Supernatural "S.P.I.T. (Spiritual Poetry Ignites Thought)" (Up Above)
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Friday. Dec 16, 12:40 AM
A talented force phones it in.

It's hard to feel good about criticizing a rapper who's trying to be a thoughtful lyricist and a positive role model. There are so damn few of them, and the rest of the schlock that makes it onto the airwaves is so bad that you feel crappy for even implying that the album wasn't everything you hoped it would be. But it's especially disappointing to listen to a release like S.P.I.T. (Spiritual Poetry Ignites Thought) when the rapper in question is renowned for his freestyle acrobatics, the beats are made by artists like Vitamin D, DJ Muggs, and Beanone, and the energy just isn't there. Sure, Nat's flows are rock solid and the tracks are all well-crafted, but that's where it ends. The problem is that Supernatural is saying things that have been said before, and often better, by the many other teachers/rappers since "The Message" first hit back in 1982. The difference is, Supernatural's predecessors understood that a message only goes so far if the hooks are weak. In fact, the farther he gets from a message, the stronger his hooks become. Cuts like "Guess Who's Back," where he's mostly talking about rocking a mic and moving a dance floor, would actually move a dance floor. Where he bogs down is on the children-are-our-future type of themes, which were embarrassingly cliché when Whitney got a hold of them, and haven't gotten less so with time. Worse still is some of the muddled thinking exibited in his rhymes: for instance, the cut "Rise" includes a story rap about a 13 year-old thug-wannabe who gets baked and ends up accidentally shooting a kid in a sandbox. The way Supernatural tells it, the tragedy lies in the kid going to jail in spite of his artistic talent, rather than in the fact that the protagonist grew up in a society that regularly turns out stoned and strapped 13 year-olds with nothing to look forward to but poverty and frustration, or that a little girl can't sit in a sandbox in the city without running the risk of getting shot.

Don't get me wrong: Supernatural is obviously talented, and he could be a serious force in hip-hop and R 'n' B. Hell, he may even be the one who saves us from next year's "One, Two Step." But it's going to take a more developed lyrical focus and a real sense of fun before he's able to reach out a wider audience.

On a side note, whoever it was at Up Above that thought up having that "Sir Nose D'Void of Funk" voice saying "Spiritual Poetry Ignites Thought, advanced copy for promotional use only" over the VOCALS needs to be sent back to the label's goddamn mailroom. Just put a big "not for resale sticker" on the thing like the majors do and call it a day. That sped up voice shit is irritating as hell and it isn't gonna stop a single fan from including it in his Podcast before the release date.
www.upabove.com

Denis DesHarnais

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