The genesis of rap music happened sometime in the 90's, when east and west coast artists were on the rise. Some rap albums are quite the hype and revelation: Nas's "Illmatic" was massive. Mobb Deep's "The Infamous", 2pac's "All Eyez on Me", etc. Mainstream rap just isn't the same anymore, with more regional attention from the media pointing towards lyrical content about money, women (referred to as hoes), sex, and getting into the hood. It should be obvious that the next time 50 Cent releases an album, it will not be as killer as AZ's verse in "Life's a Bitch", or when you put on a Lil' Wayne record, chances are it won't be as complex as albums like Ready to Die.
The early 2000's were the beginning of the end for rap. The point of my analogy for this album is this: getting into Eminem, who infamously released the controversial Marshall Mathers LP, which more or less made him into what he is today, I got into D12, as with most lovers, to check it out. I thought Eminem's latest albums were really starting to disappoint me (I was getting into D12 during the time of Relapse's post-production), and I always though his debut, Infinite, and the two albums afterwards, were good examples of that rap was still strong after the 90's, and it turns out it was (Jay-Z, GZA, Scarface, and underground rap were good examples). And I had heard Fight Music way before, so I checked out this album to see everybody in action, not to mention the fact that I was tired of everybody mentioning Eminem on a d12 song. And, guess what? It's good. It's god damn good.
Devil's Night is slow and takes time to build, however. It's not a cinematic vibe from start to finish, and the first few tracks are not exactly high quality work. Songs like "*** Can Happen" and "Pistol Pistol" will have some very awkward beats, but the sound effects, audio, and background music play a vital part in the darker attempt of this rap group, but, in my humble opinion, the music works very well, and much better than the mess made of D12 World. They're melodramatic and almost gothic towards the end (Devil's Night and Revelation), heavy (Fight Music), and sometimes just mixed well (Instigator), but it all works well in the end. It's hard to tell how it would be if it was an Aftermath product, but it's overall good. Like the understated bass lines, piano keys, or the various melodies of random instruments. The album even has a guitar solo, featured in the six-minute mini-epic Revelation.
Eminem is not the highlight here, nothing more could be asked of the other group rap artists (Bizarre aside, but he was there to be disgusting). Although the white rapper is still up to his standards, it's hard to ignore everybody else. Swifty McVay helps add to the pre-apocalyptic feel of the second half of the album a good deal. In fact, I'm pretty sure due to the ghostwriter of things here, Swift probably delivers the best verse of the whole album on the title track: (
Got my nine with six sharpshooters, now let's do this / I got niggaz that shoots to static - you don't understand how / I'm all up in you niggaz TV's like Carole Anne / I'm a poltergeist, lyrically I'm supposed to strike / Try to snatch this mic, you get cracked with Molson Ice / I want his wife / I'm the type to go to gamblin parties with trick dice / I rob casinos, slugs, eat those / You'd think it was the devil feedin you jalapenos)
Kon Artis and Kuniva also assist on adding additional humor to the track, a fact first proven on tracks like Fight Music (I come to every club with intention to do harm / With a prosthetic arm and smelling like Boone's Farm). Bizarre, like I said, is plain weird, and kind of degrades several tracks. Some of his verses are so explicit, they add to the atmosphere, making it more disturbing. In terms of bringing his own unique vocal distinction and rhythmic flow, Proof (also known as Dirty Harry) does an outstanding job delivering cold, harsh lyrics that add a good note to the album, such as the sparse seriousness found here in delivered sucker punches, like Revelation's ending verse.
The album is not perfect by any means. The sheer variety of cheesy lines and explicit one-liners sometimes doesn't add to the atmosphere, and the track order could of been better (Girls is followed right after Revelation, and Fight Music after Purple Pills). Such weak lines can pop up, and it sometimes puts me on edge due to the repetitive nature of the album. The length of the album is problematic (the skits can be slashed and Girls can be taken out). But for such a flawed album, there's a special kind of spunk in Devil's Night, considering that are great examples of expert lyrical flare, both amusing, humorous and sharply serious. Recommended for the most part.
Further listening
Bizarre - Attack of the Weirdos
Eminem - Curtain Call: The Hits
Nas - Stillmatic
Recommended Tracks
Devil's Night
Words are Weapons
Revelation
