Backburner - Heatwave Review
Posted by Michael Ornelas on 09.05.2011
The Backburner crew brings new meaning to "spitting fire" with their first collaborative release. Boasting contributions from all nineteen rappers and/or beatmakers on the Backburner label, this masterfully crafted rap album is for those appreciative of lyricism and verbal rhythmic skill. Click and discover what Heatwave is all about---you'll thank me!
I'm not the kind of guy who listens to a lot of mainstream rap, mostly because it has devolved into songs that consist of a pretty weak chorus, varying degrees of quality beats, and either weak, short, or no verses. It's really depressing to me because the idea behind a song that doesn't really feature melodic singing is to highlight rhythmic patterns and lyrical manipulation. So when I turned into various sources of underground rap, I discovered many of the artists in the Backburner crew. With frequent appearances on each others' albums, it was pretty easy to get exposed to the whole gang. There were still a couple I hadn't gotten into yet when this album dropped, but I can assure you that there isn't a weak link in the bunch. Brilliant syllabic patterns and lyrics are abundant in Heatwave, so let me show you what rap greatness looks like.
1. Straight Out The Vault - Jesse Dangerously, Chokeules, Jay Bizzy & Ambition [prod by Dexter Doolittle]
2. Lifers - Chokeules, More Or Les, Timbuktu & Wordburglar [prod by Timbuktu]
3. Nothin’ Friendly - Jesse Dangerously, Timbuktu, Ghettosocks, Wordburglar, Ambition, Chokeules & More Or Les [prod by Timbuktu]
4. Back Home - Ginzu333, More Or Les, Thesis Sahib, Johnny Hardcore & Psybo [prod by Mister E]
5. Show Of Hands - Ghettosocks, Chokeules, Wordburglar & Timbuktu [prod by Beatmason]
6. Heatwave - Thesis Sahib, Timbuktu, Wordburglar, Jesse Dangerously, Chokeules & Jay Bizzy [prod by Timbuktu]
8. Style Dumpsters - Psybo, Manalive, Thesis Sahib & Frank Deluxe [prod by Fresh Kils]
9. Long Story Short - More Or Les, Timbuktu, Ghettosocks & Wordburglar [prod by Fresh Kils]
10. Phantom Ghost - Chokeules, Wordburglar, Mister E, Timbuktu & More Or Les [prod by Beatmason]
11. Harm’s Way - Wordburglar, Timbuktu, Frank Deluxe, Ghettosocks, Chokeules & Jesse Dangerously [prod by Uncle Fester]
12. Freak Show Physics - Frank Deluxe, Timbuktu, Manalive, More Or Les, Chokeules, Thesis Sahib & Johnny Hardcore [prod by Uncle Fester]
13. Showtime in ‘09 (’011 Mister E-Mix) - Timbuktu, Manalive, Jesse Dangerously, More Or Les, Chokeules, Frank Deluxe, Wordburglar, Thesis Sahib, Psybo & Ghettosocks [prod by Mister E]
14. Burn It Down - Ghettosocks, Jesse Dangerously, Timbuktu, Frank Deluxe, Wordburglar, Chokeules, Jay Bizzy, Thesis Sahib, More Or Les, Psybo & Manalive [prod by Dexter Doolittle]
Go ahead, give it a listen while you read!
The album starts out incredibly strong as one of my personal favorites, Jesse Dangerously, brings the opening verse verse to "Straight Out the Vault" with fervor (and his signature slight lisp) and Chokeules, Jay Bizzy, and Ambition keep that momentum going. Dexter's beat here is my second favorite on the whole album (second to "Burn it Down", also by Doolittle). Great lines are aplenty in the opener (Jesse D's "Keep coming back on different systems like MegaMan" and Jay Bizzy's "Beats by Dex D is like hockey to Gretzky" are two of my personal favorites), and Bizzy gets to rip through a couple rapid-fire lines with ease. This was also my introduction to Ambition, and I like what I hear. His "Shake the game up like Etch-a-Sketch" line made me laugh out loud legitimately. Unfortunately, after the third song of the album, he's absent.
From here we move on to a couple tracks produced by Timbuktu (and they totally sound like it, in a good way). "Lifers" brings a joyous tone while "Nothin' Friendly" is full of braggadocio. Both are songs I find myself coming back to. The former sticks with the four rapper configuration again. "Nothin' Friendly" expands to seven rappers though, and is the first appearance on the album for Ghettosocks, 2011 Juno Award nominee (and it's completely justified---check out Treat of the Day). Also, Wordburglar makes a Bocce reference here...that is just full of win.
Next we have "Back Home" and "Show of Hands". "Back Home" has Ginzu333, Thesis Sahib, Johnny Hardcore, and Psybo all rapping for the first time on Heatwave, and More Or Les, who's on half of the tracks. For Ginzu, it's his only verse on the album, which is a shame because I've never heard anything from I disliked. More Or Les' verse is pretty short here, as he's on the track less than 20 seconds. But thanks to his effortless delivery, it's still a pleasure to hear. Thesis Sahib comes in and provides what is my favorite performance of his on the whole album. Johnny Hardcore and Psybo close this song out, which transitions pretty quickly into "Show of Hands", which is a case of great verses, but a beat and a chorus that could be stronger. Not bad by any means, and the chorus has some great lyrics. It's the delivery that I'm not big fan of, but Ghettosocks, Chokeules, Timbuktu, and Wordburglar can't fail when it comes to writing rap, so it's still a must-hear.
"Heatwave", the title track was the first song released (I got it just under a month ago) and I've worn it out in anticipation. Thesis Sahib takes the chorus while Timbuktu, Wordburglar, Jesse Dangerously, Chokeules, and Jay Bizzy cover the verses. Each guy gets 12 bars, and they use them to provide a very well-rounded fun song. The beat is hella fun too.
"Hurtin'" is a Ghettosocks-produced song (and could totally fit on Treat of the Day), and plays on the idea of being hung over. And with the exception of his own verse, this features two rappers per verse in a rhyme-laden dialogue. Chokeules and Timbuktu (both members of the Toolshed group) do their thing in the opening verse, while Jesse D and Wordburglar have a pretty funny exchange in the last verse. And since Jesse is of the straight-edge/teetotal variety, it makes his presence on this track all the more humorous.
"Style Dumpsters" is the one track on the album that I'm really just not a fan of. Or at least I wasn't at first. The chorus/hook just doesn't appeal to me. But since I've had this album on loop for the past five days (since it came out), I've been able to dig into the verses and they (yet again) deliver in spades. Manalive and Frank Deluxe both crush it in their first appearances, while Thesis and Psybo return for two more great performances (and Psybo brings some impressive speed here).
"Long Story Short" starts with a catchy beat by Fresh Kils, and not long after, More Or Les brings a great verse that is unique like the rest of his stuff. His rhythmic cadences aren't what we're accustomed to hearing in rap, and it's really interesting to see how he puts rhymes together. And there are SO many instances in his music where I am baffled by the fact that he's actually able to take a breath (Check out "Crossbow"). Timbuktu shows here that he's another force to be reckoned with in rap. He possesses one of the tightest grasps on how to exploit vowel sounds in rapping that I've ever heard. This verse is no exception, as Tim brings the fun, as always. The verses then get progressively more sexual with Ghettosocks and Wordburglar. Socks Burg's is a little vulgar, but it's still pretty funny.
"Phantom Ghost" will likely be appearing on my playlists for a very long time. Beatmason comes out with a video-game, 8-bit style beat, and it's one of the catchiest on the whole album. It also has some of the strongest verses in all of Heatwave. This is probably my favorite verse by Chokeules...and that's saying a lot since he appears in 11 of the 14 songs. Wordburglar opens with one of the best lines in the whole album, but I won't spoil it for you (mostly because it plays off a homonym the therefore the effect would be greatly diminished in text form). Mister E's only verse on the album is impressed me immensely as it is on the same level as all the rest (and I've not listened to his rapping before). Timbuktu (also in 11 songs) brings his usual greatness, but (like the More Or Les verse that follows it) it's really short. Fantastic song though.
"Harm's Way" and "Freak Show Physics" are the two songs Uncle Fester produces on this album. With a very distinct sound, he composes some fantastic music here. "Harm's Way" is a very eclectic mix of verses in terms of how everyone delivers them. Jesse D sticks out specifically with his. It's yet another great song, much like "Freak Show Physics". This song is good for my favorite Frank Deluxe and More Or Les verses on the album.
"Showtime in '09 ('011 Mister E-mix)" is exactly what it sounds like: a remix. But it's not just any remix, it's the remix to one of my favorite rap songs of all time (Check out the original "Showtime in '09" on Wordburglar's Burgie's Basement. The beat here is constant and provides an energetic forward-momentum that the original chose not to have (due to changing the beat around after every second rapper). Both versions are fantastic, and I'm just glad to hear this again. Boasting ten rappers, this (almost) has the most of any song. Oh, and Thesis Sahib can seriously go in the speed category. Not a bad verse in this song though.
"Burn it Down" is my vote for song of the year. I absolutely love the lyrical craftsmanship on every verse, and the beat is so full of energy. This is the full cast from the above track, plus Jay Bizzy, which means that 11 of the 15 rappers that appear on the album rock this track. Mister E, Ambition, Ginzu333, and Johnny Hardcore are the only ones not present. I don't really know where to start with this song, so instead, I will just request that you give it a listen. Perfect verbal delivery, music, catchiness, and artistry define this song, so check it out, if nothing else.
If you listened and liked what you heard, be sure to check out all these artist's solo (or smaller group) albums. Jesse Dangerously's Humble & Brilliant that dropped earlier this year is my favorite (non-collaborative) album of the year, and many of these guys are putting out new material CONSTANTLY (I'm having a hard time keeping up with them). Teenburger (that's Ghettosocks & Timbuktu) has an upcoming album Burgertime and Wordburglar is looking to drop 3rdburglar later this year as well. Thesis Sahib has a pretty large quantity of music available as well (his most recent release being Before the End and is a 7" vinyl), dabbling in many different styles. And be sure to check out Toolshed (Timbuktu, Chokeules, and Psybo)'s latest album "The Lost". I think that's it for 2011 releases...
So there you have it. Fourteen tracks, nineteen artists, fifteen rappers, zero bad verses, three thumbs up, and infinite greatness. Thanks for looking at something new, and hopefully you can appreciate this style of music as much as I do. Thanks for reading!
The 411: I like to think that there's always room for improvement, but this is pretty close to perfect. I'm not a huge fan of Style Dumpsters, but even that has grown on me as I've had this album on loop for about five days straight. The bottom line is that some of the best rappers (with whom you're likely unfamiliar) came together and created an album so dense with great lyrics and rhymes that you'll discover something new every time you hear a song. I know that if you like clever rap, you will find something on this album to love. My rating reflects my difficulty in finding things NOT to love. I seriously mean it when I say three thumbs up, way up.
