Review Summary: "Let the puddle be the drawbridge and moat..."
One day, after tiring of listening to Young Thug and Fetty Wap circulate endlessly on major radio stations, I decided to listen to some underground hip hop. I was already an Anticon/Rhymesayers fan, having bought Doseone's "Hemispheres" and Eyedea & Abilities' albums as well as some Atmosphere LP's. So I was naturally psyched for The Taste of Rain...Why Kneel?. Needless to say, this album (along with my own work) has become my favorite hip hop LP. For this review, I wanted to score each track and then add a conclusion. So here goes...the magnum opus of Deep Puddle Dynamics...
#1: Deep Puddle Theme Song- 4.75/5
"Life is but a sinking feeling..."
The four MC's (Sole, Alias, Slug, Doseone) transition between each other, matching one another bar for bar while DJ Abilities produces a heavy boom bap beat with a dark feel to it. Already I can tell that Alias and Slug have top-notch flow.
#2: The Candle- 5/5
This song is so artistic. Each DPD member personifies themselves as a component of a candle (Doseone = the fire, Sole = the wax, Alias = the wick, Slug = the candle-holder). Concerning the beat (produced by Moodswing9), the piano riffs and horns really make this instrumental sound beautiful. Also, the skill displayed by these rappers is insane. One of my favorite lines is by Alias: "Being surrounded by wax/you'd swear I was a DJ" was hilarious.
#3: Thought vs. Action- 5/5
Now the theme explored by Deep Puddle Dynamics is exactly the title- thought versus action. Everyone is on point here, especially DJ Abilities' work on the instrumental. Personally, this is one of my favorite hip hop tracks ever.
#4: Where The Wild Things Are- 4/5
Although Sole and Alias spit good verses on this track, Dose and Slug steal the show here. Alias has a solid verse, but suffers a bit from going third. DJ Abilities' instrumental is a marvelous ethereal instrumental complete with choral samples. "Where The Wild Things Are" also directly segues into....
#5: June 26th, 1998- 4.75/5
Another homerun by the Deep Puddle gang. Jel produces this cut, and does a bang-up job, I might add! If only Sole had not chanted the chorus too much and just let the beat run by its lonesome....
Apparently, the first 8 tracks were recorded around this date in June of 1998, while 9-12 were recorded a year later, explaining the titles.
#6: The Scarecrow Speaks- 4.5/5
Doseone barely rhymes, and aside from that, virtually no negatives! Sole's verse is the best thanks to its relative simplicity and directness. A tad bit of pretentiousness from Alias and a funny Slug verse.
#7: I Am Hip Hop (Move the Crowd)- 5/5
IAHHMTC satirizes the violence and club mentality in rap music with razor-sharp wit. Sole plays the killer, Slug the performer who witnesses the murder, Doseone is the drunk bystander, and Alias plays the victim. From Dose's funny line of "Now that's a foxy young lady/If she'd only put some clothes on" to Slug's repeat of the chorus: "Adapt/Can't run forever- trapped/Death stepped up to shed another blood/You knew I would/I feel you should" lampoon common mainstream rap tropes. Doseone is by far the most entertaining of the MCs, as his non-sequitur, barely-rhyming style fits perfectly with the drunk character. The instrumental (provided by Jel) is dark and brooding enough for this track.
#8: Heavy Ceiling- 4/5
Alias KILLS "Heavy Ceiling" in my opinion with his flow and lyricism. Slug opens with a stellar verse as well, and the chorus is catchy to me.
#9: June 26th, 1999-A: Slight- 4/5
Another song to make you think. The instrumental is the best thing about this song (it's rather lovely, with tambourines, guitar riffs, and rock-influenced drum beats).
#10: June 26th, 1999-B: Exist- 5/5
One of my favorite songs ever. The chorus is funny yet philosophic: "Fingering our belly buttons, thinking of the bigger things in life" implies omphaloskepsis (contemplation/meditation through one's navel). Alias once again kills it, as does Doseone ("Adam's found his courage" is a great lyric).
#11: June 26th, 1999-C: Purpose- 4.5/5
Alias produces a beautiful instrumental with a female vocal sample as the chorus ("I tippytoe across your running shoes/So as not to wake you"). Dose also ends this track with a noteworthy outro.
#12: June 26th, 1999-D: Mothers of Invention- 5/5
Everyone is amazing on "Mothers of Invention". The only negative is Alias' lack of a verse (he only has chorus duty) and its brevity, but without these, "Mothers of Invention" is still a standout song.
#13: Rainmen- 5/5
"Let the gutter be the book you never wrote/let the puddle be the drawbridge and moat..."
All of these verses are masterful, and the touch of slight change in drum beats between verses adds another dimension to the song.
Overall: 5/5
Deep Puddle Dynamics' debut album can quite easily measure up to any conventional hip hop classic. TTORWY should rank alongside The Slim Shady LP, Ready to Die, and other well-known classics as a great album. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to complaining about mainstream hip hop...
