Big ups to the folks at OKP for reviewing J. Rhodes’s SOM II. The review reads 3/4 positive with that 1/4 jab, but when you consider the source, you gotta give the album and review an “A.” And I would know… I’ve been a contributing lover (read: hater) of the OKP fam since 2003. Peep the review below.
J. Rhodes
Sound Of Music II
(D-Factory Ent. : 2008)
Posted on 07/07/2008
Think of the best emcees out of Texas and who comes to mind? Houston’s Scarface? Bun B out of P.A.T.? Over the course of your deliberation, there’s likely one glaring omission. What about Dallas? While artists in other parts of the Lone Star State have garnered notoriety, hip hop in the Big D has gone curiously unnoticed. How could this be? How could hip hop in such a prosperous city be so bankrupt? Beyond Badu’s boundless blending of R&B and rap elements, what does Dallas have to offer? Ask producer/emcee J. Rhodes and he’ll tell you it’s the Sound of Music II.
The album kicks off with “J-R-H-O-D-E-S,” a re-introduction of sorts given this album is a sequel. The track enters like a dust storm kicked up in the midst of tornado alley leading to a crisply-produced theme full of aspirations. With lyrics like, “the world finna listen up when I speak/future hall of famer and I haven’t reached my peak…I’m underrated, overlooked, I’m off the radar/competin’ with yo top five no matter who they are,” J. Rhodes reveals to the listener not only that he knows precisely where he stands in the eyes of the industry, but also indicates where he wants to be; the standard-bearing emcee outta DFW. For the most part, Rhodes succeeds. Tracks like “My City,” “Where I Live,” and “Bottom To Top” are slices of Oak Cliff life, a Dallas neighborhood that reflects the gritty reality that bubbles beneath the city’s prosperous veneer. They’re each at times sinister and treacherous, and lovingly reflective.
But they’re also prone to cliché. Anyone who has listened to a radio or cd within the past decade knows that synthesized horns and speedy hi hats have become a way of life in Southern hip hop. And J. Rhodes doesn’t appear to be in a rush to buck the trend. Though the lack of innovation or originality doesn’t hinder Sound of Music II’s accessibility, it makes many of the tracks indistinguishable from anything currently in Mannie Fresh’s voluminous catalogue. For instance, despite J. Rhodes’ silky recitation of the hook, “we got speakers, heaters, tweeters, lots of hydro for the chiefers, bootleg liquor by the liter, cross them tracks, you’re bound to see us,” and verses that seamlessly shift from styles resembling M.J.G. to Andre 3K, the aforementioned formula threatens to drown “Personal” in its distinctly southern stew. And “SOM II” is weighed down by Akron Watson’s vocorder enhanced backing vocals which devolve into a series of cringe inducing ad libs that sound as though T-Pain was involved in a horrible car accident.
Carrying an entire city on your back is a difficult burden to bear. Artists bold enough to take on the task must eventually determine whether they should take a chance and stand out from the crowd or blend in with the masses. Until J. Rhodes answers that question, the query of what Dallas has to offer will likely remain unanswered.
- Adam Roussell
