Review Summary: You're alone, being chased by Jason and Freddy, while submerged deep under water in an abandoned submarine with the Mad Hatter rapping over the intercom.
If you listen to hip-hop long enough, you'll eventually hear one of your favorite rappers pining for the "glory" days of hip hop or claiming hip-hop is dead. Sure, hip-hop isn't what it used to be, but very few things are. Such is the case when dealing with cultures and societies made up of intelligent and/or not-so-intelligent beings, but I digress. In any case, it is probably safer, albeit less dramatic, to say that hip-hop is evolving more than dying, and while some might not like the new direction it's headed, there is bound to be something new on the horizon, because as we all know, the only thing constant is change.
While discussing change, it's important to note that while
For the Glory is something different, it is not a game-changer by any means. It is a fun alternative to the growing CMYMB roster additions and clones that are pushed upon every media outlet. While Nacho Picasso is undoubtedly underground, I wouldn't put him in the same category as some of the younger MCs coming out, such as B.O.B., Kendrick Lamar or Big K.R.I.T. mostly because his subject matter, for now, it just so outlandish while those other MCs are leading the charge in a more serious fashion. However, that's what makes Nacho so fresh, in my opinion. Where most of the mainstream's heavy hitters focus on luxury rap, Nacho Picasso puts his own twist on braggadocio rap. He's like a rapper's version of McGyver, simply rapping about how cool he is without all the luxury and fancy toys and simply with what's available to him at that given moment. Throughout the entire album, in each song, it always feels as though Nacho is working to one-up the killer punch line he dropped previously.
"I told a girl she's special / but i just
meant retarded / everybody dies guess life is like
Departed / you can be Dicaprio but I'ma Marky Mark it"
Production duties are taken care of by trip-hop duo Blue Sky Black Death, and while Nacho's cleverly executed stream-of-consciousness rap fits perfectly within BSBD's moody beats, make no mistake, this is as much a BSBD album as it is a Nacho Picasso album. Picture yourself alone, being chased by Jason and Freddy, while submerged deep under water in an abandoned submarine with the Mad Hatter rapping over the intercom and that's something like what the combination of Nacho and BSBD sounds like.
If you're in the mood for a beat-driven album joined by a vicious punch-line machine, then I definitely suggest you give Nacho Picasso's
For the Glory a listen. It has to be one of the best free albums in recent memory.
