Weekly Album Review: Busdriver- Jhelli Beam
Written by willshoob on Thursday, 11 of June , 2009 at 11:59 am
“Be real. Conscious rap failed us.” That is the opening line to Busdriver’s latest album, Jhelli Beam. I personally wouldn’t classify Mr. Driver as a “conscious rapper”, mostly because I can’t understand what he’s saying most of the time. Just because he’s not talking about bitches and ho’s, doesn’t mean he’s a conscious rapper. It seems that for every album Busdriver releases, he gets a little bit weirder, and each album gets a little bit better. One thing that really makes this album stands out from his other releases are the beats. The beats on this album are far and away some of the best to be featured on a Busdriver album.
The album starts with “Split Seconds”, a track that manages to mention Calvin Klein, Dane Cook, Youtube, and Zimbabwe. This may sound on, but for Busdriver, it’s just another set of names, probably related in a clever way I have yet to decipher. This track features a choir that seems to move along with the song, adding more and more voices during the loud sections and quieting down during the breakdown. Effects also play an essential role in this song, totally tripping out his voice during sections. The next track, “Me-Time (With The Pulmonary Palimpsest)” is just straight up insane. I talked about the track a little bit before, but let’s recap again. It’s essentially Busdriver rapping over a sped up concerto. It blows my mind. The last 45 seconds are just him saying “me time” over and over again, but it’s all good, he more than “makes up for it” in the verses that came before. The next track, “Handfuls Of Sky” sounds like TV On The Radio mixed with synths from a Muse track, with church organs on top of it all. Once his speedy raps come in, the song takes a new shape, especially once the chorus comes in. His voice is projected, you can understand what he’s saying, he sings a little bit, and some majestic strings come in. This song takes a few listens, but it’s very good once you get used to it.
Skip a track, and we arrive on “Least Favorite Rapper”, which features one of my favorite Blowdians, Nocando. It seems like the youthful Nocando really brings out the best in Busdriver. Nocando’s witty lines and clear, understandable voice inspires Busdriver to do the same. If you don’t know Nocando, youtube him… He’s one of the best freestylers out there. Here’s the great opening line on the track, which Nocando raps:
“These sneaker geek mc’s to me are so broke-back, so fuck sexy, in ‘09 I’m bringing broke back.”
Skip a few tracks, and we arrive at “World Agape”. Holy shit, Busdriver is officially insane. This track is him rapping over a 2 minute drum solo. The combination of the production and Busdriver’s rapping speed make this one of the most impressive hip-hop tracks I’ve heard in quite some time. Busdriver’s not rapping over the drum solo like I previously mentioned, it’s more him rapping to the drum solo, following the path the drummer takes. Skip a couple more tracks, and we arrive at “Happy Insider”, which features Islands’ Nick Thorburn. This track has my respect, just because of the collaboration. They’ve done work together before, and I’m so glad they’re doing it again. Nick Thorburn is awesome, and he shows it on this track. He sings a really trippy, calm chorus, that does a wonderful job contrasting with Busdriver’s crazy speed, and the beats manic style. The last track, “Sorry, Fuckers” is just a complete slap in the face to generic hip hop. He has a bit of spoken word, tearing apart the “hip-hop club anthem”. He then proceeds to tear it apart some more in his verses, and then again in the chorus.
Pick up the album here (LP (Pre-order) or MP3). If Mos Def was still acting, it would be my favorite hip-hop album of 2009 so far… But because of Mos, he’ll have to settle for a tie.
Busdriver- Least Favorite Rapper (Feat. Nocando)
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Comment by Matt G
Made Thursday, 17 of September , 2009 at 1:31 pm
if you think the album is good, you gotta see him LIVE!
