It was none other than the driving force behind 2007's "The Tortoise Hustle" who suggested a download-only release. El Keter of imageyenation and okayplayer fame hit me up suggesting we use beats he had in his archives. Me being me, I got overly enthusiastic and impatient. Fortunately, I opted for the route of not bugging Keter about beats and reached out to two folk I know-AO (formerly Agent Orange of the Wordsmiths) and Purify. I'd not worked with AO before, but he exhibited perfect timing in looking for collaboration. After laying claim to an unfair share of his beats, I then hit up Purify to see if he had any beats sitting around. I'd previously worked with Purify on the song "Iowa to Indiana." Once I combed through each producer's stash, I sat down and put pen to paper. About 3 weeks spanned the time between my getting the beats and calling the project done. I've always placed an emphasis on working on music with friends and hopefully this is the first of many installments.
Just Rap- Nothing like rapping for however many bars in a row with no break for the listeners to open an EP. Just Rap is along my more traditional fare, though the line "found a beautiful wife and then started a home" would not have been found anywhere near the vicinity back in the days of breakneck and beatjackolantern. Let's hear it for beautiful and determined women.
Human Vending Machine- I wrote and recorded a verse a while back for a possible Can-U collaboration with some of the Plague Language folk. The concept was already there-scene set at a casino. I chose the character of an old man too far gone to change. Fortunately, it worked out where I ended up sitting on the verse and finding a different outlet. The juxtaposition of what could very well be a standard format radio hit beat and a character study still makes me smile. I first recorded this song in a more subdued tone (fitting the concept), but rerecorded in a more animated manner to better fit AO's production.
Live from Fort Wayne- The first of Purify's contributions to this EP was initially written as a "rap all the way through" track. Good thing I decided to take a couplet and strong arm it into being my de facto hook. The good thing is, the end of the original song isn't on the track and can thus be used elsewhere when a suitable context presents itself. Two baseball references in one song must be a personal record. Odds are good it'll never happen again.
Rime and a Grin- I tried the Rose McGowan's Face lyrics over this beat and it didn't feel right. I can always trust driving to and from work with a burned CD of studio sessions to let me get a good measure of material. As it turns out, I'd already written and recorded a song to AO's beat. It's a shame I can't record more often with this more conversational tone of voice. The third verse counts as my favorite, as the lyrics bounce around the rhythm in unexpected ways.
Rose McGowan's Face- I was combing through that mysterious land referred to by some as the internets and chanced upon a picture of a Rose McGowan I didn't recognize. After a few stops over in googleville, I discovered she'd had some post-accident surgery. Thing is, I didn't recognize the new her. Figured this was as good an opportunity to strike while the inspirational iron was warm and write a song about it. I'd been sitting on the "customized hips, lips, bust and thighs" line for a while and found it to be a suitable starting point for hook work. The EP was all but done and I realized I still had another AO beat. Luckily for me, the beat worked out perfectly. If you check out the HOK section, you might even see a video.
Nachos- A wholly organic song courtesy of my rime book. I really have been meaning to keep my rimes in one area and have taken to carrying around a little notebook that is full of random scribbles. I'd record a bit of the song, stop, find another page, and record some more. I figured it only right to throw in a shout out to Henry's (local tavern) best nachos for the hook. Nothing rings true quite like a plate of deluxe black bean nachos.
House of Games- Here's me fixating on people needing things again. I'd originally conceived of the song consisting of just 2 verses, but started writing a hook that didn't stop until 16 lines had passed. Said sixteen lines became the second verse. Proof of my patchwork method being the last line of verse one riming with the first line of verse three. Titlewise, I couldn't resist a nod to the Mamet flick.
Our Song- The first song recorded for this EP and probably tied (with Nachos) for my favorite. The vocal sample seemed to be a perfect way to close out the EP.
