Spank Rock - Yoyoyoyoyo Review
Posted by Stephen Mogan on 04.18.2006
Spank it...
A few years back, Lil' Jon introduced America to a new style of hip-hop, known as "crunk" (a combination of "crazy" and "drunk", two words that best describe the mood the music puts the listener in). It was more club-orientated than the drippy R ‘n' B that dominated the charts at the time, and also a lot heavier. The music took elements of both rock and hip-hop, yet had more energy than both; the perfect soundtrack to getting fucked-up, in short. It was the most exciting thing in music, for a while at least. Then along came Usher. And Ciara. And the constant repetition of the phrases "YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAH!" and "OKAAAAAAAAAY!". And pimp cups, pimp juice, pimp socks and pimp chimps. As is the way with these things, crunk became more watered down than "Lil' Jon's Crunk!!! Energy Drink" (*sigh* Who really needs that much punctuation?). Anyway, crunk as a musical force is now pretty much dead (as a marketing force, on the other hand, it's alive and kicking, but I'm sure you didn't click on this link to read a review of "Lil' Jon's Crunk!!! Incontinence Underpants" did you?). Fear not though, dear readers, for that crunk-shaped void is set to be filled by a new style of hip-hop, Baltimore Club. Well, kinda. B-Club (as we'll refer to it from now on) is a style of music popular in Baltimore (really?) that combines heavy bass and drum tracks with electronics and repetitive vocal snatches. Technically it's a combo of dance and hip-hop, but words alone really can't describe its sound. Imagine crunk, but heavier, faster and louder. Forget the traditional verse/chorus/verse structure you hear on the radio, you'd be lucky to get more than a few bars on most B-Club tracks. Obviously, this has made the jump from the clubs to the mainstream a difficult one, as transporting the majority of B-Club material to your home stereo will result in your speakers/head/house exploding. Now, however, one artist is set to put B-Club on the map in the same way that Lil' Jon did for crunk a few years back. Spank Rock is rapper Naeem Juwan, accompanied by producer Alex Epton and DJ Christopher Rockswell, and they have the potential to be huge.
Spank Rock's debut offering, "Yoyoyoyoyo", opens up with "Backyard Betty", a pumping track with a simple but relentless beat that's unlike anything mainstream hip-hop has heard since the Neptunes became celebrities. The song is pretty sparse compared to some of the others on the album, but manages to remain funky and also introduces the computer-bleeps that feature heavily on the record. Second track "What It Look Like", is more sinister than the first and sounds a bit like the New York "chamber" sound pioneered by the Wu-Tang Clan, except stuck in a blender and re-interpreted by aliens (this is a good thing). Now, I know what you're thinking: "Ok Steve, with the aid of a ludicrous metaphor, you've established that the beats are hot, but what about Juwan's mic skills?" (At least that's what you should have been thinking if you were paying attention. If you were thinking something like "I like toast", you should probably just give up. Both reading the column and in general). To be honest, he's not a great rapper. It's probably the one area that the album feels like a letdown, because the beats are so good for the most part. On this track especially, it feels like he really doesn't have much to say. This would make for a boring listen if it wasn't for all the crazy shit going on in the background. "I-MC" is a perfect example. A tense beat build ups to a thumping chorus with the heaviest drums I've heard in a while, and, though his delivery is good, Juwan's lyrics are often unclear and uninspiring.
First single "Rick Rubin" attempts to turn the tide, and this is probably one of the most conventional tracks here. It actually has a proper chorus and even a couple of verses. Another great beat; funky Rubin-esque drums combined with electronic squelches, and this time the vocals are also up to scratch. Good track. You may have noticed by now I'm not really touching on the lyrical content of the songs. The reason for this is simple; it's mainly about sex. If you're looking for conscious thinking (or even, at times, just plain thinking), you're looking in the wrong place. Next song "Touch Me" is, therefore, about exactly what you think it is. It's also excellent. With its fantastic, swaggering beat, the guy could spit nursery rhymes over the top and I'd still be pleased, but the vocals are again on point. The following track, "Bump", is even better. Each verse starts off pretty laidback but becomes faster and more furious as we get towards the chorus. These parts are genuinely exciting and probably contain the most skilful lyricism on the whole disc, especially from an un-credited (ie. Google didn't tell me who she was within 15 seconds of me pressing enter) female vocalist who absolutely rips it up.
After this trio of excellence though, the album goes a bit downhill. "Sweet Talk" is a nothing track, whilst "Chilly Will" starts out slow then breaks down halfway through into something of a dance workout. Whilst I enjoyed it, the endless repetition of a single phrase can get annoying, as is the case here. "Far Left" continues the vocal repetition but tones it down a tad, and the song is better for it. Another unusual and incredible beat (of course) and some above-average rhymes make this a winner. Unfortunately, "Coke & Wet" is truly dire. This could have appeared on any faceless rapper's album to be honest, something which is disappointing when you consider who unique everything else sounds. Infuriatingly, the same could be said of "Competition", and the album bows out with a whimper rather than a bang on "Screwville, USA", another slow track that is intended, I guess, as a bit of a comedown after the of the rest of the album.
So, is "Yoyoyoyoyo" the record to take B-Club overground? Sort of. The man himself admits that his music isn't strictly B-Club, but for all intents and purposes the album is a softer version of that musical style. This is no bad thing, however, as it means the record works just as well on the home stereo as it does in the club. The beats are, more or less, uniformly excellent. However, the lyrics often leave a lot to be desired and the album runs out of steam towards the end. This could very well be the future of hip-hop, but only if Juwan improves his mic skills without losing his unique style. Without a doubt, the most successful tracks here are the ones which don't fit in with anybody else's' musical agenda, whilst those which seek to ape other artists often sound rather generic and fall flat. At the very least, the record is a fantastic advertisement for Spank Rock's production team. On this evidence, producer Alex Epton could be one of the hottest names in hip-hop over the next few years.
The 411: I can’t give this a low score because, even though I’ve spent a lot of the review talking about how the rapping on this album is nothing special, it hasn’t left my stereo for weeks. I guess it goes to show that lyrical skill isn’t everything, especially on an ‘unconventional’ rap album such as this. Still, there are a few duff tracks on here, especially the last three, which mean the record finishes on a very disappointing note. A bit more quality control next time and these guys could be onto something exceptional.
