Skulastic

In contrast to the bloated parody that mainstream hip hop has become, the underground scene never stopped bearing fruit. If you do find yourself moaning about how there has been no good rap music released in 15 years, dig deeper because a generation of emcees are out there. They are making music schooled by the old school and doing it very well, indeed. If you want to know where to start digging for these clued up, old school-influenced rappers that we're preaching about, we recommend starting here with Skulastic's eponymous debut album. Skulastic is a Canadian rapper and producer, citing influences from the '90s such as Mos Def, Queen Latifah and Rakim. She's been playing shows and honing her craft in and around Nanaimo for 4 years now. Even though this is her debut release, you never sense the naivety that is sometimes glaring on debut records, opening with the introduction: Finally, I'm breaking down the door, Took a minute to understand what I stood for Integrity, honesty Being myself, no fucking apology Straight away you can gather a sense of what Skulastic is about. Her vocal delivery is chilled out, confident and clear, landing somewhere between Fugees-era Lauryn Hill and Warren G's conversational style. There are even hints of G's west coast influence bleeding through in the production style of her beats: sampling R&B and soft jazz, and looping funk. The tracks themselves are short, combined the 11 are only 25 minutes long, but the album makes up for this by being well-structured and feels more rewarding when listened to from start to finish. The initial introductory attack of the album's first half is broken up by an instrumental, which leads effectively into a more ambient, intimate second half. Skulastic's lyrical ability is impressive throughout. Her words betray a wise head, and no ground is tread twice, daring you to listen on and see where she's going next. There is also a strong sense of connection forged between listener and artist the deeper you wade into Skulastic: I see and hear people, mostly my friends getting frustrated or happy with things and I think, yeah let me write a song about that. That we can all relate to because I am going through that or feeling that too, she told IMR, when asked about from where her lyrics come. It's this sense of connection that makes Real Game the stand out track on the album. A ballad about a lost flame delivered smooth and chilled to an R&B beat, recalling Jay-Z's Wishing On A Star and that kind of vibe where the listener becomes a page in a diary or a friend on the phone. Another highlight track is Move Slow, for that same reason. When it comes to connecting with the listener, Skulastic is in her element and streets ahead of even her collaborators, although L.I.F.E.T.I.M.

E's verse on the closing track Money Knowledge (Remix) deserves praise. This is a strong, well-structured debut album. This is music that you can get inside, and Skulastic proves to be involving and consistently interesting lyrically. It's not quite a masterpiece; it's all over too quickly at 25 minutes. We were left wanting more, but you can't help but be impressed by Skulastic's obvious talent and incisive mind. This album is the sound of a self assured, confident woman realizing and thriving on her potential and we look forward to hearing where she goes from here. Rating: 4/5 stars Adam Carrington - Indie Music Reviewer.