{"id":1853,"date":"2020-11-08T23:41:02","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T05:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=1853"},"modified":"2021-06-24T16:51:16","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T21:51:16","slug":"small-bills-dont-play-it-straight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/small-bills-dont-play-it-straight\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Small Bills’ ‘Don’t Play It Straight’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ten tracks into E L U C I D’s Valley of Grace <\/em>(Backwoodz Studioz, 2017), the rapper declared that “nothing’s broken, this is how it\u2019s supposed to run” <\/em>on “Talk Disruptive For Me”. At that point in the EP, if the listener did not know that he was talking about systemic racism, they had not been paying attention. Inspired by a trip to South Africa, it is a powerful reaction to turbulent times. The beats, produced entirely by the artist himself, had a grim futuristic tone that fit the subject matter perfectly. Three years and several albums later, he is still musically evolving. If only the world moved at a similar pace – “Talk Disruptive For Me” and the rest of Valley Of Grace<\/em> can still be applied to the present. On Don\u2019t Play It Straight <\/em>(Mello Music Group, 2020), E L U C I D and producer The Lasso\u2019s debut under the moniker Small Bills, those lyrics have morphed into “nothing broken here – just the way it work” <\/em>on “Moses Was A Magician.” The song is deluged in distortion and has frantic electronic energy that is unlike anything E L U C I D usually raps over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best collaborations are greater than the sum of their parts. The goal is to form a deep understanding to be able to reach new heights, and this is exactly what happens throughout the fourteen songs of Don\u2019t Play It Straight<\/em>. It’s impossible to tell that this is the first time E L U C I D and The Lasso have worked together. E L U C I D\u2019s style has never been conservative, which is what makes the level of liberation in Small Bills so remarkable. Undeniable chemistry has pushed both artists into new dimensions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small Bills has tapped into unique energy. As E L U C I D moves through the past and looks towards the future in “We Don’t Really Need Altars,\u201d it\u2019s clear that he is inspired: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Circling to the center of a boiling core  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iron and ore <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plate shift <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thoughts and form were forged <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We heard about Haiti <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Came a mighty long way, how to raise a free black baby<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On “E.T. Diamond,” the power of the synergy of Small Bills is on full display. A sinister synth that runs behind Koncept Jackson’s blistering verse is briefly removed for space and bass as E L U C I D’s deep voice enters the fray. The transition perfectly matches his cadence and puts the rapper on a platform, which he proceeds to dominate with an excellent verse. It’s the type of decision making that shows that The Lasso is highly aware of E L U C I D’s sensibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n

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