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u gotta b leev
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Splendid E-Zine,
Mike Meginnis,
July 24, 2004
Rap really frustrates me -- its premise should allow for far more variety than the bragging and cashing in we're typically treated to. You can scream "racist!" at me all you want, but there has to be something wrong with a musical culture that can produce "Pimp Juice". Optimus Rhyme will make you forget the nightmarish orgies of excess and racial self-parody you've seen on the music video channels. They'll make you laugh, they'll make you feel smart, they'll entertain you -- in short, they'll charm your fucking pants off.
Optimus Rhyme don't throw the hip hop idiom out the window, but they've made some radical tweaks. Pretending to be magic hip-hop robots named Wheelie Cyberman and Broken English battling the Wackacons for the fate of Seattle (and more generally, the planet), for instance -- that's new.
They do spend a lot of time rapping about rapping, but it turns out that this can be pretty funny -- especially if the people doing the rapping (about rapping) are pretending to be robots. "Fuzzy Dice" is the best send-up of angst-ridden, self-serious rappers to come around in a long time. They brag some, too, but unlike most groups, they have the skills to back it up. Wheelie Cyberman wields a ridiculously fast tongue (think Bone Thugz & Harmony, think Twister; yes he's in that class of speed when he wants to be) with an offhand, irreverent style that will inspire more than a little resentment in rival MCs. No matter how fast he goes, Wheelie remains clear as a bell and rhythmically powerful -- see blistering album highlight "Ford vs. Chevy" for an example. Broken English can't match his robot ally for speed, but he has style and attitude to spare. In "No Memory", he snubs thousands, as if that's just something you do in the morning between bites of donut.
The most important element behind Optimus Rhyme's success is their backing band. Consisting of drums (Grumble the Consito Metranoid Build 1.312), "low end" (bass, and whatever sounds like it, performed by Stumblebee) and "high end" (things that aren't low end, performed by Powerthighs), the backing band is strong enough to make it in the rock scene on their own merits. The mindless tape loops, sample platters and scratch-fests found in most indie rap are replaced by dynamic, interesting, lively, funky, cool, engaging music.
If you've had trouble finding a rap act you can enjoy without reservation, fear not -- hope has arrived. For their irreverent lyrics, for their smart compositions, but most of all for their genuine rap skills, Optimus Rhyme deserve a chance. Rap from Seattle was a big enough shock; great rap from Seattle damn near killed me.
West Coast Performer, Jason Meininger, August 2004
Seattle's live music scene, while thriving, is not known for energetic crowds. People here don't move. The one guy going all-out down front? Well, everyone assumes he's from out of town. In a see-and-be-seen environment, nobody wants to be tagged as “that guy.” People appreciate the music, but somewhere during the whole grunge thing it seems like most people forgot how to show it. There were those who did not forget, though, and there is a burgeoning resistance movement, with Optimus Rhyme at the forefront, fighting the mindless and unimaginative (whom they've dubbed Wackacons) that have taken hold of our fair city. Shoegazing, dirty chords and boring loops are out; easy beats and tongue-twisting lyrics at a machine gun pace are in. The party-killing Wackacon oppressors may have Seattle now, but the five “Autobeat technicians” of Optimus Rhyme are leading the pack of those destined to prevail. Backed by a three-piece live band and the very occasional sample, the band can't be rightly plugged into a pure “hip-hop” bin. It's too geeky, for one thing: talk of servers and viruses (“I got five hard drives with 89 gigabytes / I eat databases, networks and websites,” from “Reel Estate”) mix right in with rapper braggadocio (“Incognito” is all about bashing a lame show promoter) and an interstellar mythology of P-Funk proportions. MCs Wheelie Cyberman and Broken English trade off rhymes ranging from Seattle-centric rants to the fictitious adventures of the Autobeat robots in the fight against the Wackacons, The lyrical delivery is fast and tight, popping like firecrackers in cuts like “Powder Blue Egg Hatch” and “JZ75”. Powerthighs (guitar), Stumblebee (bass), and Grimrock (drums) provide solid and peppy backings throughout. It's infectious and fun, and if these guys don't get people bouncing, the Wackacons have truly taken over Seattle, and there is no hope.
Rivet Magazine, R.S., Summer 2004
A new sound in hip-hop has descended on the Emerald City from the planet Cybertron! With a name indicative of their prowess, Optimus Rhyme laces guitar riffs influenced by Seattle's alternative roots with lyrics that flow from The Wasteland to create an inter-dimensional experience. The music transcends the traditional hip-hop exploitation of women, wealth and violence, instead battling the complacence of ordinary life.
Backed by a live band, MC Wheelie Cyberman enchants the crowd with his "cybernetic tongue muscles" while MC Broken English transforms prose into dynamic poetry. Incredibly, Optimus Rhyme manages to immerse their smooth flows and catchy beats with the greatest gift to their fans - fun.
Optimus Rhyme's debut CD, released under the banner of Narcofunk Records, was mixed by Jack Endino. Endino has a way with Northwest bands - he mixed and produced Nirvana's Bleach and has worked with Soundgarden and Mudhoney. Seattle filmmaker Chas Messmer is currently producing an indie documentary with Optimus Rhyme interviews and live performance clips.
Take a break from the inevitable and venture into the land of Optimus. It's a journey that will challenge your reality.
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