Die! (Necro)

Album review

Behind the boards, Necro is a master craftsman with a keen ear for samples and arrangements, having provided beats for a variety of hip-hop artists from Non-Phixion and Vinnie Paz to the Missin' Linx and Raekwon. But, on the mike, he's got just trick up his sleeve and that trick is bad taste. And not just ordinary bad taste -- the sort of bad taste that would make John Waters shudder. Necro's objective is to push listeners to the limits of disgust and revulsion and his M.O. is uncompromisingly vulgar lyrics rife with X-rated sleaze and bloody violence via a pounding, rapid-fire flow based on the G-Rap school of delivery. On his sixth LP, Necro the lyricist hasn't changed much; he's still trying to endear listeners by threatening to "put you in full-body cast/twist your spine like a Pilates class" and putting bloody twists on old adages (i.e. "your heart's in the right place/on the floor, mangled"). But beatheads and amateur producers won't be able to deny the sheer skills displayed on this record. Necro manages to compose backdrops for his signature slasher rap verses out of such unusual starting points as Scott Walker's "The Rope and the Colt," Bob Dylan's "Masters of War," and Shocking Blue's original recording of "Love Buzz." Elsewhere, he molds a compelling Vietnam-themed schlocker using tools from the second Rambo flick (samples from Jerry Goldsmith's score as well as bits of anguished dialogue) on "First Blood." But the record's most unexpected moment comes when a loop of Ani DiFranco's "Used to You" as she croons "I got a thing for assholes who tell good stories" segues into a barrage of sexually brutal lyrics on "The Asshole Anthem." If it were an instrumental record, Die! could very well stand up to the great beat albums of Pete Rock, Rob Swift, and J Dilla but, as things are, each song is an onslaught of gruesome rhymes and low-brow tastelessness, making Die! a hard listen. Admittedly, it's not for everybody -- well, to be realistic, it's probably for very few. Even the most desensitized hardcore hip-hop fans will have trouble getting through the entire track list. Nonetheless, Die! represents one man's unique and grotesque vision. There are no guest MCs and no other production talents on hand. Die! is pure Necro and is as close to sleaze -- literally translated into music -- as it gets.
© Matt Rinaldi /TiVo