Deen originally thought this rapper was a British soccer player.
Shit like this that transports me back to my favorite era of rap, I feel bad for immediately seeking references and comparing said song to the classics it reminds me of. I suppose it’s a natural thing for most people, ergo, not necessarily a bad thing, but I still feel like a bit of a dick.
Liym Courteous came to my attention earlier this year with his excellent tape, The FLOAT Pamphlet, and it’s apparent that he intends to stay on my radar. ‘Cloud Captain (The Arrival)’ only features a guest verse from Courteous, but his proficiency is matched by his two partners on the track, Snazz Gordy and Stevie Crooks – latter of whom the song actually belongs to. So I guess that makes this shit a coast to coast connection, given that Crooks is from Cali and everything else about the song sounds oh so East Coast. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that Crooks is probably one of those cats like Fashawn that’s Cali-bred but heavily influenced by the East Coast. Ain’t a thang wrong with that.
There’s nothing innovative going on here, but the execution is impeccable. A cinematic beat topped off with braggadocios and assonant rhymes about threads, attitude and ambition. There might be some consonance in there too, but I didn’t pay attention to that shit in school and before I could figure that shit out, the last nigga started rapping about super saiyans and avatars. In any case, all 3 MCs keep it pretty dense and wordy without sacrificing their flows. Yes, a basic requirement, but kinda rare in a world where lames sounding sloppy and off beat as fuck is explained away as being “dangerous” or “original.” ASAP Ferg fans, I’m talking to you.
Blair Norf’s beat actually kinda reminds me of the kinda shit you’d hear at the beginning of a political thriller where some creepy old fuck like Kevin Spacey gets to make fuck with some young intern at the beginning of a vast conspiracy that goes all the way up to the highest halls of power. Or for those of you that don’t watch TV, just think something along the lines of Mic Geronimo’s ‘Time to Build‘. Yeah, I said it. This shit is every bit as good as that shit. Which begs the question “why I haven’t I listened to the rest of this Stevie Crooks project?”
Well, I don’t know. But I intend to rectify that shortly. Apparently, ‘Born on Olympus’ is Crooks’ 3rd project and he’s been kicking around for a bit. Thanks to Liym Courteous I know who he is now. I’d suggest that you get familiar as well…
