Steve 'Flash' JuonIs “Dum N Dumbber 3” a joke or for real? Before I answer that question let me tell you what I do know. In January 2021, Rio Da Yung OG accepted a plea bargain on the charge “possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.” The agreement carried a sentence of five years, and the Flint, Michigan rapper said he’d start serving that sentence this summer. That presumably means he’s in jail right now as this album is dropping, so you definitely can’t take Rio Da Yung OG for a joke, but his partner RMC Mike is one of the strangest rappers I’ve heard in a while. The only explanation I can give you is that he sounds like what would happen if Rick Ross and Weird Al Yankovic mixed their rap styles in a blender.
If this is the third installment in a trilogy then “Dum N Dumbber 3” has to be serious, but even Rio says some of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard on a song in a while. “Dope fiend, I just poured some lean in a McFlurry/Take that chain off and take it it back bro, the shit blurry/Just get a razor blade and go shave your cat, the shit furry.” Is he for real with this? I have to embed “Spicy Lingo” here just to let you decide for yourself, because he’s delivering these lines like they’re not punchlines, but they’re so over the top that it’s unintentional comedy if he’s actually serious.
If they’re trying to mimic the comedy of the Dumb and Dumber films it would make sense, but every now and then they deliver a serious line you can’t take seriously. RMC Mike: “I can’t show no love to a bitch, I got a black heart […] bitch put my dick in yo’ mouth, that part/Paint the streets with a nigga brain, that’s black art.” At this point we’ve reached a level of vulgar comparable to an Insane Clown Posse song, but I actually enjoy listening to Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope more than Mike. His off-putting vocal tone makes for the worst of both worlds — when he’s serious I think he’s being funny, and when he’s being funny I think he really means it. The inflection of his vocals is all wrong.
Rio Da Yung OG is a fairly solid rapper, but if he’s going to be behind bars for the next five years that’ll leave his partner RMC Mike to carry the torch, and after “Dum N Dumbber 3” I don’t think I could handle that. The production on this album isn’t anything special enough to warrant repeat play even if it was Rio rapping all by himself. On occasion when I’m about to start liking it on a song like “Mannn Stop,” Mike will say something stupid like “Man this bitch pussy stank so bad I used a pressure washer” and kill any buzz I was getting from the instrumental. He actually wrote that and then thought it was a good idea to say it out loud. I’m baffled.
In the end I have to conclude that Rio Da Yung OG & RMC Mike know exactly what they’re doing, did it on purpose, and did it at least two times before “Dum N Dumbber 3” came out. You don’t have to take my word for it because they reference the fact they had everybody buzzing with the first album on this album, but based on “3” I really can’t imagine going back to hear the previous two. I’m sure they are at least partially inspired by Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, but after listening to this album you don’t have to guess who the “dumber” one is. Wait until Rio gets out of jail and goes solo and avoid this album in the interim.