Rough Review, On a First Listen: Jonwayne - "CASSETTE" (Side A) Raps

I was pretty stoked to finally get a package from Stones Throw in my mailbox just the other day; It contained my Stones Throw "logo splatter" T-shirt and Jonwayne's new CASSETTE project, which came along with a FREE Walkman since my order was one of the first 60 processed. In theory, it's actually a perfectly great/ludicrous idea... 100% leak-proof, but @ the same time, nearly 3/4's of the market probably has no means to play the tape. Jonwayne & Stones Throw have some serious balls for releasing an "album" that'll very likely never see a digital, CD, or vinyl re-issue package and it's 2012, baby! ha I've been playing CASSETTE while on-the-go over the weekend, took some notes, and here's a rough review of Side A (Raps).

Track #1 ("Gross")

- chant-like vocal sample
- Stones Throw shout-out(s)
- eerily slowed down drums/keys
- Pop Culture references - John Lennon, Flintstones
- Hook: "Looking like a sperm
eating hard-boiled eggs in the trash." (Gross)
- Dilla self-censored edit... "Crushin'"
- Peanut Butter Wolf shout
- cassette, Lo-Fi feel, tape hiss
- buzzed fade out


Track #2 ("Visitor")

- unstable, shaky beat
- MC-bashing... having year tag dates it
- flute whistle, Boom-Bap beat
- deep voice and thuddy horns
- Hook: "War us past me, so I'm just a visitor."
- angels/light ---> Hell/devil
- rhyme book references

Track #3 ("Raw Shit")

- That Jeremiah Jae feat.
- kid vocal or just pitched down?
- Hook: "This shit wild, this shit mean..."
- arrow & crossbow (rhymes)
- simple, plain beat
- JJ on middle verse, too?
- Spider Sense, @jonwayniac, Vex Ruffin ref
- arrest/veterans, echo @ end, laser sounds?
- Jonwayne closing verse and re-used hook.


Track #4 ("Bukowski")

- previous YouTube stream... Jazzy
- Charles Bukowski, Beat Generation poet
- simple piano/whistle-based beat?
- big words used in rhymes
- "HJ's on Craigslist."
- moon couplet
- "Peddlin' rhymes since '97 + 10."
- beat stutters, rap stops, silence, END

"OK, it's official. CASSETTE has now sold more than anything else I've ever released. Thank you guys so much. I have a feeling you'll like this upcoming album. It's getting pretty weird but I'm assuming that's fine with you guys : ) To update, Zeroh and Austin Peralta are confirmed guests, but there will be more to announce. Anyways, we shouldn't even be talking about that yet. Here's a link to CASSETTE, if you haven't picked it up yet, and thank you so much for those who already have."

- Jonwayne (Facebook)