| Mac Lethal - 11:11 |
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| Written by Steve McPherson | |
| Monday, October 8, 2007 at 12:40 PM | |
 Mac Lethal11:11 Rhymesayers Entertainment rhymesayers.com lethalville.com myspace.com/maclethal There are a lot of words—and I mean a lot—on Mac Lethal's Rhymesayers debut, 11:11, but none as resonant as those that introduce the chorus of closer "Sun Storm": "I need to move the hell out of my own way." The Kansas City native (born David McCleary Sheldon) has been building steam as a battle rapper for a long time, taking the Scribble Jam title in 2002 and being named one of Urb's Next 100 in 2003, and he's put thousands of miles behind him touring with Sage Francis and labelmates P.O.S. and Atmosphere. In a live setting, his flow is a torrent of ideas and his delivery razor sharp, cutting through the clutter of bass and beats. If there are basically two types of rappers—writers and freestylers—he's one of the kings of freestyle, and so it's disappointing, but not entirely surprising, that his gleam loses some of its luster when tied down to actual songs and hooks. 11:11 is chock full of pointed observations, and it's clear that Mac Lethal feels in no way beholden to typical rap topics. "I used to like Tool," he declares on "Calm Down Baby," "Till they made the same album / they made the last time they made the same album. / Every time they make a damn album it's the same album really / and only stoners listen to their music. / It's silly." It's probably the album's best single line, and it's also on the album's best track, a soulful, doo-wop laced organ jam courtesy of Twin Cities producer Lazerbeak. Mac goes on to proclaim his love for the Deftones, Wilco, Nick Drake, Ice-T and Wu-Tang Clan, but none of those artists' influence seems to figure heavily in the album's sound. "Crazy" has a reggae lean, "Jihad!" has (surprise!) a Middle Eastern hook, and "Sun Storm" has delicately picked acoustic guitars—in short, it covers the expected ground for an independent hip-hop release, even when Mac rails against it. "Please don't take out your lighters," he asks on "Sun Storm," despite the track fairly demanding it. "This is not a independent rap beat, can you tell?" he asks on "Crazy," even though its reggae overtones are hardly revolutionary. The record hits its sonic highpoint with "Pound That Beer," a track based around the jittery snare and pounding bass of a marching band. The beat is relentless, and it drives Mac's flow on the verses to insane speeds. Unfortunately, the chorus reduces his hyper-intelligent but resolutely blue-collar identity to a frat boy cutout. "BEER MAKES US FIRED UP SO COME ON! / DRINK IT ALL NIGHT LONG! / SLAM IT GIRL! SLAM IT GIRL!" goes the shouted chorus, and it's hard not to imagine a bar full of drunk assholes in baseball hats and rugby shirts chanting along. The interpretation of his message is obviously not under Mac Lethal's control, but it's exactly the kind of track that seems funny in a small club with your friends and threatening when a bunch of toolbags appropriate it as their anthem for getting hammered, dude. For such a non-conformist, for a rapper who insists on questioning everything about culture from religion to veganism to the real motives of activists, it's frustrating how traditional a record this is. His verses display a keen eye for detail, a conflicted soul, and a clear idea about what it takes to get his message across to people in an entertaining and thought-provoking way, but the choruses water down the songs, and his strict adherence to a chorus/verse/chorus structure doesn't break enough rules. There's a fantastic and original voice in there, but it's trapped inside of three and a half minute walls. In short, he needs to get out of his own way. There are people out there who will love this album, and for whom Mac Lethal's crotchety, grumpy, misanthropic style will resonate. After all, who hasn't gotten sick of the bullshit that goes along with every movement or lifestyle choice? In "Tell Me Goodbye," he makes a pointed criticism of the way every single tragic event spawns a song dedicated to it, and how for every artist who's genuinely concerned about the world, there are ten ready to promote themselves through someone else's tragedy. It's a complex and icky point—a tough position to take, but one that can at least spark an interesting discussion. After calling out those aforementioned activists for being attention seekers, he demands, "You want to be an activist? / Be a real activist!" I'd be thrilled to see Mac Lethal take some of that advice to heart with regards to his own music and make his songs hit as hard as his individual lines, and eventually an album that cuts as quick as his rhymes. Listen to "Rotten Apple Pie" from 11:11 |
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| Last Updated: Monday, October 8, 2007 at 02:30 PM |
