Steve 'Flash' Juon“I’m hotter than jalapeños.”
Considering Unkle Adams is from Regina that’s a good thing. The average high temperature there is 48 degrees Fahrenheit. While they still tend to have a seasonable summer there, the average means it’s pretty cold a great deal of the time. I’d be stocking up on hot sauce, thermal underwear and electric blankets if I moved to Saskatchewan. I’d probably get a few huskies too. The good news for Adams is that locally speaking he’s got very little competition. Not many rappers hail from or are flocking to this cold climate. In fact Def3 is the only one I can think of off the top of my head, though judging by “How Much Longer” Adams doesn’t think it will stay cold for much longer.
It unintentionally reminds me of the time Dale Gribble went on an anti-environmental rant on King of the Hill, claiming that it was a globalist agenda while saying “we’ll grow oranges in Alaska.” Hank’s response was picture perfect: “Dale you giblet head! We live in Texas. It’s already 110 in the summer, and if it gets one degree hotter I’m gonna kick your ass!” (RIP Johnny Hardwick.) I’m not here to stake a claim on the issue one way or the other, but I will say the “Save the Earth” people are missing the point. The Earth will still exist even if it gets too hot for humans to survive in the environment, and I appreciate that Unkle Adams understands the difference between saving the Earth and saving the biosphere that we live in.
Unkle Adams is clearly a thoughtful dude who spends a lot of time thinking about the problems we’re all facing, as heard in the radio friendly “Change the World.” It seems like the kind of song which could have propelled Adams to viral fame, only I get the sense that as an artist who runs his own label and promotes his own music, the amount of exposure he was going to get was limited at best. Hell it’s ten years since he put out “Humble Beginnings” and I’m just now talking about it. He might also be a little too earnest for his own good. I wouldn’t call his bars corny, because I appreciate that he has something to say about how much the wage world sucks on “Wake Up,” but I can also see how a rap fan who wants to hear about bitches and drugs would pass on it.
This is the box that Unkle Adams has put himself in. He’s a thoughtful, sincere, humble Canadian rapper with a lot of important things to say. Other people in his position might try to get out of that box and find a broader appeal, but he’s like a cat with a new package that’s just been delivered. Adams is gonna get in even if he doesn’t fit in, and he’s gonna make you respect just how much he can squeeze himself in. I found myself wondering what would take “Humble Beginnings” to the next level. Better production? Nah, it’s fine. Better lyrics? Nah, he’s good. Guest stars? No, I don’t want him to water down his presentation. I think I’ll just have to accept that Unkle Adams is in a very small niche of a very large rap scene — but you might just find that you’re in it too.