Gangrene – Vodka & Ayahuasca
By Francisco McCurry on 1/22/12 in Album Reviews
Gangrene Vodka Ayahuasca 300x300 Gangrene Vodka & AyahuascaGangrene – Vodka & Ayahuasca
Decon: 2012
Over the past 18 months the Gangrene duo of Alchemist and Oh No has been rolling through the Hip Hop underworld like a contemporary version of Oscar Zeta and Hunter S. Thompson. Dispersed through hilarious promo trailers and jarring videos, Gangrene has linked up with old and new rappers branding the willing fan with the corroded jubilance of their sound. Taking the righteous insularity of backpack rap, the compelling grime of street-hop, and the aesthetic freedom of the post-label rap world, Oh No and Al are quietly providing some of music’s most unique and original content. Vodka & Ayahuasca is stronger and more aggressive representation of their hallway piss, bong-rips, leaving the city in a convertible with two dosed up porn bitches to drop hallucinogens on America’s open roads rap… yes, you want more.
The wild elephant stomp of “Gladiator Shit” gets things started like shots of whisky and bar fights with legend G. Rap nicely putting an end cap on the track. Though “Flame Throwers” keeps the rpm’s revved up with a mesmerizing Bollywood vocal chop, it’s the Roc Marci assisted “Drink Up” that will gets the heads dumbin’. The song sounds like equal parts Tron car/bike chase scene and Terminator death scene as minimal slick shit like “I’m built like an Adonis / tilt, I can feel it in the air like Phil Collins” flies out the rapper’s mouths. The lead single “Vodka & Ayahuasca” is full of feedback, turntablism and psychedelic guitar and bass samples, and it captures the title and tone of the record perfectly, subtly moving through one’s speakers like cracked bottles. Yet, it’s the cinematic “Dump Truck” that’s albums Machu Picchu. As the low end slams against the chest, swirling macabre samples fly all over the place and Prodigy reminds us why he is one of the most magnetic rappers to ever pick up the mic: it’s not what’s being said, but P’s clarity and the conviction of his words.
Vodka & Ayahuasca is a more concise, yet gleefully domineering continuation of the world that began on Gutter Water. As the album hits its second half, Vodka & Ayahuasca loses some of its gravitas, but tracks like “Do Work” and “Livers For Sale” more than keep things interesting. Again, Gangrene’s music is a reminder that rap wasn’t or doesn’t have to be pretty, about material or profound things, and appealing to demographics. The album is dark and dirty, but overall expressing fun without being opulent and obscenely self-aggrandizing. Al & Oh No are also reveling in the over-looked intricacies of the craft of making beats. It only leaves us hoping Al and Oh No’s production starts finding its way into the hands of older and young rappers who could use their brand of un-hinged traditionalism.
Klik om te vergroten...
