Dewey Decibel is a corner store terrorist and connoisseur of fine cannabis
Anthony Negrete aka Speak is an L.A. based rapper/writer/artist most known for penning Kreayshawn’s “Gucci Gucci.” He has come a long way, ghostwriting for different rappers and bands, as the piss drunk son of a Mexican father and Jewish mother, the modern day product of densely tangled Tumblr times.
“They tell you I’m the craziest amazed by my amazingness, Pusha T sent the text and said that I was made for this,
So here it is without further adieu Gnarly Davidson fuck you and your crew”
Speak has been behind the scenes for the past two-and-a-half years since his last release, carefully crafting these hazy rap songs with Cali’s finest producers.Gnarly Davidson vs. The Marlboro Men is the long waited sequel to 2011’s Inside Out Boy, a scattered collection of lo-fi, gritty, west coast burners mixed by Syd the Kid of Odd Future and The Internet.
This new record is an entirely different affair — the production is lush and large. The tracks have a warm, organic instrumentation, with wobbly surf rock bass lines. The beats range in production from Caleb Stone, Bill Ding, MMAC and more; however, the smoked out Trill Wave Cali vibes create a cohesion in trippy narrative. Speak raps energetically, weaving his rebellious, lewd stories in a pop ready format of song structure complete with fully realized hooks, bridges and verses. He sounds pissed off and aggressively sarcastic, with a middle finger up. Many of the tracks are confessional, revealing his ups and down in the industry and documenting his travels, trials and tribulations in navigating a career of music.
Speak fashions himself as a spiritual icon, a half Mexican braggadocios pervert prophet demanding the most luxurious lifestyle and carnal exploits. Whereas guys like Tyler the Creator have a very immediate shock value, Speak balances his brash statements with insightful commentary about living as a struggling creative. There are stories of betrayals, personal breakdowns, alcohol and drug induced depression, failed loves and shitty jobs. He taps into adolescent angst, nervous energy and the existential crisis of being a 20 something walking a path that evaporated.
“Sabotaged my career, fucked it up within a year. Phone stops ringing I guess I’ll keep singing’, They tryin’ to have a meeting well I’m trying to find a meeting while my bank account’s depletin’, and my heart and brain are bleedin’, I made another mess on the desk of an executive, live fast die slow bury me in decadence.”
Most of his lyrics reveal a depth of an understanding of the human experience matched with a rude, crass in your face punk attitude. Bits and pieces of these stories are divulged on Gnarly Davidson. There are many rumors floating around in the industry about his antics: an infamous fridge incident, an executive’s desk destroyed, Christian Clancy managing him for a short period, unpaid publishing from Sony. His bitter recollections are matched with a triumphant defiance, and, for better or worse, an inability to conform to anyone’s standards. He is Gnarly Davidson fighting against the Marlboro men. He is the “West Coast Art Goon Craig’s List Killer.” He is the high energy wild card, the underdog train wreck, the perverted, passionate artist poet freak show. Speak is just being himself.
