music heard on this album is something else. The rappers entered the studio and were forced to create verses right on the spot, with the added pressure of video cameras being on them to document the process (check youtube for videos of this). With only some Hennessy, their blackberry, notepad/pen and herbal medicine, the rhymes were created on the spot. Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys commented on Raekwon’s approach: “He [Raekwon] was sorta what I imagined watching Bob Dylan work in his prime would be like. Raekwon came in, heard the music, got inspired and just sat down and started writing. He wrote like 20 verses, just like that, in 45 minutes. And everything that he says is so visual, such a story. His rhyme schemes are just insane.” This visual style is evident on “Stay Off The Fucking Flowers,” when Rae spits lines such as “Rockin’ a skull full of waves four frames on his chain / Jamaican accent / Fresh out of Toronto, we black skin / Young black panther M.O.” and “Then the phone rang / bling bling bling / hey yo king / two more ice packs comin’ / 40 bundles of onion / Roll the reefer to the maxium / Sax playin’ / Lay on the drums, The Jeffersons on / I’m ready to cum.” With a lot of Raekwon’s work, his lines do not always look like they will work on paper, but the way he is able to connect the dots with his flow makes the picture come together and his verses become extremely coherent and sound extremely well. Raekwon definitely steals the show on the album and shows that he is unstoppable right now and in a creative surge.
On “Coochie,” we get to hear ODB rise from the grave as himself and Ludacris start the album out fresh as they swap stories of subsequent “hotties,” underneath a simple backbeat with some guitar playing that ricochets back and forth as it soars above the track. Undeniably, this track will ultimately sum up the entire album. It’s a nice track to sit back and bob your head to or something fun to play around your “rocker” friends as you try to convince them that all hip-hop is not the same. It’s not going to be an album that leaves a cementing place in the history books, but it’s definitely worth the pickup and it’s simply an enjoyable album.
