John Tierney
Authenticity is a bold and brave thing to pull off in any musical form, genre be damned. But I think sometimes in hip-hop it’s an even more courageous thing still. When you think of the greatest in the game these days you think of artists like Kendrick Lamar, who lays it all out there every single time even when what he is laying makes you wonder, makes you think.
The more I hear rap artists these days, the more I am reminded that these voices, these words are personal, just like the lyrics of Dylan, or of Bill Bragg or any other poet with his own journal wide open
Civil Blood, the recently released album by Evil Key is a mini miracle of DIY, moody hip hop. Crafted primarily by the artist alone in these weird post pandemic days, the tracks, from a lyrical standpoint show off some deep introspection from a highly thoughtful artist who isn’t afraid to lay his emotional and intellectual cards on the table surrounded by a chilled out almost dark hip hop groove.
With Evil Key, Jonas Reddy-Nicholson, has carved out a place in the sonic landscape that diverges from his work with the late, lamented sonic jam space of Vapoureyes and creates a sound that on one hand throws back to the early trip-hop vibe of artists like Tricky and other times like an Eminem deep track with its emotional honesty.
What makes this album great, isn’t the well-crafted beats and melody in the tracks. It’s not the pristine production, what makes this album great is the lyrical content. It’s like getting a look into Nicholson’s private journal as he lays it all out on each track. Words so personal and often self-critical that the listener knows what we are all hearing is authenticity.
“I Could Become” is a lament on the conditions of the writers life and relationships, a statement of disappointment in life’s complications and a hope for a simpler more pure future.
“How it Should Be” is a beautiful dialog between lovers in a relationship that needs a restart featuring charming backing vocals from Danielle Marie that is so good it’s over too soon.
The album wraps up with a bit of an old school hypnotic groove “I’m Lost In It” a manifesto if you will on the work and patients required to make it as an artist. It’s an uphill climb and you must be ready for the swings.
“If you’re going to rap, keep it real and know it’s a whole lot of hustle before the glow up”
Evil Key keeps it real and keeps the hustle going. And Civil Blood is one of the best local releases of the year.
If that’s not authenticity, then I don’t know what the word means.