Monday, October 26, 2009 03:59 AM
Matt Molgaard
MUSICK NEWS
For every vocalist to bask in the glow of fame, there's a producer or
two lurking in the shadows. Often unrecognized, often
under-appreciated, these unsung heroes are worthy of more than mere
recognition, but genuine praise. Now, realize that not every producer
is confined to a supportive role, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Pharrell
Williams, and Kanye West are just a few producers who enjoy the
spotlight on a day to day basis. Realize also however, that every
aforementioned name also handles a microphone pretty damn well, and has
built a reputation doing so.
What of those who don't necessarily spend a wealth of time
recording vocals? Do they not merit extreme exposure, and endless
praise? I think they do; that's the reasoning behind this
Rapped And Tagged spin off
Producers Corner.
To
launch this little series of articles, we're going to first focus on
Detroit, Michigan native Stir Crazy. Stir, born Jesse Elliot on
December 23, 1986 has been feeding an already engorging résumé with
countless industry leaders. While the 22 year old hasn't restricted his
services to the horrorcore sub genre exclusively, he's definitely lent
his talents to the darker side of music enough to be recognized amongst
most horrorcore/wicked shit artists as well as followers. Hell, I
myself was familiar with the man's production before I wrote a single
piece for Fango.
Amongst
the industry big leaguers to collaborate with Stir Crazy are Bizzy
Bone, Bizzare of D-12, King Gordy, Q-Strange, T.O.N.E-Z (the two
recently teamed up to create the impressive album HEROES), Tech N9ne
and The Insane Clown Posse. And believe me when I say that's only
skimming the surface. An impeccable work ethic and true passion have
lead Jesse Elliot down a path of early success, and if
PENNY DREADFULS (Stir's latest project) is any indicator of what the future holds in store' well - it's cliché as all hell, but:
the sky is the limit.
Since
I tossed the PENNY DREADFULS remark out there, I may as well share a
sliver of insight. The album, a collaborative effort with emcee Dood
Computer is hardly horrorcore. Listeners will however, capture some
dark humor, and straight-forward aggression in spots. But horrorcore or
not, it's an excellent album. Dood's vocals are captivating, his lyrics
clever while catchy - and Stir Crazy only seems to accentuate Dood's
unwavering presence by laying a smooth and funky foundation. 'Something
Better', 'Push It Through' and 'Rachel Profiling' are all exceptionally
strong songs that I've found to pack quite the replay value.
One
of the more interesting facts about PENNY DREADFULS however has nothing
to do with the music itself, but rather the packaging. Stir and Dood
came up with quite the clever marketing scheme for this release. Rather
than your run-of-the-mill CD packaging, we're treated to a vintage
cassette tape. Yeah, you read that right
cassette tape. Now,
you're of course not forced to utilize the tape itself (though you can
if you'd like), a download card is included in the package which will
lead you to
www.pennydreadfulsrap.com where you can input an access
code (provided on the backside of the card) that will enable you to
download the album in it's entirety as well as a few extras. So, in
effect you've got both a vintage and futuristic feel to the package
simultaneously; it's really quite brilliant.
Keep an ear open for Stir Crazy'
s new collaborative project with Ikkurruz by following Stir Crazy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stircrazymusic, checking out his myspace at www.myspace.com/stircrazymusic or hitting his personal website at www.stircrazymusic.com.