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It's not too often I get a chance to spotlight a group from the West Coast, so when Damaged Goods, a four man crew out of Sacramento, sent me their debut album, I was eager to check it out. The group emerged from the Sactown graffiti crew TBK (according to their bio, one of the members spent a year in jail and was fined $40,000 after getting caught putting up what I can only imagine was a monumental tag), and a fair amount of their songs will certainly appeal to graffheads.
There's more to the group than just graffiti, though, and I was surprised by just how personal some of the lyrics were on the album, Beyond Repair. Addiction and dysfunctional families are just a couple of the topics that get covered on some of the more emotional tracks. As producer Cynic describes it, "It’s not glamorous like, ‘Oh, we’re out here ballin’, spending money, we’re shootin’ people, we’re pushin' major weight’ . That shit’s tired, nobody wants to hear superhero rap anymore."
There are a few joints for the club included on the album as well, providing a nice break from the introspective cuts. Perhaps the best of the uptempo tracks is an ode of sorts to the 8-bit NES classic Contra. The hook on the song is somewhat questionable; as Zilla said after I asked him for his thoughts on it, "it's too gimmicky to be taken seriously by us cats who treated Contra as the bible back in the NES days." Get past the hook, though, and there's a dope track behind it:
Damaged Goods - Contra
The member of the crew that I found most intriguing was the lone female MC, Lacy J (Cynic's sister). She started out emceeing on Drum N Bass and Jungle tracks, and upon initial listening her flow would seem to be better suited for those types of beats. After listening to one of her solo tracks on the album, Goodbye Sober Day, my opinion of her changed completely. Offering up a stark view of a life overshadowed by addiction to alcohol, Lacy provides the standout track on Beyond Repair. It's intimate, it's awkward, it's extremely personal, and it's unlike any hip hop track I've heard in a long time. Admittedly, her delivery on the mic takes some getting used to; she initially reminded me of G-Child. Lacy's flow is considerably more nuanced, however.
Damaged Goods featuring Lacy J - Goodbye Sober Day
There are a few tracks on this album where Cynic relies too heavily on the synths, songs that are clearly not geared toward east coast hip hop heads, but overall the production on Beyond Repair is solid. The beats are more expiremental than what you'll hear on most indie hip hop records, a few even veering into emo territory, but there are some really good tracks on here, and I'll be keeping an eye on this group in the future. Beyond Repair isn't for everyone - East Coast purists may want to look elsewhere - but there's a lot to like on the album.
To hear more from Damaged Goods, stop by their MySpace page.
You can preview the entire album (and purchase it!) over at CD Baby.
1/15/2007 09:00:01 PM posted by Fresh