Album Review by EDF
As rap albums go, they can be very predictable. With the likes of Eminem, you know what to expect with semi-angry lyrics and a great production that makes each song sound like a classic. On the other end of the scale we have Canadian Pimp-T aka Troy Neilson who not only takes the basic but funky approach to hip hop from yester-year, he also injects a sense of fun with some positive lyrics.
From the outset INTRO injects a classic funk groove on ‘The Pimp-T Theme’ which explains that Pimp is not quite like Slim Shady but he can “drive the ladies crazy”. PETTY CRIME finds Pimp-T lying awake at night thinking back to when he was accused of a petty crime when he was 9 years old. HIPPITY HOP finds Pimp reminiscing back to the days of nursery rhymes when he was 8 years old. POWER IS MINDFUL PEACE spells it out to the listener what Pimp’s philosophy is about. PARTY SLAM is a house influenced scratch epic with more ideas squeezed into the four and a half minute track than you would find on most commercial chart music. Alternatively, we have the hilarious intro to“MOMA which leads into an affectionate tribute to Mom, “love my mom cause she is so nice”. FUNKY PUNKS ANTHEM recounts why Pimp-T and his crew rap and what rewards it might bring. The parting shot is Pimp-T’s MY THOUGHTS OUTRO, which is a bit like Jerry Springer summing up one of his shows. It’s a heartfelt explanation that what Pimp-T does is out of love for the rap genre and that people should take him as he is. With Pimp-T, we find that he is one of the few rap artists who do not have a huge ego to carry around with him. This in itself must be a first.
Most of the tracks on this release are positive and convey a straight forward message with the exception of a couple of tracks which showcases a sense of Mr. Angry coming out to show his face. The use of various producers makes the album more approachable to the listener, especially with Pimp-T’s, at times, laid back approach to rapping. As with all rap albums, the lyrics are important and the fact that Pimp-T’s message is mostly a positive one, this makes him unique and probably a threat to other rappers whose points of view to life is a negative one.
