That’s a harsh title, I suppose; but the glitchy, Spanish, hip-hop artist Prefuse 73 never fully delivered – at least to my ears. Back in early 2003, the internet was a blaze with nothing but kind words about Scott Herren and his ability to splice, dice, and experiment with beats and rhymes. The heavily textured beats had a techno vibe, but he wasn’t writing for the club kids; Prefuse related more to the backpacker crowd than anything else. I was intrigued by descriptions being thrown around, and I couldn’t get my fix soon enough…
There was a time when I resided in a major city and Virgin was the name of a mega record store, too – yes, this was some years ago. My place of residence afforded me the luxury of being walking distance from this album mecca. For those of you who were in the know – or maybe lucky enough to frequent this overpriced resource – this was a reputable store, even when looking for independent releases. I remember walking downstairs to the hip-hop section and picking up the headphones attached to One Word Extinguiser, the latest offering from Prefuse 73. And anxiously hit play. Like any hip-hop oriented record, it kicked off with an intro of sorts – a chime or two; an echo; an eerie howl; and an orchestral like cacophony. It was track two where I realized maybe the hype was legitimate – hard hitting beats, vocals ran through a high speed blender, and a buildup near the end with something big on the verge . I didn’t need to hear more; this was practically already purchased. But then, before I could shed the cans on my ears, the explosion kicked in: Squeaky staccato beats under rapid-fire vocals care of Chicagoan rhyme-spitter Diverse. Fuckin’ sold, son!
To this day, there hasn’t been a better transition between two tracks than what’s offered below. Back when I used to make mix CDs, to set the tone a blaze, there wasn’t a better two song intro.
Prefuse 73 :: The End of Biters-International (track 2)
Prefuse 73 :: Plastic featuring Diverse (track 3)
Unfortunately, nothing else grabbed me on this record. It was almost too experimental for me; and was too instrumental heavy for my liking.
He shines when an MC is enlisted. From 2005’s Surrounded by Silence…
Cool review, I have never really checked this dude out before, didn’t even know it was one guy to be honest!? I actually thought this was a band, just goes to show you how band names are perceived. I’ll have to give this a listen this week! I need some new rap!