| Fear of a Black Tangent by Busdriver is one of my favorite new albums. Here is an emcee with know-flow; he wears his heart on the sleeve of his rhymes and pulls no punches, especially when it comes to himself and his place in the music industry. Black Tangent is an indictment of the bloated music business, the bureaucracy that runs it, the fans that keep it in demand, the 'artists' who buy into its hype, and even the futility of the strugglers who start fires at its fringes. The futility of the struggle isn't stopping Busdriver, though; here's an example of an artist who would be doing what he does regardless of the recognition he receives - the mark of someone with real creative passion. In sentiment, this album covers similar ground to Prince Paul's Politics of the Business, but where Paul chose to condemn mainstream rap by aping it with tongue firmly in cheek, Busdriver forges his own path, with much more interesting results. His rhymes are convoluted, intelligent, inspired, at times contradictory, and acutely, painfully observant. He's able to condemn without bitterness, to criticize without contempt, and basically rip institutions, concepts, and stereotypes to shreds with a grin that says "Fuck you. Want a hug?" The sped up Joan Baez sample at the beginning of "Happiness" is hilarious and unexpected. Speaking of legends, Busdriver is just as hard on himself as he is on his other targets: "What kind of name is Bus Drive? It suggests a wack allegory, and it can't be justified by any background story. I heard he sucks live, and only appeals to hipsters who dress like Russian spies, who are painfully cool and have button eyes." He's smart, he's weird, and he's got flow like a busted fire hydrant. Just don't call him avantcore. - Signal to Noise |
1XLP/Out Of Print