The concept of bridging the gap between the hardcore and hip hop seems to be the driving force behind Real Recognize Real as their range of releases and distro items include artists from both of these worlds. Being a huge rap fan I can only admire the idea but there should be with no discussion that it doesn’t mean that rappers should be given a credit just because they have ties to the hardcore scene.
Hardcore kids should recognize Skam Dust for his involvement in the already classic Son Of Skam project where he laid down some pretty cool rhymes along with fellow DMS soldiers. Now, couple of years later, his full length album called Corona Drug Bust is out. After a completely passable intro the title song kicks in and it’s fire! The beat is fucking insane and the rhyme delivery by combined forces of Skam and Freddy Madball is reckless. Hands down, the best track on the album. Too bad it is followed by couple of completely passable tracks such as Godz Of War, Pray For Me or Out Of The Zoo. Most of these beats are lacking in bite and have zero personality. And that’s the main issue with this album – while there are couple of tracks here where Skam definitely holds his own, there are also tracks that would be better left out. When it comes to rapping, Skam is not the best lyricist out there but when provided with the right beat, his aggressive delivery make up for the lyrical drawbacks. His style brings to mind classic shouting rap acts like Onyx or MOP and while he’s not on that level yet, but he’s got enough charisma to make things interesting.Some memorable songs also include Ready To Rock where Skam teams up with Grizz Rock to unleash lyrical mayhem over some heavy ass, guitar-led beat. In Wild Style Life Style Skam dives into hardcore territory proving that he could easily front straight up NYHC band. One Time is also ok, kind of classic New York hip hop song with strong, fat beat. The album also includes couple of Son Of Skam songs – if you don’t have Five Borough Manhunt cd, it might be a treat.
Overall, this album suffers from way too many mediocre filler songs that are so flat and lack character. It has its good share of moments, but the highlights are being dimmed by the mediocre or plain whack tracks. And it’s kinda shame because couple of times here Skam proves that when the beat is right, he can spit fire.
Review by Dloogi
Label: Real Recognizes Real Records
Year: 2010
Skam Dust's website
