Album Review: Bicasso – Rebel Musiq (2009)
Rating: 3 out of 5 Potholes
Keeping in a similar movement with Dead Prez and Zion I, Bicasso is not just a rapper. This should be made inherently clear when checking out his Discogs page.The rapper/producer/DJ lays out the foundation on strong synth funk and a do-for-self message in a similar vein to one other left coast native – Boots Riley of the Coup. Rebel Musiq is his sophomore effort on the indie powerhouse of Legendary Music, home to such folks as Living Legends, Grouch & Eligh, and LuckyIAm.
Starting off with the eerie Dilla-esque, “One! Blastoff” introduction, Bicasso gets right into the thick of establishing his musical identity to the world, while “It’s On” features the fellow Living Legends resident Murs, and has Bicasso sounding similar to stic.man of Dead Prez, which isn’t a bad thing.Clap heavy snares and trunk-tight drums are laced throughout the tracks.“Get Free” is very uplifting lyrically, while “Think Big” is the opposite, and has the same amount of thump as a Turf Talk track would.
“Rebel Musiq”, which appears to be the lead-off single, is what meshes the vintage west coast production value along with lyrics of relevance, and certainly showcases Bicasso in his proper element.“The Town” features The Grouch, is cleverly placed as a cruising anthem, riding a subdued clap, and Grouch makes his presence felt on the track.“My Life” carries a chopped-and-screwed chorus, and is the crowning achievement beat-wise.
he production on Rebel Musiq is very much a West Coast smorgasbord of old and new, judging by some of the cleverly placed breaks and well formulated yet laid back melodies located. There are times such as “People Get Ready” and “Amerikan Dreamz”, which the production and lyrics seems as if they’re not perfectly matched for one another.Other times the hooks have a tendency to not be as potent as the whole of its tune, such as the case on “Party Metroid” featuring Zion I and “Holdin’ On (Ur Love)”.
All in all for the second time out, Rebel Musiq is a satisfactory sophomore effort from Bicasso.Certainly one to take his artistry seriously, he makes at least a good portion of the cuts on this album come to life. Some of the time the songs may suffer from being a general blur from making Rebel Musiq a cohesive effort, but a slight majority of the cuts make up from the subpar minority.
