REVIEW: Mike Dee - The Sound of REDemption
For fans of: Lupe Fiasco, the Roots, murs
Let's start by being up-front. It's a rough time to be a rapper. Stop, rephrase. It's a rough time to be a legitimate rapper. Infectious rhythm, intelligent rhymes, and general artistic merit have given way to substance abuse-related speech slurring, incessant generic grunting, and barely coherent ego-inflating. If those are the things that are going to sell hip-hop records, then Mike Dee's latest offering, The Sound of REDemption, is a risky venture indeed.
Mike Dee (not to be mistaken for Beastie Boy Mike D.) wants to be the artist to show us that good hip-hop isn't a thing of the past. His six-song EP contains more of the memorable, grin inducing one-liners and head-bobbing rhythmic shake-ups than you're likely to hear on an ipod full of current top 40 hip-hop.
Five of the six songs on REDemption were produced by John Moreland, an accomplished punk, metal, and Americana songwriter. He tries his hand at beat-making, and to no one's surprise, knocks it out of the park. Mike Dee has had talent swelling up inside of him for some time now, as if he was waiting for just the right vessel to carry it to the masses. Moreland's unique musical sensibilites and interesting perspective on hip-hop music might be just what Mike's been waiting for. Moreland's relatively laid-back beats contrast beautifully with the unwavering strength of Mike's voice, weaving together a complex, interesting blend of "chill" and "in-your face" (better terminology escapes me).
The record's fifth track, "Off my Chest," is the only song not produced by Moreland, though he lends his voice to the song's choruses. It's the closest thing to a real hip-hop ballad I've heard since Bone Thugs realeased "Tha Crossroads." Mike Dee took the wheel on this one, writing the beat and telling a wreckingly painful story of lost love. Mike Dee's emotional commitment to "Off My Chest" is very apparent, perhaps even more so than the rest of the record.
The highlight of the record, for me, was the fourth track, entitled "Kaplow." "Kaplow" proves Mike Dee to be one of the few rappers that have something real to say. Let's face it. The hip-hop artist with any sort of conviction is truly a difficult one to come across. The Christian hip-hop artist is dead, having abandoned his faith for more marketable lifestyles, or else being so angry at everything that he finds himself unable to focus on changing the world. The sympathetic and charitable street-raised rapper is almost dead too, having been swept away by appearance and a busy schedule. Mike Dee, though, in "Kaplow," takes an urgently strong stance for a few of the things he believes in. With a quick wit and loud roar, Mike Dee denounces many of the wicked things of the world that lead to breakdown and suicide, including drugs, deadbeat dads, and promiscuity. Having known Mike for a few years, "Kaplow" was the song I was waiting for on REDemption, to send the chill up my spine and put the lump in my throat.
With some artistic contribution from other reputable Tulsa rappers like Sur'Ron and Algebra, Mike Dee's The Sound of REDemption fulfills a part of what I think the world is looking for in hip-hop. It's not quite enough to change the world, but it's a step in the right direction. I've come to expect a lot from Mike Dee (he wrote a song called "S on My Chest" three years before Lil Wayne did). He's got a lot to live up to. But with REDemption, I'd say he's doing a pretty good job.\ -JR
Check out Oilhouse, a hip-hop collective in which Mike Dee participates.
