Experienced music artist Darick DDS Spears, produces, writes, performs and arranges his own albums. Darick, who doesn’t like the idea of sampling, counts a catalog with over 500 songs that run through his core hip-hop style to jazz, rock, country, and gospel, among others. The multi-nominated artist, who has released a number of singles and albums, is also an Amazon Bestseller Book author. The artist’s 15 track album “Rhyme Junkie” is out right now on all digital download platforms. Darick’s album is, in essence, one man and his mic, the type of record that feels increasingly like a rarity in an era of guest-verse overload and heterogeneous production. “Rhyme Junkie” is an unqualified success, a wonderfully energetic and compact display of unfettered good rapping. Darick DDS Spears is a sort of old school when it comes to the craft of rhyming: he’s fast, deep, convincing, and perhaps most of all interesting.
It also helps that the album is remarkably consistent. Many fans will obviously prefer one song to another but for its all-round earnestness, the rhymes and the production, this recording is completely airtight from the first song to the very last.
“Can I Kick a Rhyme” is just that, fierce and sounding as if it were recorded in someone’s basement; “These Sucka Mc’s” has Darick just blazing by other rappers; “Amen” is deliciously left-field; “John Lennon” has a dynamic flow to it. One of my favorites of all, is “Never Giving Up”, which finds Darick once again blending narrative structure together with a constant stream of consciousness.
The lyrics are fire on paper and sound, in fact, even more fiery on record, showcasing a rap soloist at the top of his game, ecstatic with the possibilities of words and what they can do. And when it comes down to it that is exactly what rap music is all about.
Moving ahead and through “Never Giving Up”, “Feeling So Alive” and “What Happened to You”, the amount of skill with which every word pours out of Darick DDS Spears whenever he opens his mouth is incredible. He’s is sharp, effortlessly spitting lines of a standard that most rappers can only dream of writing.
Fast flow, slow flow, slickness, and nuance. It’s all here, and gets turned on and off depending on the beat. I could list some of the best lyrical gems from the album, but we’d honestly be here all day. The title track, “The Rhyme Junkie” gets all funky and soulful, while “Pencil Geeks” keeps the momentum going.
“Rhyme Crimes” kicks off with a more than urgent flow above an insistent piano motif. Throughout these songs, Darick shows that he is a clean and crisp spitter; as equally capable of stringing together witty punchlines as he is complex metaphors.
But the album is literally crammed full of strong tracks, exhibiting Darick’s, commanding flow, and articulate lyrics over varied productions. “My Fiends”, “Dead Conversations” and “Rhyme Motion” being among the best of the bunch.
Darick DDS Spears really has a lot to say about hip-hop and life, and his powerful rapping style delivers his thoughts in a powerful, and direct manner throughout. “Rhyme Junkie” is an underground album released for the rap purist, but one that can be enjoyed by anyone.
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