I did not devote enough time to To Pimp a Butterfly last year, and thus it didn’t make it onto my top ten list of 2015, but there was another rap album that impacted me. Last January, Hype Machine premiered Monster Rally and Jay Stone’s collaborative short LP, Foreign Pedestrians, and it is a masterpiece.
Calling it a “rap album” sells this record short. Monster Rally is responsible for the beats and lays the groundwork for excellence. He has always been known for what his label calls “global haze,” which in clearer terms is a cleverly cut soundscape of old-school soul and jazz melodies; however, adding an additional layer of witty lyrics pushes a well-made album to one that is impossible to dislike.
Jay Stone’s verses and the occasional flow from Brandon Rayson give Monster Rally’s production so much personality. The images in every track are so varied and rich, yet their meaning is never at risk of being misconstrued. Take this ‘titular’ sequence in “Melancholy”:
“I’m going out with guns blazing want my death to be amazing but, then again I’m tryna live”
Not once in this track does he ever actually say the name of the song, but this sentiment is tangible throughout. And in these three lines, there is more emotional depth than I heard on most records last year. No one wants to be forgotten after they die, and wanting to be remembered for how you die takes that vanity a step further, yet it’s hard to separate these thoughts from a fear of death as well. The contrast of wishing for death and hoping for a better life is a complex internal conflict that Stone reminds us is only human. We see this type of insight throughout the record, and yet, no one song feels overwhelmingly heavy.
So it goes without saying that this is without a doubt one of the most fun records of 2015. If you need proof, just listen to the final track, “Parthenogenesis.” Two new characters (who I want to believe are simply pitch-shifted Stone and Rayson) are introduced in probably the most unexpected mixtape skit, then rejoin at the end to provide some of the hardest lyrics on Foreign Pedestrians. [I am not going to defend Rayson’s verse in this track, though. I think there is a discussion to be had(/to be added to) regarding the treatment of black women in the black community- this is just not the right place for that discussion.]
Aside from that, just about every line delights me in one way or another. At times, the record is self aware (“this is the newest/oh have you heard it?/it can be your favorite”); and depraved (“strangled the Keebler elves ‘cuz my conscience said that I should”); and even tender (“if I see a pretty/flower I’mma pick it/and give it to my niece”). Stone’s lyrical delivery is effortless, bouncing off of Rally’s beats as if they were conceived simultaneously. There is no care taken to make the freestyles match a traditional pop structure either, which is evidence of their seemingly boundless creativity. It also gives the record a central flow, and makes it difficult to call one track a “single,” when they really all work together.
Though I haven’t had the chance myself yet, I know this would be a great listen on wax. If you feel like reciting all Stone’s flows, just keep it on Side A, but if you just want to jive with Monster Rally’s beats, flip it to Side B. Both artists shine brightly on this record, and I sincerely hope this is not the last of this collab. I may have loved how they ended the record (Stone: “embrace the end”), but in convincing myself that this is not the end, I point to his verse about reincarnation. “I say danke schön, auf Wiedersehen…”
Sawdust & Gin 