Plastique (Fake Four)
Rating: NN
Co-founder of the Anticon record label, Sole has had something of a black-sheep career. His unapologetically non-rhyming rapping style has pissed off more than a few purists, and his awkward post-apocalyptic beats have relegated him to a bit of a niche.
[rssbreak]
On Plastique, instead of trying to win over a new audience, he takes his formula to the next level. The addition of the Skyrider Band – an atmospheric noise group with rhythmic tendencies – brings Sole to the very cusp of hip-hop, with middling results. His raps range from cryptic environmental messages on More to face-palm political clichés on Mr. Insurgent.
Sole gets poignant on Pissing In The Wind, but then devolves into pretentious, thinly veiled attacks on the media. In other words, the album could benefit from a fully instrumental treatment.
Top track: Pissing In The Wind
