Madchild has claimed the underground for a very long time, which is almost a genre all its own. When hearing the words “underground rap,” it’s easy to reminisce about Jedi Mind Tricks, Celph Titled, Madchild’s past group Swollen Members, or any of the many other artists claiming to be part of the underground rap scene.
Something seemed very different when the rapper hit us with the single “Tom Cruise,” though, as if he had been reborn with a very strong marketing team and an even better video editor, or maybe he was finally ready to consciously make that leap on his own. Silver Tongue Devil, however, seems to keep him too close to his comfort zone for him to achieve escape velocity. Even though the rapper now claims to be sober, there are still constant references to drugs, alcohol, and women. Which is not unexpected as that describes a lot of modern (and some past) underground rap, but then there are artists like Atmosphere and Aesop Rock (he came way before A$AP Rocky, guys) who break through that barrier. So what should have been a leap into new creative worlds of synthesized instrumentals and his penchant for humorous overtones with creative verbal acrobatics quickly turn into “Every young girl is a slut, is a slut / If they don’t care, then I don’t care, so let’s just live it up.” That isn’t to say the album isn’t an exciting turn. In fact, the work is one of the most complete of Madchild’s solo career. His lyrics are honest and incendiary at times, and his verbal acuity serves enjoyable flips and turns.
The instrumentals all have a heavily sampled, bat your eye snare feel to them with a modernized punch. And he’d been building such a strong presence this time around that it leads us to believe that this could be a career-changing album. Instead, Silver Tongue Devil acts as a continuation of his already legendary catalog. And has turned out to be evolutionary, not revolutionary. The before referenced “Slut,” for example, has almost the same exact chorus that you can find in his earlier albums Dope Sick or The Mad Child EP, on songs such as “I’m Okay” or “Drugs In My Pocket.” But even though the lyrics themselves are not surprising, the flow of the chorus from “Tom Cruise” and “The Jackel” show that he is showing a new range of styles within his work.
The raw, gritty sound and attitude are all there on this album, echoing the fiery intentions of his previous work. Which is why the album delivers. “Slayer” featuring Demrick serves a haunting piano baseline wrapped in the gravelly vocals of the two spitters. The cameo’s from Slain and from Rob The Viking are slick and varied the production from Evidence is stellar, and there are almost no wasted verses by silver-tongued collaborators like Demrick and Ceekay Jones. So, this album doesn’t fail to deliver to the fan base it was intended for, but it probably won’t entice new fans to join either.
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It’s great to see Madchild back in his environment, sober and working harder than ever. Hopefully there are more songs like “Tom Cruise” in the future, or like “Electricity,” where he truly seems to light a candle to his inner world. Of course, this is what works for him, and where he seems to be the most comfortable. And his long-term fans will certainly love this record, as it fits perfectly into the vinyl collection right next to Dope Sick.
