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Jay Eff Kay America: Suicide Notes, Vol. 1 [review]

I'm not sure how many of you peeped him out when I linked his recap of 2006, but Jay Eff Kay is the next phase for Hip-Hoppers who actually know what the fuck is going on in this fucked up country we live in, and are here to really get the revolution started. His site calls him "the Rap Travis Brickle", and based on some of the darts he's thrown on his debut album, America: Suicide Notes, Vol. 1, he's right there.

The first track that got to me was "Want Sex & Violence? (Suburbia's It)", which blows the roof off that 3 bedroom, 2 and a 1/2 bath home in the 'burbs (complete with 2 car garage), exposing the real shit that goes on in suburban towns: mass murder, sexual predators, and the like. We see this shit in the news all the time, but it seems like its not really noticed that hey, these "utopian" towns are really fucked up. This is also a perfect example of what Jay's style is like: VERY bouncy beat, something that makes the MCs hit that sped-up flow, which he masters nicely, especially given the fact that he's actually spitting full sentences coming at you. The addition of the P-Funk sounding high-pitched hypeman is a nice touch. This track drops right into "Paranoid 2007", which is another satire on the state of our country when the media let's us know that the terror alert level has turned Orange or Red. This is the delusional tale of the parents who ended up living in the house that's covered in plastic sheets and duct tape, spittin' p-noid verses into a can of tuna fish. And what dissection of America is complete without a track like "Den of Rats", which let's you know the truth about the people who have their fingers on the button, their hands in the wallets, and your lives in their grasp. Get educated.

One track that really hit me was "Fuck The World", which is the cubicle-worker's manifesto. You hate where you're at in your life? Mash those chains up, go strike out on your own, and fuck everything else. It's a "live life to the fullest" anthem for 2k7. And dude knows - he went from Ivy League and Wall Street suit and ties to an apartment in the city, putting his knowledge to a beat. "The Gift & The Curse" is no Jay-Z diss, but a portrait of the mind of a writer who can give you infinite excuses as to why his rhyme isn't done, but can't come up with a few bars when it's time to write a real rhyme... I've been there. On the comical side of things, "Skankapotamus" is a down South sounding ode to honeys with $20 booties and $.02 faces. And don't think I didn't notice that Jay-Z "I'm the rap JFK" sample in "I'm All Over It", which reminds me of what Eminem wishes he could do these days.

In a genre that's so global now it's scary when thinking about who's an emcee these days, it's kind of refreshing and ironic that I am endorsing dude as "that next dude", but he has the personality that many fans should link up with. How many 25+ Hip-Hoppers are stuck, chained behind a desk working for a faceless conglomerate, all the while letting their art suffer? Raise your hands - you're probably reading this at work, now! Let Jay Eff Kay get into your head for a bit, let you laugh and gasp at what the hell is going on in this sick, sad world, and have a great time doing it. Like Public Enemy and others before him, he is bringing the noise with a message. It might scare you, and you might pee your pants in fear and in fits of laughter, but dude makes you feel something, which is more than I can say for some of these nobodies out here...

rock the dub gives America: Suicide Notes, Vol. 1 a 4 out of 5. Fun beats + fun personality + real issues and well thought-out songs = a scary, exciting listening experience. Don't sleep.

For more info on Jay Eff Kay and his work, hit the following sites:
Jay Eff Kay on MySpace
http://www.johneffkennedy.com/
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fo real.

Anonymous said...

This guy will go on loops three or four rhymes long and instead of straying from topic or becoming vague, each line digs deeper and makes his point crisper. Fuck anybody who says he sounds like Eminem. Asian people look the same. It's all relative.