These days, when we think of hip-hop, we think of marijuana, hos, bling-bling, and a certain rapper who seems to have an unhealthy obsession with constantly repeating his own name. However, their was a time when hip-hop was about ADIDAS with no laces, winning rap battles, running away from paparazzi (and actually deserving it), and, of course, bling-bling. Okay, so maybe it was never a "time" when this all happened, but their was a time when hip-hop trio Run-DMC ruled the world. Everyone was sporting giant gold chains, laceless ADIDAS, and those hats. (I even own one myself). This time was known as the 80's.
Now let's skip ahead about, oh say, 20 years to 2002. Run-DMC turntablist Jam Master Jay is dead. With only Rev Run and Darrel left, it seemed as though the first hip-hop group to go platnum was over... which it was, but Mr. Run decided he wanted to do something himself. So in 2005, the Rev heads into the studio and works on his debut solo album,
Distortion . Coming in at a disappointingly short 10 tracks that clocks in at just under 23 minutes, here's the review of Rev Run's
Distortion .
THE INSTURMENTS: The music itself is very reminicent of Run-DMC. Namely the rock-oriented guitar over hip-hop beats. That's right, the Rev took some old-school with him. Apparently each song's guitar is from a rock song, and the most noticable is the opening riff of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" on the second track, "Home Sweet Home". To many, this may seem almost as blasphemous as Puff Daddy and Kashmir, but Run works the riff well into his rhymes and the beat. "Mind On The Road", the first single, has undeniably the catchiest beats and riffs in the entire album. The same riff is used throughout the entire song, but it's just so damn catchy it dosen't seem to bother you. That, and the song is only 2:40. Run obviously made it the single because of this, and it seemed to have worked. The title/closing track has the most distorted guitar. I know you're all shocked a song called "Distortion" would actually have distortion in it. "Distortion" is definitely the most intense song vocally, lyricaly, and in the guitar and beats. While "High And Mighty Joe" sounds like it was written by System Of A Down, very face-paced, especially in the guitar, and he even tries to pull it off vocally.
Of course, their's many negatives in the insturmental section. "Take A Tour" sounds like something you'd hear on an island zone in one of the Sonic games, and gets annoying very fast. "I Used To Think I Was Run" would have been a VERY boring song is Rev hadn't pulled out some good lyric work with it, and "Boom Ditty" once again tries to pull off a video game effect over a hip-hop beat and ends up sounding rediculous. "The Way" is probably the worst song when it comes to the insturments. Actually, I have to say "The Way" is the worst song in general, but we'll get into that later. The beats in this track are boring from the start and Run dosen't pull off any magic lyrics or vocal duties that make us forget about that.
THE LYRICS: Rev's lyrics reach very far and wide in this album. Sometimes great, sometimes atrocious. Some of Run's deeper lyrics are the best. Now, he's not being abstract with his lyrics or anything, but regular taken from a normal person's standpoint. One great track lyrically is "Home Sweet Home", which deals with the death of Jam Master Jay. "We all miss him, but his mission is completed and done/ Never worry about thee, he took a DJ run/ And to Jay, I have no fear/ The only question we should ask is why are we still here?" The rest goes on about fun times with Jay. The other more serious song on here is "Distortion", the opening lines being "I've got a rhyme for the users/ Those they call losers/ Those that got bruisers/ Those they call useless/ Blown they last fuses/ Full, but not foolish". It's a very uplifting, yet depressing song at the same time, dealing with homelessness and abortion, but trying to give hope to people.
Run also uses some "full-of-himself" lyrics, but hey, it works. Like this line from "Don't Stop Y'All": "Now once again, my friend/ It's the Reverend/ The first platnum-status rap president". Run definitely knows his name is set in stone for musical history. "I Used To Think I Was Run" is another great one lyrically. Rev basically reminices his life with D and Jay in this song, and talks about his "beef" with other rappers. Another lyrical gem is "High And Mighty Joe". This track tells the story of a rapper who gets hooked on drugs and gets clean and redeemed. The only problem is, the getting on drugs and the getting clean both happen in the 5-line second verse, so it feels like your grandma just told you the Humpty-Dumpty rhyme as a bedtime story.
Of course, it's hip-hop, and it's no Marshall Mathers LP, so their's going to be some really bad lyrics. "I've got rhymes so deaf, and rhymes galore/ Rhymes that you've never even heard before". (From "Boom Ditty) Well, I'm pretty sure I've heard all these words rhymed before. "The Way" is just a very confusing song. One second he's talking about praying to help people, the next, he's making fun of someone for being ugly. ("I'm praying for him 'cos he's looking like you") It would have been a great lyrical song if he had remained consistent with the positive image of the song. "Take A Tour" is another lyrical disaster. "Deaf just like moses/ Caked like red just bought Hostess" What the hell is that supposed to mean!?
THE VOCALS: Okay, so Run dosen't sound as good without the D.M.C., but hey, the guy still has flow. His vocals are a bit harsh-sounding on this album, which may make it hard for some people to listen to. "Don't Stop Y'All" is the best track vocally, his vocals aren't as harsh, and the female singer compliments his voice very well, maybe not as well as Dee did back in the day, but it's not terrible by any means. Overall, however, his voice could use a lot of work. The vocals can get very tiring very fast, probably the only upside to this album being under 25 minutes.
THE OVERALL: While I tried to focus more on the good side on the album, it obviously has it's downfalls. Half of this album is great, especially in hip-hop, and the other half is total garbage. Run's voice sounds much better when complimented by another vocalist, which, unfortunately, only happens on one track. While some of his lyrics are insightful, clever, and sometimes just bada$s, some of them are just unbearable. The length is also a huge issue, it's over before you've truly had time to get a feel for the album. It's a good CD, just not a great CD.
PROS:
+Will make some people remember Run-DMC
+Don't Stop Y'All is a great track
+Lyrics that are good are VERY good
+Mind On The Road is catchy as all hell
CONS:
-Repetitive riffs and beats
-The Way
-Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy too short of a CD
-Some lyrics just don't make sense
-Vocals can get annoying
-Some people won't like the use of "Sweet Home Alabama"
RECCOMENDED TRACKS:
Don't Stop Y'All
Home Sweet Home
Distortion
Mind On The Road
High And Mighty Joe
THE VERDICT: 2.8/5 rounded up to 3/5
Great review.
