Bash Bros. Main Event

Squared Circle/D&C Records

Reviewed by Ben Meredith

Bay area Bash Bros, comprised of not so much Mario and Luigi, and more so MCs Piseas and Lefty, are droppin' their 3rd studio release, titled Main Event. These cats have known each other since the public transit routes of junior high, and have been bustin' beats open ever since.

Main Event opens up with "Call 'em Out(Main Event)," a Bash Bros anthem where spelling chants spill over the beat, similar to the RZA's Bobby Digital track...b-o-b-b-y...you get the idea. Although it can be seen as unoriginal, this seems to be a highly effective way to open up an album. It goes back to the Jamaican roots of the Master of Ceremonies, chanting out slogans for the audience to yell back. Regardless of whether it's corny or not, it sets the tone to a fun rap album.

After the opening, the true bashing begins. Sean Price blesses the third banger, "Rock the Spot," also featuring Rapper Big Pooh and DJ Icewater. "You ain't a true player, all up in the Kool-Aid with no flavor." Piseas and Lefty attack the rhymes almost like a battle, which makes for an entertaining song, but one without much substance.

The production overall is impressive for an album that presents itself the way this one does. Nothing is too simple or too easy; tracks like "Childhood" and "Soul Sacrifice" actually have a lot of snap to them; soulful, somewhat funky vibrations. It's a West Coast feel with the Bay area bang.

Track fourteen possibly steals the show, "Hustler's Prayer," with seemingly flawless lyricism and an amazing beat featuring Equipto and Persevere. "If I die before I wake, send me to a place where there's money to make." Might smell a little cheesy, but in reality, this is the summation of hip-hop. And this hustler's prayer was the prayer of many coming up in the hip-hop game. This is what Bash Bros capture well in Main Event. Plenty of more tracks prove this, and they even throw in some great bonus ones featuring Rakaa of Dilated Peoples, LuckyIAm of Living Legends, and Chali 2na of Jurassic 5. It's no genius, it won't give you new perspective on anything, but the beats are crafted for car strolls and the lyrics are trenchant in their simplicity. Maybe not the Main Event of 2008, but definitely worth an event of listening to it.

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