You may not know it, but apparently hip hop is in a “state of emergency”. Some people seem to think that hip hop is under attack from a variety of enemies. New England-based Benzino is one of these folks who’s telling anyone who’ll listen that the sky is falling in the rap music game. Who or what is Public Enemy #1 according to Benzino? Why, Eminem, of course.
This must be true, because the top-selling rap music magazine in the world, The Source dedicated a good chunk of a recent issue to a series of editorials and Benzino interviews that explained why Eminem and “suburban culture” were ruining hip hop. Oh, did I forget to mention that Benzino is co-owner of The Source Magazine? Hey, why let a little thing like a blatant conflict of interest get in the way of a burgeoning rap feud?
Benzino has used his magazine to give himself and his new album more publicity than even the most established rapper could hope for. As if all that free ink wasn’t enough, Benzino has targeted the most popular rapper in the game in an attempt to drum up even more sales. This quasi-war would be pretty forgettable if not for Benzino’s unique battle plan.
He’s likened the influence of Eminem to that of Elvis Presley who some considered to have “stolen” rock and roll from us African-Americans. It’s Benzino’s contention that history is repeating itself. So, he’s here to lead a hip hop revolution to take rap back. I couldn’t make this crap up if I tried, kids.
In a perfect world, Benzino’s album, Redemption, would follow up his outrageous claims with the right amounts of substance and style. In the real world, this album exposes Benzino as an amazingly mediocre rapper who has surprisingly little to say.
Oftentimes, less talented cats load up on high-profile guest spots to fill in the gaps. Predictably, that’s true here. Benzino calls in favors from A-List artists like Jadakiss, Wyclef Jean and Scarface. Despite the fact that all three have previously released critically-acclaimed material, they’re all phoning it in this time around. This is particularly true on the three minutes of regurgitated gangsta clichés in 44 Cal. Killa where Scarface just mumbles over the hook.
R&B singer Mario Winans is co-listed as executive producer and contributes to a handful of tracks. He produced Rock The Party, which is a listenable little party jam. Benzino’s rudimentary lyrics don’t help, but he manages to keep flow with the up tempo vibe. Winans’ hook work on Would You is solid, but the track is absolutely ruined by the presence of LisaRaye. You might remember her from the horrible 1998 movie The Player’s Club. Well, she back…and she’s rapping! This isn’t hyperbole. She’s the worst rapper ever and I’ve heard Deion Sanders’ album.
If you can believe it, Redemption actually manages to lower the bar the longer you listen to it. Make You Wanna Holla is Benzino telling us that it’s hard being a thug. Fortunately, he has money and power and bytches to get him through the day. Hoola Hoop has a techno-reggae hook that’ll make your ears bleed and production not unlike the tripe that Cash Money keeps putting out.
There’s not a shred of originality anywhere to be found here. On the title track, Benzino channels (or rips off, if you will) the flow of Tupac and the lyrics of The Geto Boys. These days every rapper has to have one track where you think he’s professing his love for a woman, but it turns out to be his love for a gun or drugs. On Different Kind of Lady it’s both.
Let’s face it: there’s only one track that anyone wants to hear. Pull Your Skirt Up is Benzino’s heavily hyped diss to Eminem. As diss tracks go, it’s subpar (but probably the best track on the album). There just one good line (“…if you were five shades darker/you’d be Can-I-Bus…”) and there’s no fire or passion in any of Benzino’s words. It’s just a paint-by-numbers effort by a man who’s fighting a battle he’s already lost.
