by Derek Lynch
It’s been a busy year for local rapper Botzy. The accomplished former member of Culture Cry Wolf has been slaving away recording, promoting, and performing the massive 21-track leviathan Still Not Dead Yet, released in April under Polkadot Mayhem.
Since his 2010 solo debut, Buck Fotzy, Botzy’s been quickly establishing himself as one of the premiere voices in the legendary Minneapolis hip-hop scene. Aside from the staggering amount of material he seems to always have up his sleeve, Botzy is known above all else for his extreme versatility. Listen to his old stuff with Culture Cry Wolf and hear the doo-wop influences. Check out his lesser-known side project VAYNS and hear him border on electronica.
As for Still Not Dead Yet, we’re hearing Botzy use a distinct blend of old-school hip-hop, soul, and larger-than-life orchestral arrangements. Last fall, when he released “Ate Me,” the album’s first single, we were caught up immediately in the melodramatic piano intro, building up to and smashing into a heavy drop. There’s a similar level of classical intensity in “Fireworks,” where Botzy is losing his cool, screaming at the “sweatpants and Netflix” generation to wake up.
Compare this to the second single off the album, “Nervous Butterfly.” This is a convoluted love song, Botzy lamenting/pondering/reflecting on somebody old, set against a lush, psychedelic swirl of taped strings and echoed percussion. Love is a psychedelic swirl, though, no?
Other album highlights include “Doit2thedeath,” a fast-paced, middle-fingers-up song where Botzy’s flow is at his peak, and “Over and Over,” which Botzy has said is his personal favorite off the album. His lyrics are fresh and range from gut-wrenchingly sorrowful to completely hyped up on adrenaline. Two mid-album tracks, “Chit Chat” and “Hillside,” as well as the album’s intro, are nothing but everyday sounds and voices, presumably those of Botzy and his people. He’s reminding us throughout the album that we’re in his mind right now, glimpsing a candid snapshot of his mind.
https://botzy.bandcamp.com/album/still-not-dead-yet
https://www.facebook.com/BuckFotzy
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