Rap has a really special place in my head. Being raised by an ultra-progressive, dictatorship-surviving, take-no-bullshit single mother, protest music was a given in our house; there was always something stimulating and interesting playing on the radio. From time to time, my mom would put on some rap music. It was not my favorite because I barely understood the language used in the lyrics, but the sampling of old songs mixed with drum machines changed my perspective completely, making me go into music production for a while (Years later, I learned that what we listened to together was Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, and Wu-Tang Clan).
So you may think, why is this important to the review? Well, dear reader, the California-based rapper/beatmaker/beatboxer Generik recently released Ballad of Rupert Pupkin, the first track of the upcoming album Not Interested. A beautiful yet self-loathing track of various samples, lo-fi sounds, and an amazing flow, it explores the legendary character Rupert Pupkin to a level I didn't even think it would be possible, and it brings me back in time to when I first fell in love with the genre.
Transforming a Scorsese film into an addictive rap song is not an easy task, but Generik is definitely creating something really unique. Yes, it may remind you of legends like MF DOOM or Action Bronson in some of its application, but it brings these influences into something that only he is able to achieve. The lyrics feel in character, yes, but also bring some kind of confession to what trying to be a musician in a world that eats you alive.
As an extra, you can also listen to the instrumental and the demo in this release. While the instrumental is a piece of art by itself, being a collage of everything a fan of old school rap would like, I think that the demo is my favorite version of them all. It takes the low fidelity to a higher level and gives it that DIY rap tape that everyone would be trying to find and resell if it were from a 90s artist.
In other words, just listen to this when you have the time, and you will get exactly what I'm saying. I hope the album surprises me as much as this track did.
