royceBIRTH

Written by Chi Chi on November 18, 2015

royceBIRTH first made his name as a producer in Toronto, working with artists such as Ghettosocks, Rich Kidd, Tona, and D.O. However, he’s established himself as a double threat in more recent years, releasing a couple of strong solo albums as both emcee and producer. If you haven't already been paying attention to this unique artist, his latest effort, Art on Fire!!, is sure to spark your interest.

The first thing that will hit you when you listen to Art on Fire!! is that this doesn’t sound like your typical hip hop album. There isn’t much in the way of classic boom bap beats to be had here. No, royceBIRTH instead channels a punk energy and aesthetic for the album, to create a style that draws more from groups like Suicide and Fishbone than Gang Starr or A Tribe Called Quest. It’s not about fat bass lines and laying back in the cut, it’s about a relentless drums pushing ahead the one beat, and as a result you get vocals that have to keep up and stay on top the beat. The sound quality of the album sounds like everything was played and recorded live in a garage. It’s also about lyrics that definitely have a sort of beat quality to them, as he often explores the darker side of life and the less fortunate souls of society. The closest contemporaries I can think of would be someone like Saul Williams or K-OS, in the way in which they also try to find a meeting point between hip hop, rock, spoken word poetry, and singing. It’s a sound that definitely caught my ear, to be sure, and more than anything I appreciate royceBIRTH’s energy and willingness to commit to a style that I’m sure some hip hop heads will push back against. I will say that while I enjoyed the album overall, there are points across the album where the lack of variety between songs can get just a little monotonous, but every time I start to feel that way, there’s a song like “The Rhythm, The Rebel,” or “Hello!” to break things up and provide a counterpoint to all of the uptempo punk drumming that drives Art on Fire!!.

Art on Fire!! Is a great album for any hip hop fans that are looking to break out of the funk for a moment, and trade in that boom bap or trap for some garage and punk rock. royceBIRTH has definitely carved out his own niche, and it’s certainly welcome.

Title:
royceBIRTH - Art on Fire!!
Label:
Hand'Solo
Year:
2015
Rating:
8/10 - Scratched Vinyl

Despite numerous guest and production credits, collaboration projects, EPs and a solo album, rapper and Juno-nominated producer royceBIRTH remains one of the most underrated hip-hop artists in Canada. His sophomore solo album should change that — if Caesar Is Home gets the proper push it deserves.

This is royceBIRTH in peak form. His lyrics are a fine mix of braggadocio and introspection and reveal his obvious love of music, but a lot of Caesar Is Home is dripping with discontent and rebellion. His smooth, soulful sample selections are still centre stage, but they're bolstered in many instances by heavy drums. Even when the tracks are mellower, you can still hear the special attention paid to the drums. And over it all is a general vibe of lo-fi experimentation — the samples distorted and reverb added — with unique sample choices that give the music a distinct sound, such as the bell on "John Carlos" that acts as the only high note on this otherwise muddy, minimalist beat heavy on metal samples.

It's the centrepiece of the album, but other highlights abound: more distortion and guitars on "Welcome Home," "Radio Raheem" and uptempo dance track "We Don't Care"; some smooth soul, complete with impressive singing from royceBIRTH, on "Agitation" and "Feel Like Doing Wrong." But really, it's all good. (Box Project Records) - Exclaim Magazine

Caesar Is Home is the second full-length project from Toronto emcee, royceBirth. This album is really a tale of two halves, as the first five of fourteen tracks are rock infused, and quite eccentric. Though, after the song "The Shining" (featuring Relic) this album takes off, and for the better may I add. The beats get smoother, the tempo and sound become a little more cohesive, and rocyBirth's verses get sharper. Yes it has a bit of a rocky start, but stick with this album and it'll prove to be well worth the listen. Caesar Is Home is an extremely versatile project that displays an array of sub-hip hop genres. royceBirth has an abundance of potential, so be sure to remember his name for future reference. - The Under-Cover Album Review

There shouldn't be any reason for you to confuse royceBIRTH with Royce Da 5'9", but just in case you got it twisted the former is from Toronto and the latter is from Detroit. The former is a relative rookie in the rap game, while the latter has been an underground (and occasionally mainstream) rap favorite for the past 20 years. The former is self-produced and mastered, hustling every part of his presentation by himself, while the latter works with the hottest producers in hip-hop on a regular basis.

It may seem an insurmountable climb for royceBIRTH to ever achieve the fame of the man a few inches short of six feet, but don't count royceBIRTH out so quickly. Going back as far as 2008 royce has successfully proved that he can crank out the jams for other artists, making him a producer in demand in his own right. The success of royce in 2015 revolved largely around whether or not he has shown growth as a lyricist since the release of "the REBIRTH," and "John Carlos" is reason to be optimistic.

"Reload and bring it hard, supercharged
Dolo by my own, known to drill a squad - kill at large
Rock to my own drums still as I fill the bars
Now ya gon' feel that rhythm, plus it got the barge
I ain't gon wish or wait, no delayin him
Bane with the bomb out, detonating a stadium
Elvis was a hero to most, but we deaded that
P.E. +Fightin the Power+ in my ready stance"

royce pairs his political polemic with pounding percussion worthy of Jay-Z's "99 Problems." If one was to say he was inspired by Rick Rubin as he "rocks to his own drums" it wouldn't be a bad choice of producer for him to emulate, nor would it reflect poorly on others to imitate him. He knows what he's about on jazzy mood pieces like "Hail Caesar (The King Must Die)," old school 1980's throwbacks like "#1 Soul Brother," and eerie whistling melodies like "Ownership."

One of royce's most pleasing choices intentionally or otherwise is his lack of guest stars, with only Relic making a cameo on "The Shining." Too often these days you don't get to know a rapper, you only get to know who his friends are that either put him on or that he himself is putting on. royce is content to let both his beats AND his rhymes speak for themselves. It's that confidence plus his ability to punch up hard hitting drums that make tracks like "Believe" a winner.

It would be overstating royceBIRTH's case to give this an unqualified endorsement. I did enjoy "Caesar Is Home" on the whole, but there were minor exceptions to the rule throughout. "Not Afraid to Die" went for a hard rocking sound full of vocal distortion, but it ends up sounding like it was recorded on an overused reel to reel tape stretched too thin. "Agitation" overdoes it on the cymbal smashes to the point it gives me a headache. There's nothing technically wrong with "Feel Like Doing Wrong" - I'm just not that into hearing royce sing. On the whole it's fair to say he has grown as an artist, while also stating that he's handled the challenge of being self-produced quite well. - RapReviews.com

Chicago/Toronto emcee royceBirth’s new LP Rebirth is an album to be treasured, on par with Common’s The Dreamer, The Believer, Finale’s A Pipe Dream and A Promise, and Nas’ best output; staples of bona fide hip-hop, which simultaneously blaze trails of inspiration through the blockades of adversity and of life’s many dead ends.

RoyceBirth is hip-hop’s psychiatrist whose diagnosis (and prevention) are prescribed in the therapeutic Rebirth. The album’s setting immerses the listener in melancholy as Royce lyrically journals his troubled life, the atmospheric production redolent of its sometimes disheartening nature. “Ankh (Yesterday),” “Good Morning (Morning Glory),” “Brand New,” and the hurt-my-soul “For You” form the darker chapters of Royce’s sinister biography. The sound of crystalline piano keys in “Purpose” and the haunting guitar strings in “And Remember” are digested like pain medicine to an injured spirit as he questions his existence searching for a driven purpose life. Drums brings hardened cement to life in the form of a “Brick In the Wall,” a single that metaphorically describes a human heart ostracized from an inhumane society.

There are singles that are injected with a massive dose of joviality, however, such as the joyful “Soul Clap,” a heavy bass and thunderous drum-clapping single that could make one dance to fire in the rain. “Hope (Act II & III)” chemically balance two completely different tunes into one with precision, providing “A Simple Song” for a hard knock life.

“When the Music Stops” is when RoyceBirth’s peregrination in life ends–but he is promised a new existence “Becoming Myself (Tomorrow).” And by adeptly embracing such a wide thematic range in coherent form, royceBirth’s opus becomes what it’s about–a Rebirth. - Okayplayer