The Rotten King
SCVTTERBRVIN
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Channeling the same single-producer energy he found on "A Nightmare On Beat Street" with Psychopop for this latest album SCVTTERBRVIN has united with Japanese beat technician, Ill-Sugi, who is at the helm for the album’s duration. The result of this latest union, is a dust-laden boom bap odyssey which harks back to simpler times, while remaining
Channeling the same single-producer energy he found on "A Nightmare On Beat Street" with Psychopop for this latest album SCVTTERBRVIN has united with Japanese beat technician, Ill-Sugi, who is at the helm for the album’s duration. The result of this latest union, is a dust-laden boom bap odyssey which harks back to simpler times, while remaining very much an album of the moment.
The title itself is a referential antonym to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a reference that continues into the main body of the album, thanks to the second track "Raphael De La Ghetto" and vocal samples from the show on interludes. Beyond this, beats and rhymes remain the album’s main and most alluring themes.
Lyrically, SCVTTERBRVIN delivers on every line, with references that stretch from Salvador Dali and George Orwell, to Marcel Duchamp and Ancient Egypt. The ratio of entertainment to education is well balanced throughout, thanks to a blend of bars that will have the listener revisiting verses to work out both what he said and how he said it.
On the production level, Ill-Sugi calls on the spirit of underground NY rap, bringing forth the sort of sound found emanating from a Brooklyn bunker in the late-90's, but still sounding as fresh today straight outta Kanagawa. Sugi maintains a cohesive style throughout, while avoiding the pitfalls of repetition and formulaic production-by-numbers, by keeping the variety alive. The Far East connection also leads to the single guest spot on the album and one of its highlights - a feature from Japanese MC, Eftra, who steps into the booth on "Tower of WAVs".
As outlined earlier, The Rotten King is another win for SCVTTERBRVIN and an album that will hopefully shine more light on the accomplished skillset of one of rap’s better kept secrets.