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mcgilldaily - Album Review Offsides - Foul Language [Odouble F Records/URBNET] By Rob Near  Bailey, Lokey, Malicious, and D.R. One, veterans of the Montreal scene, deliver a solid chunk of straight-up hip hop on Foul Language. Sample-based beats with neck snapping breaks and catchy hooks abound. The MCs do their part too, kicking catchy rhymes with impeccable skill and flow. Tracks like “Turn it Up” and “2 Def” are certified party joints, providing the needed bounce and call-response joviality of all good dance floor numbers. Even some of the introspective tunes work well for the boys. “Put it on Paper” is a quick snap-shot of the pathos of writhing rhymes. Fuelled by an intense flow and a haunting beat, it reminds you why lyrics really matter in hip hop; it can’t all be fun and games. Unfortunately, the whole album isn’t so strong. Tracks like “Keep Moving” seem tired with their overused key arrangements and well-worn hip hop clichés. In fact, the whole album may seem a bit tired for those who don’t long for the nineties underground movement. All the necessary elements of golden era underground are included: haunting strings, some minor keys, and all sorts of braggadicio. Offsides cut sound like something Lexicon or Jurassic 5 would put together, and that’s high praise indeed. But there are countless other rappers out there doing the exact same thing. Everyone these days has decent beats and decent rhymes. If you want to stand out from the hip hop hordes you have to come with some next level shit.  | ||||||
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