Coming straight out of Kansas, USA is a crazy white boy making rap music. His name is Mac Lethal, and he’s the latest signee to the independent hip-hop litmus known as Rhymesayers. And boy does he ever fit the bill of angst ridden MC with a personal well of material to draw from; particularly when it comes to drinking beer and eating food—getting laid is also on that list, but Mac himself says his knowledge centers mostly around the drink and grub (see first single and college anthem: “Pound That Beer.”)
With production provided by Seven, Lenny D, and P.O.S. affiliate Lazerbeak, the album doesn’t lack sonic vision. Meanwhile, the words are both funny and cathartic, as Lethal gets down as if he’s a rapping Sam Kinison. Kids, don’t try this at home.
On the perfectly titled “Crazy,” this wound-too-tight MC states: “I’m perfectly content with being crazy,” as he channels his inner Eminem. While on “Calm Down Baby,” he delivers insights like “I don’t need lovin’ and I don’t need help/ I’d rather ride in the car by my gaddamn self…” Clearly he needs his alone time…There’s no lack of introspection from this road tested wordsmith.
As for influences, you can hear Slug’s voice on the L.D. produced “Know It All,” where Mac turns his vision on the world around him with statements like “I know a girl that blows weed smoke in her newborn babies face/ She swears that he loves the taste.” Ant himself couldn’t have come up with a more complimentary backdrop as this dark swirl of smoke.
Mac again evokes comparisons to his label mate on “Tell Me Goodbye.” On this ode to his hometown, Mac rides a sweet guitar confection and covers the mix with reveries of the place he’s from, offering up descriptions like this: “This town is so eerie when it snows/ All the trees look like ghosts…” But, at the end of the day, it’s all love. Curiously, there is no mention of the rapper Tech N9ne, who many consider the voice of K.C., but the two probably don’t run in the same circles!
The hypest track here is “Tell Me Goodbye.” Here Lethal calls out the new Internet savvy and marketing rappers whose every move is a dedication song to some human tragedy. You know the ones, “Katrina This,” “Virginia Tech That,” while not having genuine ties to any of the world’s ills. Lethal is definitely not a fan, and after listening to his treatise, you might find yourself questioning the next bandwagon MC as well.
In the end, this is another good delivery from the underground hit factory that is located in the heart of Minnesota. If you’re a fan of the Rhymesayers network, then you’ll no doubt find this album in rotation. If not, you’ll still gain some enjoyment from the ranting of a Midwestern lunatic, who just happens to have a grasp on this whole rap thang. Either way, you won’t walk away from this album without something to say, and there in lies the merit of a true artist.
