Grant JonesWax is an emcee that capitalised on the Internet, accumulating millions of views and thousands of subscriptions to his Youtube channel. This was a few years ago now, and having been scooped up by Def Jam (and subsequently spat out a year later), he hasn’t really been able to break the popular-rap genre. So another emcee that has experienced major label politics and been promptly dropped soon after. “Continue” is Wax moving on, carrying on doing what he does best, and there is a clear freedom on this record that shows his creativity.
Wax raps a lot like underground stalwart Slaine, but devoid of an aggressive, political agenda. It would be stupid to pinpoint Wax with one sound as “Continue” darts all over the place musically, with “Dreamin'” showing influences from The Beastie Boys to Will.i.am. Party records such as “Get It In” and “Toothbrush” are too dumb to deserve prolonged rotation, and detract from the more acoustic, lyrical affairs. Minus the rock-flip, “Tomorrow” proves just why Wax got signed to Def Jam in the first place. A catchy ode to false promises, Wax shows he can sing enough to warrant thousands of views online, whilst “I Shoulda Tried Harder” is a more realistic view on the effort he puts in. Wax undoes this message by proclaiming that “We Can’t All Be Heroes”, insisting that no matter how hard you try, unless you are naturally gifted you will be subjected to limits. It’s also worth noting that perhaps the reason Wax isn’t a platinum seller, is his constant cursing. Much like R.A. The Rugged Man, he is infatuated with the word ‘cunt’ on the song “Continue”, and even attempts to purposefully shock the listener on “She Used To Be Mine”:
“At first I couldn’t believe it, she was so sweet and so kind
How could she be getting ass fucked and sucking dick at the same time
But I went online one day and I saw that shit first hand
She was having a one night stand with a Nine piece salsa band
And the piano player is fucking her asshole, and in her pussy hole is the bass
She’s got the backup singer’s dick in each hand, and the trumpet player’s fucking her face”
Sounding more like a Tenacious D record, Wax narrates a 9-way gangbang featuring his ex-girlfriend, as she proceeds to engage in all sorts of pornographic situations with each member of a Salsa band, SIMULTANEOUSLY. Not that this has never been done, but as funny as it is ridiculous, it sounds odd thrown in the middle of the otherwise friendly track listing. The latter half of the record features more crooning on the hooks, minus “Straight To Paradise”; a more traditional hip hop record that suits Wax better than the majority of beats he uses. Beats is probably the incorrect term, because there is a varied landscape backing up Wax on “Continue” that somehow blends together amongst the random swearing and poppier efforts. Overall then, it’s certainly worth checking out if you’re feeling open-minded and don’t want to listen to another rapper that takes themselves too serious.