Jonah Bromwich moves on to the year 3000.
The knock on Gangrene is fair: the beats are mostly more interesting than the raps. The easy fix is Evidence, the slow-flow professional, who adds his pedigree to a beat which echoes the dank inter-workings of a futuristic factory — the slow-clanging and gurgles suggesting the mechanical movements that murderers move with.
Evidence is in his element here. His sharp pronunciations rings out above the clamor, clearing the way for humanity amidst the dusty and dirty sounds — as though Pigpen programmed the keys. Evidence’s Cats and Dogs was unfairly ignored last year, an unflashy album that showcased an MC who hasn’t stopped growing in two decades.
With age Evidence has become less concerned with establishing his indie rapper bona fides and more interested in continuously revealing his personality, staking out a unique territory by refining the way he communicates his ideas over wax. “I know what I know and what I don’t can’t hurt” isn’t a naïve statement, although it might seem that way on first listen. Rather it’s the voice of experience, a guy who’s gotten by while being independent for so long that he knows all about the benefits of self-reliance.
Download:
MP3: Gangrene ft. Roc C & Evidence-“Dark Shades”
