Dear Vado (re: Slime Flu)
Download 'Slime Flu' HERE
So, I haven't had an letter-form album review in a while... Academia and personal issues were taken up in lieu of consistent blogging. Even so, I still found time to bump new music in between studying and having a regular job. One of those works is that of you, Harlem native, MOVADO (an anagram for Money Outta Violence And Drugs Only). Vado (the shortened version), I was first introduced to you, not through your music, but from the incessant chants of 'Stop it 5' and 'SLIIIIIME' being echoed throughout New York City and the twitterverse. Naturally, it became my mission to find the root of these new sayings. Scouring the internet for those queries quickly led me to your appearances on your mentor Cam'ron's 'Boss of All Bosses' series, which turned me into a fan from the track 'Intro'. Now that a year has passed, it seems only right for your debut to hit the streets...
Slime Flu doesn't waste time with random skits or instrumentals for the intro. Vado, you went right into what the fans wanted to hear: the rhymes. 'Council Music' is an ode to the people in your corner, claiming that 'Word to mother, no greed in wealth; Council rules: Treat my brother as a treat myself', over a silky smooth beat laced with triumphant horns and a relaxing string riff. As a listener, this is gold. Next up was the uptempo track dedicated to everyone's favorite brand, 'Polo'. Now, the remix with Young Dro would have been better, but I think you wanted the spotlight for yourself on your first release. You didn't disappoint me on this, Vado, shouting SLIIIIME to all of the horse-donners and rugby-rockers out there. The overall feel of this album is like nothing I've heard coming out of New York City recently. Unlike Fab, you don't have a sickening infatuation with death or repetitive punchlines, and it shows in your delivery. I think you've perfected the art of saying a lot without saying too much, Vado. On tracks like 'The Greatest', you flexed your lyrical muscle and recounted on your forays into drug dealing and the general Harlem goonery (yes, I just coined that phrase) that most rappers from your locale can't express.
My favorite track on the album had to be 'Beat Knockin', though, where you did venture into metaphorical territory over a Jahill Beats instrumental that does exactly what the title says: KNOCK. Quotables like 'It aint too many that could fool with me / that flu with me, mouth foamin like Blue Penny's / Thought he was Hakeem, the way we shoot semi's' just fly out as the bass turns my earphones into a seismic experience. Vado, you clearly have a penchant for riding a beat. It's a testament to your Harlem roots (and how much of Big L's influence is in you) how easily rhyming comes to you. Fast forward to another banger 'Celebration', a slowed down ballad over piano keys, and your talent shows even more. It's not enough to have bars or rhymes for you. 'Slime Flu' is chock full of songs, not random verses over e-mailed beats. That's not to say that the verses aren't hot. Only a true lyricist (and black movie buff would say 'I go hard as the concrete / Keep a day job on the dark street / Pops, I drop Cane like I'm a part of the Heartbeats / Make ya boy duck when I palm heat'. Clearly, you're not an amateur, and 'Slime Flu'
The next few tracks were lukewarm compared to the first five, though I must say, you had me rewinding all of them, Vado. I've said it before, and will say it again: It's hard as hell to put together a full ALBUM. Throughout the delays (Slime Flu has been pushed back since July) and the leaks, it's obvious that you payed great attention to putting the best 14 songs on this work. Another thing that stood out to me on the album was the lack of features on it. In today's hip-hop climate, that could either be because the artist can't do it by himself (coughcoughDiddycoughcough) or because the artist has a body of work that doesn't need complements to stand out. On 'The U.N.', you said 'Niggas wanna know 'What he got?', 'Is he fly?', 'When he drop?', 'Is he signed?', 'If he hot, can he shine?'/ Think about it. If I wasn't would I rhyme?', answering the numerous questions as to your positioning in two lines. 'Slime Flu' is as the title says: a flu, an infestation, an influx of a different, yet familiar feel in hip-hop. You don't immaturely talk about gunplay or drugs or whatever dirt is on your plate, yet know it intimately, much like the rappers you probably grew up listening to. If the album is anything, it's a warning shot to the rest of NYC: step your game up! Vado, this wasn't a masterpiece, and could definitely use more in the way of content, but as an attempt at what hip-hop nerds would call 'golden era', this is a valiant attempt. The slime flu is spreading and with good reason. Vado, you're here to stay...
