Gravediggaz made a living out of raw, raunchy, disgustingly violent raps. Wu Tang did a little bit of it, too (particularly Method Man). And that seems to be all Eminem was interested in talking about on his new album. But I have to say that that kind of rap always struck me as kinda lazy. So I was surprised at how much I’m loving the new release from Brotha Lynch Hung and Cos, “Suspicion v.2.”
Brotha Lynch Hung is a big fan of grotesque, over-the-top imagery. On his official website
, which is called “Made Sicc” by the way, he greets you with a picture of himself holding a colored rope that’s supposed to look like a large intestine, complete with flies buzzing around it. And that’s about all that’s there. But even his gross rhymes are agile and creative. Like this one: “I’m gonna stick my thumb through the hole in your brain/I’m gonna eat your thoughts/Heat your block in the oven/Then eat your block with smothered onions on the side.”
And his other raps are even better. He shows mastery over gangsta raps (“Thangs In The Kitchen” and “King Kong”), braggish boasts (“What They Want”), and even social commentary (“Kids In The Ghetto”), all with a wide range of style, speed, and delivery. Hung is one of those rare charismatic rappers who seem to be able to speak in any style without sounding like they’re just imitating or trying to show versatility just to get a record deal. And his reworking of “Hit ‘em Up” is nothing short of brilliant. It’s actually better than 2Pac’s original.
Brotha Lynch Hung is a Sacramento rapper who began rapping back in 1986 (going by the lame moniker “Ice Cold”), and released his solo debut all the way back in 1995 with the graphic and violent, “Season of da Siccness,” which went gold. His experience in the game shows—he’s a master of the art and, for the life of me, I can’t understand how he isn’t more well known. He’s fearless.
