CD Review: Spose and Cam Groves — “We Smoked It All Mixtape”
By Marcus Desveaux
The Maine Campus - The University of Maine
Posted on Monday, October 26th, 2009, 12:40 am
Straight
out of Wells, Maine, this is an album of local rappers from the most
unlikely state in the nation. “We Smoked It All” is Cam Groves’ first
CD of his own, with help from the up-and-coming dopest rapper in Maine,
Ryan “Spose” Peters.
Spose and Groves have been rapping since high school in their cars,
at parties and at school talent shows. The practice paid off when Spose
found out he was nominated the “best hip-hop artist” in Maine for both
2008 and 2009, according to the WePushButtons awards held in Portland.
These guys are the unfound Asher Roth’s of Maine, with better rhymes
and flow. Spose made a song which can be found on “Preposterously Dank”
titled “Drugs, Girls, Money & Liquor” years before Asher Roth made
his hit single “I Love College.”
If you go to Wells, chances are Spose’s freshman CD “Preposterously
Dank” is bumping in cars of people 22 and under. This mix tape will
quickly replace it.
Many of the songs relate to Wells and / or Maine in general. Titles
such as “A Dude Named Spose,” “Wells Maine in the House” and “I’m
Awesome” grace this CD and can be used as introductions if you have
never heard of Spose or Cam Groves. Spose and his band “The Danks” are
not new to the
Orono scene. They came last year to play two shows, and they will be back on this college campus.
Many people might laugh or at least smile when they hear of a rapper
from Wells, Maine. Think again. The flow and lyrical content in this
mix tape will make you become a firm believer. Many people are
attracted to these guys because they are relatable. They do not mask
themselves to be “thugs” or anything else they are not. They know they
are white, they know they live in Maine and they rap about it — and
they do it better than anyone else.
“Look at spizzy Spose / he thinks he’s so cool / look at his wrists
and lack of necklace with no jewels.” Spose and Groves know they aren’t
flashy and don’t make up stories of luxuries and living the high life.
The second song, “Wells Maine in the House,” starts out by Spose
singing, “I’m comin’ straight outta Wells / a paranoid nerd named Spose
/ my parents still annoyed / I live high, aim low,” recreating the
“Straight Outta Compton” flow from N.W.A. Many Maine references are
scattered throughout each song, which is what fans love so much about
the duo.
If you get offended by lyrics about recreational drug use, please
avoid this album. Groves and Spose tell it how it is. These guys don’t
hold back whatsoever. In “Still Preposterous” Spose states, “On stage
drunk / flat out rude / when there’s ice storms here / we get blackouts
too / next to Vermont / we’re the smokiest around / clam buckets, green
nuggets / up in copious amounts.”
Groves sings, “Every time I’m laying down a track / I get towed up
like I was laying on my back / We can rap in Maine / It ain’t hard to
do / Still no grill (nah) / Just a barbeque,” in the same song.
Groves and Spose vocally compliment each other. Spose’s voice is
upbeat and in your face. Groves is more chill and could be compared to
Roccafella’s Cam’ron. They are opposite, which makes them a
collaboration to be talked about for years.
The single from “I’m Awesome” is currently getting play on Q97.9 and WCYY, based out of Portland.
This CD is funny and phenomenal. Perhaps some lyrics may be inside
jokes that only Wells people understand, but if you know Maine and
particularly Southern Maine, you will get the gist. The CD can be
enjoyed by all who appreciate local rap, underground rap and true
lyrics.
Grade: A