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Sintaxtheterrific
Simple Moves
2004, Illect Recordings
This album is the complete antithesis of radio-ready hiphop. While a lot of underground rap flirts with mainstream tricks, some clubby beats and half-speed, easy-to-follow flows, Deepspace5 member Sintaxtheterrific eschews anything trendy in favour of what emanates from his heart: honest, unique slices of bedroom hiphop - it says in the liner notes that he did a lot of the work in his wife‘s office. A lawyer by trade, this Charleston, SC native has built a good, long LP stuffed with random samples, quirky, raw beats and an intelligent, passionate lyrical touch. ‘Blowing Smoke‘ sets off the album, establishing a benchmark of self-effacing sarcasm that continues with ‘Got Beef‘, a playful beatdown of his entire DS5 crew one by one, while ‘We Used To Live In An Apartment Together‘ brings in Mars Ill voice manCHILD for a look back at the hijinks and brotherly insults back in the day. A few unknown(to me anyway) rappers make appearances(Mouth Warrin‘, Justme and B-raw), but this is clearly Sintax‘s project, aided and abetted by a few different producers, most notably Dust(the DJ half of Mars Ill) and Freddie Bruno, a longtime rapper/producer and also a DS5 alum.
The music itself doesn‘t lean on how indie-sounding it is to get by; Sintax has a grasp on a variety of different styles, from braggadocio battle raps(albeit sarcastic ones) to serious, introspective thoughts, like ‘Meeting and Broad(Palmetto Musings)‘, a song written from the perspective of a rapper whose day job happens to be practicing the law - name another emcee/lawyer if you can. There aren‘t many bangers to be had here, no obnoxious choruses, no breathy female vocal hooks, just the straight dope. Recommended.
[Illect] [sphereofhiphop]
Copyright ©2005