Review Summary: A rapper that has all the talent he needs but not enough individuality to stand out.
There are a few familiar faces in the underground hip-hop scene, East Coast specifically, that experienced listeners are sure to recognize. A good number of them are associated with the Army of the Pharaohs, either directly or through another group. People like Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks, Ill Bill of La Coka Nostra, or Celph Titled of The Demigodz. They've all got a somewhat similar, dark boom-bap kind of sound with topics that can range from political activism to straight-up shock value. Slaine, who is a New York MC and member of La Coka Nostra himself, fits right in with this crowd. Slaine isn't quite as lyrical or overtly clever in his lines like much of the talent he associates himself with, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know how to entertain. This album, entitled
The King of Everything Else, is proof.
This album has a lot of things in common with other releases from the aforementioned rappers/groups, in that nearly the whole thing has a grimy, boom-bap sound to it while Slaine's gravelly voice flows impeccably through the beats. As I mentioned before, Slaine isn't the most lyrical MC, but he certainly knows how to command a listener's attention with his words. First off, his voice does that well enough, in fact he sounds rather similar to Vinnie Paz, both vocally and flow-wise, which is his other strong suit; Slaine knows how to ride a beat. His flows are always so smooth in contrast to his voice, and he delivers them just as well. The track "Pissed It All Away" showcases this rather well, especially around the beginning of the second verse,
"Is he dead? Is he drunk? Is he dizzy? Is he really as he says, is he really getting busy all around the world with the stizzy from the city that he reps? Yeah he's still there, get sh*tty on the steps."
Slaine also proves that he isn't a bad storyteller either with the track "Bobby Be Real", featuring Tech N9ne and Madchild. All three MCs tell the interesting story of Bobby, a coked-out, gambling miscreant with one of the album's stand-out tracks. However, like the majority of hip-hop albums that don't have that much in the way of lyrical substance, a lot of the tracks end up being rather forgettable. Not only that, but Slaine also isn't too great of a hook writer, which can be heard clearly on the tracks "Hip-Hop Dummy" and "The Most Dangerous Drug in the World." Generally, it's fair to say that Slaine is a fantastic rapper but average lyricist, and he needs to focus more on his songwriting ability and consistency if he wants to be noticed amongst his peers, who are arguably some of the best in the game. Slaine certainly deserves to stand amongst them as a respected MC, but that might be where he'll stay unless we see some progression from him., and maybe a little more individuality as well.
