If you are turned off by the watered down, stale, unimaginative, formulistic, calculated, horrible, horrible, horrible hip hop on mainstream radio today, then follow this process…
Step 1: Listen to top 40 hip hop on your radio until nausea sets in (approximately five seconds). Step 2: Unplug your radio and throw it in the trash. Step 3: Go out and buy or download Busdriver’s new album Beaus$Eros. Step 4: Put the album on your iTunes, IPod, CD player, ect. Step 5: Listen to Beaus$Eros. Step 6: Listen to it again. Step 7: Love hip hop again and never go back to listening to mainstream crap.
Beaus$Eros, the 7th album from indie rapper Busdriver, is a stroke of genius. While it will probably end up one of the best albums released this year, it is a shame that work like this is not what is representing hip hop to the masses. But on second thought, maybe that is a good thing, for Busdriver has driven hip hop to new boundaries and is traveling on a road of his own. From track to track, you would have a hard time defining this as a hip hop album. Busdriver combines multiple genres from hip hop, synth pop, R & B, doo wop, reggae, rock, dance and electronica. He Raps, sings, harmonizes and talks all in the same song. At times he sounds like Wyclef Jean fronting TV on the Radio or Radiohead writing songs for Michael Jackson.
The hooks per minute on this album are relentless and every song has their moment. Trying to pick a standout track is like a mother trying to decide which one of her children she likes the best. The opener, “Utilitarian Uses of Love,” is not only one of the greatest song titles ever, but an infectious tune with an off kilter chorus so good it hurts. “NoBlacksNoJewsNoAsians,” should be blasting on dance floors everywhere. “Picking Band Names” is a breezy, chilled out cut with another incredibly catchy hook and “Bon Bon Fire” has the remarkable mind sticking ability of a children’s song.
Out on Valentines Day, Beaus$Eros will absolutely make you fall in love all over again. Don’t expect to take it out of your stereo for a while. In fact, if you just want to permanently glue it in there for good, go ahead. Because, think about it, you certainly won’t find anything this good on the radio.
Review by Bradley Gibson
Woah. Thank you so much for alerting me to this! Busdriver just gained one new rabid fan.