#5x5 An Artless Album Review on Sir EU.
By: Artless Brandon
Tags: Hip Hop, Music Review, Music, Album Review, Rap

So here’s the breakdown.

I work from home & have all day to listen to music while making phone calls, so in this series I’ll be delving into obscure artists that you may have missed out on & doing write ups on my top 5 favorite tracks from the album as well as an overall assessment.

Grades will be given out to reflect each project’s impact to their culture/environment.

The first artist I chose is Sir EU.

A Washington, DC Legend.

I’ve chatted with EU multiple times, and his brilliance is unmirrored. Upon our first meeting; his awareness, intentionality, & presence during our conversation stunned my assumptions and ever since then I’ve worked to follow his trajectory, an entertaining one to say the least.

His new album “Midnight Train To Velvet”, which I assume was actually recorded while EU rode the metro train during routes to Velvet Lounge on U Street, is comprehensibly reminiscent of one of those nights.

At times spastic, the production sounding like nyc train car filled with power tools, Midnight Train To Velvet is always captivating. It’s always a night to remember, full of its own ups & downs.

So check it out, here’s a link to the album & the review below:

November 24th.

The beat sounds like a loading screen for GTA4.

“Tu jous bene bia”

EU starts off the album using a language I recognize but don’t quite understand. If this isn’t a metaphor of why EU has become a staple in the DC culture I’m not sure what else you’re looking for. EU has always spoken a different language from every other artist in the industry and as I searched Google to translate his opening statement, I saw parallel in the hint of doubt on his mainstream plausibility. Onlookers are still trying to see how EU is going to translate to a worldwide arena.

“On a flash drive like G I G A”

…and we’re off.

What makes EU standout as an artist are the same abilities we seek out from the legends like Wayne to Elec, his simplistic complexity. EU’s strength is in his ability to dote over lyrics that are given out at throwaway speed… it’s almost as if Ip man could spit a 16.

Cal Rips has an impressive feature, from the same class of talented & overlooked DMV artists, and Thraxx is definitely apparent on the track but something about the track is a bit underwhelming.

Julian Jericho Joint

Admittedly, I accidentally skipped ahead to this track before finishing N24 and it’s safe to say, it definitely shaped some of my review of N24.

Julian Jericho is where EU is at his best. A spastic beat that sounds like it was made in the Matrix’s Zion & EU utilizing his perspective as the beacon of alt artistry.

“You more soph than 10th grade, I’m more hard than EU” “And I’m almost my equal..” “I do not know elizabeth warren yet enough to know that I need to, This ____ I felt the electoral college precedent should be illegal Im overcome and over occupied to over inconvert for my people Gotsta do what I know I gotta do, how a mufuckin king do”

The track ends out with a radio distortion effect that is able to catch up with different blips of EU’s verses but by this point in the track its assumed you’re captivated enough to drown in the cacophony of angst.

Reminiscent of some of the best cuts off Yeezus, this is a standout for sure.

Multimedia Artist

This is my favorite track on the album.

Hands down.

If you ever listened to Ninja Sonik or Neutral Milk Hotel, then you’ve heard this song before. The song sounds like the producer found every instrument from a local coffee shop and dropped them into a dish sink with exquisite precision.

The lyrics are literally, “I’ma multi media artist, cause I’m ready to die”.

And I’m not sure how ironic we’re supposed to be hearing the song but it feels almost paradoxical because of it’s ability to be so spot on in it’s creative direction.

Look, I understand if some people hate it. But for the rest of the weirdos, welcome, this is for us.

This is the Stance ft. Cal Rips

Oh wow.

This track has a brand new sound for the tape, but the distortion of the vocals creates a cohesion in the dissonance you’ll feel throughout the entire tape.

The production really edges onto the Yeezus feel in anaspect once again but with a modern informality that would sound like it predated the album when listened to in the canon.

At this point in the album, I’m definitely trying to understand the general perception that EU is working towards amplifying.

U Street at 130am? The track is evidently ready for mass consumption but EU still decides to carve the beat from his iconic southpaw rhyme scheme.

“Deliver shot, Hedgewick”…

Is all I’m able to pick up in the barrage of lyrics that range from aggression to introspective, like a modern day Ralph Ellison.

So Proud To Get To Know You

There’s another Elizabeth Warren bar on this track.

“Stress be the best like Elizabeth Warren”

This track is another example of when EU can either wax or wane on the audience. Upon the first 20 seconds I was extremely excited to hear the switch in pace, but after a full listen a bit disappointed that there’s no change in delivery from EU.

In these times it’s easy to get distracted by the narrative the album is working to create because it comes off as one of the first disjointed collaborations of the tape… or so you would assume.

Deep into the track EU delivers my favorite bars of the album with,

“I am a slave unshackled I undid my personal chapel”

It’s times like these as your sitting for meaning in the library book sense lyrics of EU that you remember what keeps you intrigued.

You never quite know what you’ll get next.

Overall:

I loved this tape, once again I think EU creates music that’s going to be canonized into the zeitgeist of african american alt artists that arrived in hip hop post Cudi.

My worries about the tape are far and few between but the cut through thought is still the same as when I met EU…

“Who else is in on the joke?”

The punchline of African revolution spliced by technology and social awareness. EU remains the gem intentionally hidden by the city like a favorite carry out, but as his projects keep teetering on the spectrum of mainstream appeal, the only concern is who will control the narrative when it pops?

How does “This is the Stance” sound without the context of the joke to middle America? Is the angst still tangible in a minivan 1000 miles removed?

Those are the struggles I can see EU dealing with in a near future but regardless, if that’s the only zeitgeist EU has to battle, he’d consider himself lucky. The tape was one for the crate deck. Extremely provocative, always progressive & a cohesive environment throughout.

It’s a definite go check, and since we should be rating music by the impact instead of the number, here’s my rating for EU. Hope he digs it.

Score:

Original Solbiato

This is something DC Needs