I am not superstitious. Yes I have a routine that I follow. Doesn’t everybody? Shortly after forming my routine I found success, or at least what I personally equate to success. Remember, your behavior is not superstitious if it works. Before the routine? Abject failure. After the routine? Fame and fortune (okay…I may be slightly exaggerating about the whole ‘fame and fortune’ deal). Now, before you all invent some cockamamie ideas about what this routine entails allow me to spell it out for you right here and now. This is what I do every day I write about music. It’s nothing really. Perfectly normal behavior.
- I sit down in my office chair and turn on my computer.
- While the computer is booting I spin the chair 90 degrees to the left, then 180 degrees to the right. This is repeated three more times until I arrive back at my starting position.
- I left-click on the ‘Start’ button (I am a windows user) five times before opening up Microsoft Word.
- I open five new documents. I then hum ‘eenie meenie miney mo’ in my head while the mouse pointer jumps from word file to word file until the chosen one is identified.
- Once the destined document is made manifest I type out the band name and album title. Then I get up and walk around the block twice. Once clockwise, the second time counterclockwise. This helps me focus.
- Upon returning to my office I complete the chair orientation drill in reverse order.
- I clear my throat. No I don’t use speech recognition software. I simply like having an unobstructed passageway for the air traveling to my lungs.
- After completing each sentence I will clap my hands, point to the sky; clap my hands, point to the floor beneath me. I’m just a vessel people. The words are never my own.
- When I finish a paragraph I always…
Alright I admit it. I have a serious problem. But for now let’s talk about something much more interesting.
Waveriders there comes a time when you have to ask yourself, what kind of hip hop do I like? Actually, you know what? Nevermind. I was going to try to bridge the gap between those who like their lyrical excursions to be complex yet articulate and those who enjoy simplistic, fanciful catch phrases delivered over bangin’ beats. On reflection, I'm not sure that’s possible. I know which camp I fall into, the former. That being said I’m not about to tell anyone they’re wrong to enjoy the latter. Honestly it is disturbing when acquaintances tell me how much they love artists like (insert name of virtually any rapper on the radio), but to each their own. Moving right along.
Today folks I’d like to tell you about an artist who exemplifies what I look for in a lyricist. His name is Supastition and he has a new release entitled The Blackboard EP. Supastition’s lyrical style hearkens back to the golden days of hip hop. He utilizes complicated rhyme patterns coupled with clever wordplay that will leave the listener behind if they’re not paying attention. Yes, in order to get the most out of this music you need to be an active listener. Crazy right? As far as the actual lyrical content goes, if you are looking for honest expression it doesn’t get much better than the songs from this EP. Take for example the first verse from the song ‘Rejoice’.
Since we last spoke, I left you with a pessimistic attitude / battered, bruised, learned rapper’s confidence ain’t shatter- proof / Nowhere to channel all the disappointment that accrued / self-imposed exile, 3 year sabbatical / not that it matters to you, you found music elsewhere / I found a 9 to 5, survived a couple of health scares / I never questioned why all my records were selling average / I was only caring about repairing my failing marriage / and being a better husband after all them European tours / it wasn’t worth all of the personal drama she endured / we became best friends, I dealt with my depression / accepted that my passion should never be my profession / that’s based on how my personality functions / (and the Williams) I found a better way to balance ‘em monthly / no surprise that most of my fans are out of the country / I make music on the side, that’s how I live comfortably now
Waveriders, what you just read is only the tip of the iceberg. Not only do you have songs based on subject matter most people can relate to, but Supastition is also a fantastic storyteller as well. Have a listen to ‘Best Worst Day’ and see what I mean. The bottom line is that The Blackboard EP is absolutely fantastic! Oh yeah, did I mention that everyone can download it for free off of Supastition’s Bandcamp page? It’s true! So why are you still here? Click the link and enjoy!
--Penfold
Stream / Buy Here – http://supastition.bandcamp.com/album/the-blackboard-ep
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