Review Summary: “Butt Pirate Bible Force take you to the next level”
With an interesting combination of tongue-in-cheek lyricism coupled with universally relevant subject matter, Laked God and Yak have certainly produced one “wild, wild ride”. Opening with the sample-laden introductory track appropriately titled ‘Butt Pirate Intro’, the duo dive right into their unique brand of hip-hop, offering an attention grabbing beat complimented by a brief rap verse. A comedic sample announces in a less-than intelligent manner “to my knowledge the penis goes in the vagina”, introducing a comedic quality to the track that is reflected in the rest of the album. The majority of the remaining samples consist of common internet expressions in various unflattering vocal performances, further establishing the light-hearted atmosphere.
Possibly the strongest track, at least in terms of its message, appears directly after the intro. ‘Yes Homo’ addresses the issue of homosexuality and religious belief; a touchy subject for sure, however Laked God and Yak handle it with a smooth simplicity. Lines such as; “Jesus had two daddies / so he don’t give a fuck / if two young dudes wanna suck each other’s’ nuts,” while abrupt and abrasive, carry a no-bullshit approach that simultaneously remains flippant. The slow, industrial-influenced beat works very well with the vocal delivery, as well as the mantra-like hook consisting of “yes homo, yes homo, yes homo, yes!” repeating.
Throughout the album both members maintain a strong lyrical delivery, both vocally and content wise. Of course, the majority of the lines consists of the pseudo-narcissism you’d expect from young hip-hop artists, but on various occasions truly great lyricism arises, such as in the aforementioned ‘Yes Homo’, even if it still carries some immaturity. While ‘Consider Smoking the Dank VVeed’ and ‘DTF’ epitomise the off-topic, macho lyricism, it becomes apparent that Laked God and Yak perform better when the track has a central theme. ‘Love Conquers All’ truly exemplifies that point as well as the writing abilities of the two artists. Although it may be difficult to take completely seriously within the context of the album, the track itself is actually quite a touching love song, and although the gender of the recipient is never specified, lines such as “let’s talk for hours, have a gay old time” as well as the overarching theme of the album itself seem to hint at a same-sex relationship. This track more than any other solidifies the argument being made here and, whether the artists realised it or not, they have created an incredibly strong, socially-relevant track.
One of the album’s greatest qualities lies in its variety. ‘Children of Eams’ successfully prevents monotony, structured as it is around interesting guitar work, whereas the rest of the tracks were built around electronically created beats. It’s also a very energetic song too, compared to the slow tempo and dark atmosphere of ‘Consider Smoking...’ for example. Even though ‘DTF’ and ‘Sorry Brother I Meditate’ disappointingly recycle ideas, this is mainly due to their placement in the album as opposed to bad songwriting, since the formula both tracks utilise has already been done better earlier in the album.
Laked God and Yak have not only crafted an engaging hip-hop album with comedic value; they have also managed to send a message in the process and the impact is made that much greater because of it. The listeners attention is maintained throughout
Butt Pirate Bible Force’s running time, and it’s for this reason it becomes such a rewarding listening experience. Despite some immature lyricism, there’s really not much to dislike about the album unless perhaps you’re an extremely conservative individual. In any case, while Laked God and Yak’s debut offering won’t appeal to everyone, hip-hop fans and anyone who has enjoyed either of these two artists’ previous works should definitely find something to enjoy here.
