Friday, December 19, 2014

CD Odyssey Disc 689: Eric B and Rakim

This week I’ve been exploring the music of Bonnie Prince Billy, a sort of indie folk hero that I only learned about recently. Bonnie Prince Billy is prolific, and I was surprised to find he has 18 albums and counting. So far I’ve listened to six of them, and really like three. If this keeps up, there might be nine new albums in my future.

But for now, let us turn our attention away from future purchases, and review an album I already have – albeit very recently.

Disc 689 is…. Don’t Sweat the Technique
Artist: Eric B. & Rakim

Year of Release: 1992

What’s up with the Cover? In the early nineties the white background was king in hip hop. I’m not a fan of the white background, but trying to jazz it up with weird colour treatments and cutouts across the top border only makes it worse. Neither of their outfits have aged well either, particularly Eric B.’s efforts which can best be described as French Existentialist meets Cyborg in a Tracksuit.

How I Came To Know It: By the time I bought this album I was already an avowed Eric B. and Rakim fan so this was just me hungrily drilling through their collection.

How It Stacks Up:  I have three Eric B. and Rakim albums. They only made four, but it has been hard to find “Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em.” Of the three I have, “Don’t Sweat the Technique comes in third, but it is still better than almost every other rap album I own.

Rating: 4 stars but almost 5

The first two tracks on “Don’t Sweat the Technique” make you wonder if maybe Eric B. and Rakim have finally lost their mojo. Then the boys spend the rest of the record proving you wrong.

The opening track, “What’s On Your Mind?” is a smooth-delivered romantic rap that would sound great on an LL Cool J album but just doesn’t suit Rakim’s furious rap style. The whole stylish ‘sexy times’ rap is LL’s territory, and Rakim’s exceptional talent is wasted on this pick-up track.

On the second track, “Teach the Children” the duo has shifted toward a preachy style, again with a very laid back style that despite its strong message about the origins of inner city crime. This song again feels outside Eric B. and Rakim’s comfort zone, not because of the message but because the rap style just isn’t furious enough.

And then, all that ends, and the album gets serious about kicking your ass.

I’ve said it many times that Eric B. and Rakim are the greatest rap act of all time, and I’ll say it again. Even better, they both take the next ten tracks to prove me right.

Pass the Hand Grenade” is a powerful “I rap better than you rap” song where the hand grenade is a mike gripped tight and then thrown aside in disdain, with the knowledge that no sucka MC is going to dare pick it up when Rakim is done with it.

This is Rakim at his best, spitting lyrics hard on and off the beat with a confident ease, and Eric B. backing him with funky samples that make the song danceable and approachable. “Rest Assured” and “The Punisher” are equal masterpieces of the style, rhymes tripping effortlessly from Rakim as Eric B clips and reimagines musical tidbits from classic soul and jazz classics into a brand new art form as funky and original as the sum of their parts. On “Rest Assured” the repeated line is “007 is back, rest assured” which is the perfect expression for a band that features a licenced emcee murderer.

“Don’t Check the Technique” also has a greater social conscience than earlier records. “Casualties of War” is about the experience of a soldier fighting in the Iraq War, the emotional aftermath of the experience. “What’s Going On?” is a brilliant call-out of inner city communities tearing themselves apart with violence and drug abuse. Perfect bass-lines and saxophone samples add depth and complexity to a pretty simple wake up call to communities on the brink.

Like Gang Starr, Eric B. and Rakim aren’t afraid to call out their own and demand better. The big difference is that as much as I love Gang Starr (and I do) other rap acts can’t hold a candle to the skills of these two guys, either in terms of sampling or rapping.

For the most part, Rakim spits his rhymes at high speed, and never misses a beat or a step as he goes. Even when he slows down, like on the soulful laid-back “Relax With Pep” the energy never slips. Listening to “Relax With Pep” I felt like the whole world was moving to my beat as I moved through it with head phones on. I won’t deny there was a swagger in my step; you can’t not have a swagger and listen to this record.

Knowing “Don’t Sweat the Technique” is Eric B. and Rakim’s last album is bitter-sweet for me. They only delivered four records, which is a damned shame given their talent. The silver lining is knowing that their last record proves they went out on top.


Best tracks: Pass the Hand Grenade, Casualties of War, Rest Assured, The Punisher, Relax With Pep, What’s Going On?, Kick Along

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