As a true hip-hop head who misses the slick rhyme styles from the ’90s instead of this fluffy, fake sh*t that has attacked the airwaves and infiltrated our ears, I’m always excited to hear fresh albums from MCs who haven’t sacrificed their craft for the sake of gold chains.
With that said, Beans’ latest LP, End It All, is a lyrical delight from a very talented MC that makes listeners remember the good old days when hip-hop was still hip-hop without all the bullshit. Just straight tight lyrics over hard-hitting beats is what you’re left with from the Antipop Consortium (APC) member. The fact that he also sprinkles some experimental beats throughout the release just further proves the uniqueness that the lyricist prides himself on.
Traditional bass heavy beats mixed with futuristic synths and some electro bass definitely adds a bit of funky coolness to End It All, the first album from the rapper that actually features only outside production (Four Tet, Clark, TOBACCO, Bumps, Son Lux, Interpol’s Sam Fog—all united by the inimitable flow and reborn swagger of Beans).
Brooklyn-based rap rebel Beans doesn’t hold anything back in his 13-track release, blasting his thoughts on life, the culture, industry and everything else in his unique rhymes and smooth flow that he so readily changes up throughout the album. On some tracks he’ll come on strong, spitting out verses like a tongue twister, while taking it slow on others like “Mellow You Out.”
With four solo projects under his belt, this MC has got his sh*t on lock. The album’s first single “Blue Movie,” a Son Lux original that trades in lush orchestral bursts and fuzzy drum pileups, really sets the tone for the rest of the album. Filled with epic lyrics that sums up the MC and his talents like: “I don’t step aside, I step up. So if you speakin’ shut up, this kid is about to erupt…New York, my mic is on fire,” which in my opinion is the best verse of the album. The video is pretty cool and a bit risqué with some girl-on-girl intergalactic action. Peep it here.
“Superstar Destroyer” starts of the 33-minute album and so bluntly blasts fake ass MCs with fast-ass rhymes over a beat that is a blend of “traditional” hip-hop and almost space-like synths. It definitely proves why he’s “still the champion” and one of my fave tracks on the album. My next fave has to be “Deathsweater,” with its sexy chorus, crazy-cool old school beat, and Beans’ spitting highly stylized braggadocio lyrics that’ll have you putting this tune on repeat.
End It All is proof that Beans is as versatile as he is a true original-making him more dangerous than ever. Whether you’re an OG fan or new to his music, Beans will definitely quench your thirst for some true hip-hop you’ve been ever so desperately wanting.
Words: Kristie Bertucci
Artist: Beans
Album: End It All
Label: Anticon
Release Date: February 15, 2011
