Music review: Random Abiladeze – ‘Brutally Honest’

Random Abiladeze

Brutally Honest

Self-released

Rating: 4

Sacramento rapper Random Abiladeze (pronounced “abilities“) really does have some serious lyrical abilities. Listening to his full-length debut, you get the sense he’s “been doing this for a while,“ and it‘s true – he has.The 22-year-old emcee, winner of this year’s Battle of The Bay Poetry Slam at Stanford University, has been rapping for almost 10 years. With his clever social commentary and polished, high energy anthems, the Northern California native has shared the stage with big-timers including Nas, Tech N9ne, Mistah F.A.B. and Luckyiam.His seamless deliveries and political charged lyrics on Brutally Honest are reminiscent of some of the hip-hop greats he cites as influences, including Nas, Tupac and KRS-One. In this vein, “Slowge Boosh,“ sarcastically pays homage to Dubya’s thug-like politics, calling Condi Rice his “little chocolate cupcake.““Don’t Stop It,“ has the kind of fun, colorful, noisy beat that is so raucous and catchy that you are tempted to just ignore the lyrics and bop your head. Nonetheless, this song summarizes some of his basic philosophies as a hip-hop artist – to send a message, while staying fresh and relevant. “Many people wish to be a part of something, so they find an interest that seems popular and dive into it for a moment to see if they can become a part of the fun. That‘s great, but I would have to say this is symptomatic of the Band Wagon Syndrome,“ he posted on his MySpace blog. As just one of the countless rappers around the country, big and small, who are a part of the current wave of politically conscious rap, perhaps one could argue that he seems to have leapt on something of a bandwagon himself. Nonetheless, what seems to separate him from the next guy is he seems fully aware of his place in the rap world – he may not be hugely well known, but he’s real and true. His dedication to artistic integrity over money is apparent in the no-sellout anthem “Lay the Foundation,“: “If hip-hop is dead, then well its steadily returning…. We don’t want to, but we gots to, be the ones who, lay the foundation.“Even if his political lyrics aren’t necessarily mind-blowingly original, he finds clever and creative ways of saying what might have already been said before. Blend that with infectious beats, and it works great.