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Album Review - Underground Sound Magazine Review - October 2003 Various Artists - Bassments of Badmen Vol. 2 [Hand Solo Records/urbnet records] as reviewed by Blake Gillespie  Beats: 3.5 Rhymes: 3 Originality: 3.5 Overall: 3.5 The Pornography industry has several series of movies called "Up and Cummers" featuring the next big names and hot bodies to appear in the business. The actors and actresses, if they can even be called that, have very limited material restricted to low budget features and guest appearances. The movies are a sneak peak in to the possible future of porn. You might be wondering what any of this has to do with hip hop, but next time you are going "hand solo" to your favorite smut flick consider the parallels to possibly be drawn between "Up and Cummers" and "Bassments of Badmen." The first installment of the series introduced hip hop heads to Buck 65 and Sixtoo, who now stand as leaders and innovators of Canadian hip hop. The Badmen return like Jedi's for Volume 2, a CD with Death Star artwork, to keep listeners ears perplexed to whether they have mastered the force or just using another Jedi mind trick. The Badmen claim to be leaders of the force, but their beats are immersed in a dark side sound. The first four songs possess a very somber and murky resonance and the majority of the album maintains this theme minus a few tracks. The first track aptly titled "Enter the Bassment (Halifax Takeover)" by Fact & the Verbals kicks the album off with a scratched chorus defining the Badmen's pseudonym as "not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning good." While Fritz tha Cat, Mindbender, and Vangel bring a silly wordplay style to "Bury the Bodies" also flexing another great scratched chorus. Both these tracks sum up the range this album takes. The songs are either dark and moody or have a slight humor to them, but still maintain the dusty basement sound. This gives the album a very cohesive sound for a compilation, but it still has its moments of amazement. The first track to break the mold on this album is "Flash Forward" by Toolshed. This funky upbeat song produced by Timbuktu moves in a rhythmic hysteria perfect for the emcees to flex their abilities on. The emcees have a great chemistry as they bounce back and forth off each other then synchronize for the chorus. To solidify the songs completion the emcees take a backseat for B-swift to scratch some scientific samples. A few songs later another unknown talent steps up to steal the show. The IF? present "The Prosecution Rests", another upbeat song showcasing a strange combination of galactic space sounds and East Indian horns. Nonetheless, the IF? pours charisma and creativity into this song bringing a listener back to '92 with his style and flow, yet maintaining a '03 feel. The IF? combine sounds from the golden ages with today's experimentation brilliantly and can still chant, "Don't sweat our technique we move the crowd." The Americans get a chance to have some shine in the land of Maple leafs as Restiform Bodies contribute abnormally controlled chaos called "Uh-Oh." Telephone Jim Jesus and Passage collaborate on the lyrics and beat to give the ear a unique and fun sound, while chanting idioms of pop culture references and obscure braggadocio. One word sums up this songs appeal: catchy. The chanted lyrics are entertaining and the inventive beat work makes this another notable song. But, the album is not all creative brilliance and refreshing genius. Not every Jedi on this album has mastered the strength of the force and some are borderline dark side crossovers. While Restiform Bodies found unity in a beat comprised of strange sounds and improvised drums, The Tooning Spork's contribution, "We're out the Napkin" might be funny and entertaining at times, but overall sounds like its trying too hard to be different. The choppy beat and choppy video game samples reflect the emcees jerky vocal presence. Other songs are too basement for their own good. The production is consistent, but one dimensional and Canadian emcees tend to have voices not very tender to the ear. Overtime and repetitive listens it becomes more tolerable, but essentially music should not be received by training your ear to enjoy it. Fortunately, the priceless moments outweigh the insignificant ones. Noah 23, Awristoscratch, Creature Box and SJ the Wordburglar keep the album moving with enough gems to make it worth listening all the way to the end. Every compilation seems to have its faults, but the producers of Bassment of Badmen did a good job of spacing out the best songs so the listener sticks around. So who will be the next big acts to break free from the Up and Comers bracket? This album showcases some of the best new talent Canada has to offer. The emcees are not afraid to be themselves and invent their own sound, its just some are better creators than others. No question, Canada has some great writers, but when it comes to presenting the content, problems start to emerge. The best moments on this album come from those who search for something new, but do not let go of what got them there. For some of the artists involved this album is the defining moment of becoming a Jedi Knight, while others will go back to training with Yoda. - Blake Gillespie | ||||||
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