Rast

Rast is the real genuine article, in a generation that's never truly gone without. I'm not saying this man's drug dealing, drug intake, and complete lack of respect for the law when he was a young man, is a testament of "realness" or a sense of what's genuine in the landscape of a thing like rap music. But, what Rast has, is a true sense of perspective. People don't understand what it's like to grow up a certain way, when their life is one of shelter and stability. They can never understand having to develop the camouflage of thick skin and toughness at an age when most of you only had to worry about what Santa was bringing you for Christmas.

I decided to review all three albums Rast had on Bandcamp (Story of a Legend Vol. 1 / Story of a Legend Vol. 2 / Across West 3rd Street ) all at once. It's hard to separate these as individual pieces. The content is one story, in many short chapters. The man goes thru his life with a fine tooth comb, highlighting everything from the fun he had, the trouble he got himself into, and most of all, regret.

I haven't listened to a hip-hop album this personal in a long time, but it's not one of those underground rap albums that's almost too polished and too precise and too boring to even listen to. None of the songs are taking themselves too serious to enjoy. The man isn't some white-bread suburban hipster who decided they've listened to enough rap and watched every "DOC." they could find on it and decided to join the culture. Rast sing-songs his raps and he rap-rap his raps in a vivid word cinema, you know could only come from someone who lived that life.

Rast created this whole universe we are listening to on his own. The production is his, the words he uses are all his.The real life battle he called life, is all him. The instrumentation is amazingly catchy and simple. It gives him room to layer all the off-kilter vocals he wants on top of them. The recording themselves are on the lo-fi end of a mix, but that's what really makes these albums. It's Rast, sitting by himself (I imagine), making these loops and playing his bass, while writing and doing the vocals at the same time. The beats are dark and dusty. Rast's voice is dark and dusty. These stories are mean and gritty. You sit with each song either waiting to dodge a bullet or to actually come down off a high yourself.

I don't want to focus on one song or another. Instead, listen to these albums, front to back, as the piece of art it is. Listen to the stories being told. Jam out with a little extra bass on your stereo. His voice can be hypnotic at times. I love the way he sings, then layers another vocal track, then does a repeat call back and just drenches it in reverb. He knows the right second to bring his rhymes in every time. Almost every line is a 1995 Source quotable. 

These 3 albums are ones that other artists and peers will hear, and will be in awe of. Then those artist's fans will jump on the band wagon and write think pieces on what year/era they think that Rast should sound like most. None of that will matter. He has enough catchy ass shoot 'em up songs that rival 50 cent when he was on his A game making hardcore rap songs about reflection.  He will make the culture stealing hipsters fall in love with him from their Mac-book Pros. 

I hope Rast shoots into the stratosphere from here. He made it through life starting at the bottom and made so many mistakes that he should be dead. Yet, he learned from his  mistakes, still tried to adapt, and made a family. Plus, we as people need more humans with actual talent and wisdom contributing to society.