Review: Paris

Paris
“Sonic Jihad”
(Guerrilla Funk Recordings)

As far as rap goes, this is good; it has a darker tone than the hip-hop-happy by the numbers shit you can hear sloshing around all over MTV.  This isn’t just rap, however, it’s political protest music.
Paris, if it’s not evident by the deliciously inflammatory album cover, is a little pissed off by the current occupants of the White House.  The music and message are powerful, chilling and some times the album has the ability to raise the goose flesh if not the roof. Unfortunately, Paris succumbs to silly Christian shenanigans by labeling George W. Bush as the metaphorical beast of the apocalypse as featured in the book of revelations.  I hope the irony of calling George W. Bush “evil” in such a childishly simplistic black and white manner isn’t lost on Paris.  Of course, the irony of George W. Bush, a fanatical soldier of Christ, calling fanatical Muslims “evil” is an irony entirely lost on George W. Bush; so I don’t necessarily expect rappers to be anymore savvy than politicians.  Stop using your religion to justify your hatred.  That goes for rappers and the wealthy sons of oil rich families.

Despite my problems with the presentation of his message, Paris is delivering good politically driven rap and that’s all too rare considering the inequality black people live with in this country (and rap is their music – got that Eminem?).  Where most political rap can’t get any further than condemning the police, Paris sinks his teeth in to the bone, tearing at the meat of the problem.

Fans of Dead Prez, The Coup and Sarah Jones might want to take note.