Eleven years ago now the grimy East Coast rapper and psychedelic art genius Boxguts put out his first (to my knowledge at least) full length album Mutilator, totally produced by Johnny23 beatmaker Will Taubin who at that time was probably best known for providing the instrumentals for a large chunk of LoDeck's album Behold (a Pale Donkey). When I first heard it my initial impressions were, in order, as follows: Wow, this dude is disgusting. Damn he's clever. Ha this is crazy! Wonder what else he has? Imagine if Company Flow decided to inhale a tank of nitrous and record an album with the intention of making Necro vomit, and you might get an idea of what to expect from the duo's sound and energy.
Now, as the new decade begins Boxguts has decided to return to his roots. He's worked with Will Taubin here and there since Mutilator, including releasing the aptly named Spare Parts in 2011 which consisted of some random tracks the duo cooked up together. However, they haven't gone into the home studio with the intention of following up their collaborative effort with something new. After my review of last years Feast of the Deities I asked Guts if he'd like UGF to promote any upcoming material, and this time he gave me the chance to listen to the Mutilator 2 masters fresh out the box. Needless to say I accepted.
I listened to this album mostly driving through traffic, and with a work schedule that's becoming more than I'm used to I won't have a chance to do a more thorough listen before Wednesday. Consider this a fan's announcement, including some initial thoughts about the new record, available on his Bandcamp now.
The thing I noticed most about this album early on was how far both of these artists have come in the decade between 2009 and now. For one thing, the mixing is much more professional, Mutilator was clearly a DIY labor of love and that was great, but it's pretty dope getting the chance to hear the product of ten more years of mixing and mastering experience. Will Taubin's production has evolved significantly as well, I told Guts yesterday that I was hearing something different with this material, and I finally figured it out. It's jazz. Moving back a bit from the discordant noise he used to make Mutilator so damn crazy, Will utilizes his excellent instinct for crate digging to build more melodic offerings (some vibraphone here, some clarinet there), which actually make the moments of discord more effective as they are often unexpected. The beat on the track "Swan in a Tar Pit" might even be called laid back, in a very East Coast way. Consider the difference between the eerie screech of the verse and the classical melody of the chorus on the first single, "Knight Melter" (as in the braggin' dragon) below:
Boxguts is a bit more experimental in everything he does now, and while that progression has been slow enough with over 20 albums to his name since 2009 that it's hard to really see one at a time, comparing the two Mutilators side by side really shows how he's gone for a more gritty and animalistic rhyme style. On the new album he keeps things crazy by rapping about everything from breakfast to deep sea marine life (I may have mentioned last time dude likes the ocean), all in a borderline growl. Less El-P, more Jak P but still entirely Box G.
Lyrically he's as clever as he's ever been, however with a bit less violent content and more quirky, psychedelic imagery. We’ve had some email conversations about where some of his older, darker material comes from (he's also a cool individual, super friendly and humble) and my understanding is what is created when he puts pen to paper is often not filtered much by what he expects to write or thinks you want to hear, sometimes conceptual sometimes just what flows. We get a direct link to Boxguts' brain with every track, and the experience naturally ranges from amusing to almost horrifying, as everyone with a brain can relate to. And I wouldn't ask for anything else.
Finally, unlike almost any other rapper out there, Boxguts handles all his own album artwork and I feel like it's the glue that holds each of his official albums together. We get a chaotic, scary, gross and gorgeous mosaic of eyeballs, birds, faces and guts with every album dropped, and just like what we hear, what we see is a window into the mind of the rapper. Without his paintings the full experience of his music cannot be enjoyed properly (the cover of Mutilator 2 is one of his newest works, Minced Man and it may be one of my favorites of his album covers. The bars of color give the eye a point of focus that is unusual in his more crowded, claustrophobic paintings), and for that reason alone I highly recommend going with a physical purchase. He seriously will go all out to make your costs worth it. I also want to finally point out his website, where he sells his original artwork. Even if you don't make a purchase, checking out what's on offer will guarantee an interesting 20-30 minutes of your day.
Even for those of you who don't think you like the type of music Boxguts makes, I urge you to give it a shot. What he gives us is as honest as anything else out there, and, I truly believe that we shouldn't limit what we listen to based on what we think we know about it. Anyone who follows my posts knows I listen to all kinds of music, from Ceschi to Boxguts. It's all hip hop, rhythm and poetry.
Get Mutilator 2 here from Boxguts' Bandcamp page on digital or even better on handmade physicals complete with dope extras like magnets and stickers (all painted by Guts himself, make sure to ask for an autograf if you want one). See you guys Friday!
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