Last year I reviewed the post-London riot release 'The Exploits of Youth' by Lincolnshire lo-fi band Youth On Fire. Chuckie G played bass on that album. The 'high' of recording spurred his swift return on this Hip-Hop release. Rappers don't tend to come from Lincolnshire, so Chuckie G has his work cut out. At a first glance, the track listing is comical to say the least.
'Intro/Check Me Out' begins with a Justice sample. The sample used by countless boxers and several football teams to strike fear into opposition... It doesn't have the same effect in this context. It's short and introduces the beats and the Middle Britain accent we try and disguise to the world. Averageness, describes the Midlands. Check Me Out opens with a typical vocal introduction, before the swearwords enter. It's actually quite lyrical, "Yeah, I'm the freshest bitch" / "haters on the left, lovers on the right.. I'll be fucking this bitch all night".
Then comes the educational 'Beats, Then Hoes, Then Lessons'. Chuckie G is simply spitting his hierarchy of life. The track focuses around a strikingly beautiful bass synth which is 80's-esque. He talks about male genitals and girls. It's a very profound track and the fast paced verses allow the simplistic chorus to take effect. 'Haters (Gonna Hate On Me)' sticks out to me. The lyrics are very fresh and show teenage skill. My initial response was 'what?', but after several close listens I'm able to appreciate this track for its imagery. Vocal repetition opens and closes the track, with Chuckie giving his distorted and obscured vocal as the chorus.
One of the ear catching moments from The Exploits of Youth was the Syd Barret-esque 'Mammoth'. It had fantastic bass work, which was in focus for the majority of the track. The structure was fantastic for a group of lads that barely accumulate 65 years of age between them. So where has this structure gone. 'Interlude: Trillwave Spaced-Out' has a nice little bass, but the synths sound dated and the drum roll is pretty standard. However, the sample is fantastic and the twirl on the tempo knob sets up the following track nicely. "Bitches", closes off this track.
'3 Girl Pussy-Time' has the same Grandmaster Flash sample. The beat is very formal and Chuckie G raps with venom. His simplistic chorus is back with the refrain of the song title. The outrageous lyrics return, "You're getting none, but I'm getting three", "I sneak in to her bedroom, three girls, gonna get my dick wet soon", "Right up to my balls", "Polaroid camera taking pictures for my bros". Some call it immature, others call it Chuckie G. Remember that Chuckie G is yet to reach the legal drinking age.
'I'm Jesus' starts with a vocal introduction 'bigging' up Chuckie G. This vocal effect is also used to end the track once again. The actual rap is about Chuckie being the 2nd coming of Jesus. It uses a GZA/Genius sample and it's been well produced. 'Ginger $wag' has a lovely opening. The fast paced vocal is by far the best rap by Chuckie G on this release. The listener is faced with imaginative lyrics like, "your mother has a dick". The beat slows down unpredictably, then Chuckie G mentions this and begins to speed the beat up with yet another fast paced rap.
'Flexin Like A Gangsta' is the closing track. The lyrics are again, Parental Advisory. "Flexin Like A Gangsta, I shoot you bitch, Flexin Like A Gangsta, I fuck your bitch". Dr. Dre-esque synths swoosh before the chorus kicks in with melody. This track is the longest as well as my personal favourite. The synth line is aggressive yet content. The vocals are effected well and the beat doesn't fail to amuse me. All the tracks are very humorous, and they show great signs to even more releases by Chuckie G.
~Eddie G