The Hip Hop Mortuary

Who is this fucking white boy? Mac Lethal aka David Sheldon is renowned for his freestyling abilities primarily because of his victory at Scribble Jam (the World Series of rap battling). And the only way you would know about Mac is if you keep up with the underground rap gladiator scene (admittedly unlikely), or with the increasingly impressive rap label "Rhymesayers". In Minnesota, mainly Minneapolis, Rhymesayers is a really big deal... they draw pretty small audiences to their local concerts but still appeal as more than just a grassroots indie hip hop label. Slug (frontman of Atmosphere) is responsible for the rise of indie hip hop, in Minnesota if nowhere else... it's also pretty big in New York (what isn't?) and in California. He has been signing no name talents to his label, and equipping them with no name production for years... and his label is now seen as a viable alternative to big record labels. Either this year, or maybe a few years before, Slug was able to land MF Doom, king of underground hip-hop and comic-book hip-hop. (honestly a fascinating subgenre) He was also able to lure David Sheldon (already forgot about him?) to his Minneapolis recording studios, to re-record the album that may have gotten him signed in the first place. If you like this album, and are inclined to hear more of Mac Lethal, I strongly advise you not to listen to his first album, which is worse than fucking horrible. He has a series called "The Love Potion Collection" and it's actually pretty good, we'll see if I get around to reviewing it. The hard and discouraging part about reviewing unknown artists is building a base or any sort of comparison to the artist. I will say this beforehand, if you are looking for lyricism, Mac Lethal has got it in fucking spades. Please check him out.

The Good:

1. Backward- The lyricism is unrivaled, I will proudly proclaim this as an indie/underground classic... that any hip hop fan has an obligation to hear.

2. Calm Down Baby- This reminds me of Wale's ADD tracks... Mac has a really hard time staying on subject, but his delivery and on point rhyming just sounds really fucking good.

3. Rotten Apple Pie- I found myself vibing to this song. The flow slows down, and the instrumental is awesome.

4. Makeout Bandit- A carefree and harmless waste of 3 minutes and 42 seconds of your life.

6. Jihad- Why do I like this song? All his comments about celebrities are right on. I've been saying Fuck Dane Cook for a long time... and worshipping Hedberg and Carlin for quite a while.

7. Crazy- I knew I wasn't the only to receive that e-mail from the Nigerian president...

10. Die Slow- After having his fun... Mac gets back to flowing insanely, and this track is truly remarkable.

11. Lithium Lips- Mac's attempt at storytelling is fully entertaining. You'll have to listen to this one a few times.

12. Tell Me Goodbye- Listen to this and think about the Sean Bell tributes, and all the Biggie and Pac references.

13. Sunstorm- Only Mac Sheldon could make a song displaying himself as an insensitive, cynical piece of shit. And then the next song he makes a sentimental outro. As contradictory as it seems, this song is really good... maybe the best off the whole album.

So, my longest post is regarding an unknown artist whom no one will ever care about. Maybe you shouldn't, as there is nothing morally comforting about this album... but if your looking for introspective lyrics and modern social commentary you will definitely find it... and you might just find yourself vibing to this album.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 83, as much as you want to love this album, you can't. The lyricism is great, at times unparalleled... but at times, the combo of weak production and repetitive lyrics will put you to sleep. I would definitely recommend a download, because this is an album you have to hear and decide for yourself...

Download Here

Comments always welcome