Eslam Jawaad: The Mammoth Tusk
Eslam Jawaad: The Mammoth Tusk
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Thursday, 02, Jul 2009 10:35
Eslamaphobic, out July 6th.
In a nutshell...
Middle Eastern mafia meets Anglo-American hip-hop.
What's it all about?
It's hard to turn away an album when it has, among others, the inimitable Damon Albarn (Blur and Gorillaz, no less), the fantastic De La Soul and the distinct production of the RZA of Wu Tang Clan fame. It makes this release one of the most internationally-endorsed offerings this year.
Who's it by?
Eslam Jawaad has a nigh-on Hollywood storyline as a personal background. It's so amazing that the album's title item, The Mammoth Tusk, is what he was selling in a deal orchestrated through his former employer, the Lebanese mafia, based in Beirut.
Seriously.
The deal fell through, he took stock of his life and decided to turn to his dream career: rap music. He's not daft; the man is clearly talented and unlike many other people changing their career to become rappers, it's probably the safer switch.
As an example...
"My baby got it good/The other girls can't compete/And I don't think they should." - Star Spangled Banner
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
If his reputation precedes him, he'll get a few nominations somewhere. If they listen to his music as well, he'll likely get a few more.
What the others say
"If you don't like this, you are either deaf or an idiot." - Hip Hop Connection
"Pitch-perfect." - Time Out
So is it any good?
For a debut album, it sure does make a mark. It's not something that slowly builds up any momentum either; it was as if Eslam's presence in the industry was always there.
It's no doubt in part due to the extremely good credentials of the production team, such as the RZA from Wu Tang Clan and Focus, the force behind Dr Dre, Busta Rhymes and Beyonce. Not bad at all.
However, it doesn't stop there. Collaborations roll over to the songs themselves, with two stand out acts - De La Soul and Damon Albarn - showing that Eslam is not surfing on artists popular for nothing, but for extremely good careers which have seen nothing less than respect in the eyes of everyone. They're admirable choices, particularly in terms of diversity.
Most people will head straight to these high-profile collaborations as soon as they pick up this album, and both feature heavy influences from the paired performers. Probably best to look at them first, then.
Rewind DJ, featuring the on-form abilities of De La Soul, doesn't really give Eslam the chance to show his abilities. It's as if the established trio have made Eslam a fourth member, or that it should be a De La Soul song (feat. Eslam Jawaad).
Is this a bad thing, though? Well, not really. The ringing endorsement the hip-hop masters provide gives the song confidence and conviction, and while it sounds like it could be on 3 Feet High and Rising with its muted melodies and tried-and-tested bass, the collaboration works.
The Damon Albarn-inspired Alarm Chord is the better of the two major tracks, though. Speaking in his native Arabic tongue, Eslam isn't understood by the English-speaking audience but it doesn't matter; it complements the music perfectly and acts as another gruff instrument to add to the lilting beat.
Albarn pulls a blinder too, matching up to his Gorillaz background more than his Blur pedigree and making the tune sound like a Middle Eastern musical performance of Alice in Wonderland. His voice sounds like a reverberating version of his performance of Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head from Demon Days. This is good.
This all sounds like it's detracting from the rest of his solo performances on the album. To ignore the rest is ridiculous, though. Influences stack up in their dozens to create a number of solid performances.
As mentioned earlier, the Eslam presence hits the ears straight away with opening track Pivot Widdit, which demonstrates his Arabic roots through music which sounds like a hip-hop adaptation of Disney's Aladdin, with twanging chords and dry woodwind undertones.
On the other hand, title track The Mammoth Tusk is a great demonstration of West Coast-esque hip-hop from the mid-90s, showing that Eslam's talent shows another great performance which transcends the simple repetitive drum beats and bouncy bass.
Star Spangled Banner is bloody brilliant, even though he's going on about a girl's arse. It's funny not only because of the topic but his nasal voice, which makes him sound hilariously perverted. The repeated scream sound effect and the dirty south bassline is well put together too, making it relaxing but engaging.
Other performances are solid too, such as Beirut - which again embraces Arabic - as well as Heave Ho, which would find pride of place in the stereo should you want to roll in your 6-4 anytime soon.
Some songs don't hit the mark as well as others. Despite the promotions surrounding it on behalf of the PR company, Criminuhl isn't "one of the catchiest tracks you will hear in 09". It's a bit annoying, more than anything else. Of course, he was one - something he plays on a lot during the tune - but it could've been made by any rapper, whether they're crime-loving or not; very stereotypical beats and tune make this what it is.
It's hard to get anything from Trick either, which documents an argument between himself and a girl who sounds like Wee Jimmy Krankie, before giving her the taste of the back of his hand.
Domestic violence morals aside or any implications to irony or sarcasm ignored (which are hardly forthcoming anyway), it's not easy to enjoy this song. The floating sitar is good, but hearing "smack that bitch up" and "get in, get out, then burn that bridge" aren't the best signature lyrics to get into.
Another couple of tracks aren't so much dislikeable as dispensable, not really leaving a mark; Tickle and Leave It Alone seem to be a little generic at times in this regard.
This shouldn't detract from what's been achieved here, though. It's not hard to be seduced by music with such a back story, yet the various songs and collaborations make this an album which you need to listen to, even if you don't like the genre.
8/10
Matt Gardner