Thurz – L.A. Riot
London Live: 2011
Those coming into Thurz’s L.A. Riot looking to hear that fly kicks, pretty girls, party-n-bullshit sound from his former U-N-I days should know he’s moved on. L.A. Riot is a focused artistic statement of political angst, social rage, and lyrical executions. 20 years after the footage of Rodney King getting brutally beat by LAPD was aired, Thurz aims to use his solo debut to capture the spirit of that moment. The album elucidates Thurz’s feelings and ideas around police surveillance harassment and violence (“Fuck The Police”), the use of the N-word (“Niggas”), and Crip-Blood gang conflict (“Two Clips”). The sound is drenched in heavy guitar riffs, fat bass lines, boom-bapin’ drums, and dramatic synth flourishes that perfectly capture a collective hostility and search for justice in contemporary urban America.
The punk rock meets hip-hop feel of opener “Molotov Cocktail” sets the stage of L.A. Riot as Thurz’ grizzled near spoken-word impressions sit angrily within hard guitar fuzz and thundering drums. The albums’ most ambitious and clear-headed statement, “Rodney King”, has Thurz scripting a first person account of the day Rodney King was beaten through an assortment of sounds and movements. Thurz’s conversational tone and vocal dexterity builds the environment King lived through from the moment he entered the car to the last baton blow with efficiency and precision. It’s one of the year’s most powerful story telling moments.
L.A. Riot is not all vitriolic ideological assertions, though. The pimpin’ lean of “Hell’s Angel” is driven by a funky bass and Spanish guitar lick Thurz uses to speak on his appreciation of the opposite sex. The song’s groove cuts delightfully deeper as BJ the Chicago Kid’s buttery vocals lace the hook. A couple of songs later, the legendary Black Thought appears and completely bodies the DJ Khalil produced “Riot”. Over a raucous firework synth, Thought and Thurz beat up any sucker emcees thinking they got the skill to grab a microphone in their presence. Also album closer “Dope” is that 808s electro-futurist funk where Thurz styles with ease and confidence.
It’s these qualities that make L.A. Riot part of the very strong continuum of releases from the West Coast this year, and arguably the best. Where most art just lends it self to escapism, Thurz has created a piece of music that not only speaks truth to power, but is dynamic and theatrical in its presentation. Whether it’s the chonky Black rock of “Niggas”, the Southernplayalistic-esque funk of “Big Ball”, or him explaining U-N-I’s dissolution on “Prayer”, Thurz allows his personality and ideas to shine confidently. Some times change and this time, it’s definitely for the better while the new incarnation of Thurz will dead the hipster-hop label and gain new fans.
4 out of 5
i think this is better than anything U-N-I put out anyways…
wait. so no more UNI? that would make me sad.