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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