Steve 'Flash' JuonI spent an unnecessary 20 minutes before I started writing the “Sovereign Nose of (Y)our Arrogant Face” review trying to determine if Soulfolks Records still had a physical presence. Best I can tell, the locations in Nashville, TN and Biddeford, ME both closed. I was under the mistaken impression their might have been a branch in Kenosha, WI but can’t find any evidence to back that up. Whether you call him milo, R.A.P. Ferreira or Scallops Hotel, I had it in the back of my mind to someday visit Rory Ferreira’s record store and drop a bill in appreciation of both his art and his embrace of vinyl records. I don’t think that’s possible any longer.
“Saboteur, engineer, very best with the pen and pad
Found your shit unacceptable like I was Lemongrab
Did a jig for emphasis, the nigga looked indigent
Feasting on figs in the city center”
Why would I care that much? Because Mr. Ferreira cares about art. “A hater could be most useful to me” opines Rory under his Scallops Hotel nom de plume on the song “Twenty on Five,” mocking those same haters who call his music “art rap.” He’s right — they are useful. They are not doing him a disservice to describe him as such. When listening to “Sovereign Nose of (Y)our Arrogant Face” you quickly realize he has no fucks to give in the best possible way. Not the testosterone fueled “no fucks” of M.O.P., not the macabre “no fucks” of Esham, not the conspiracy theory “no fucks” of Lord Jamar. No. These are the kind of no fucks you give when you’re self-assured that you’re doing the right thing by writing and producing exactly the kind of music that will satisfy YOU. The fact “Whereareewe” is enjoyable to the listener is a happy accident.
“I hate how people speak on the internet
The overwhelming decorum of an invisible place ain’t for me
I poke at the glass angrily, like
Where are you? Stare in the mirror like, where are you?”
Speaking of no fucks to give, here’s a little behind the scenes glimpse at my life. I’ve been fighting a really nasty stomach flu since last Friday. I got over the “head in a bowl” part of it quickly enough, but since then my body has turned up its nose at food. Nothing sounds good and my stomach doesn’t rumble even when something smells good. You might in a sense think it would be liberating to be removed from base carnal desire, only to quickly realize it’s unhealthy to deprive yourself of nutrition even when you don’t want or feel the need to eat. I’ve been forcing a diet of rice and broth down my throat waiting for my body to change its mind. In the meantime all I can “consume” is music like “Temple in the Green.” You’d be surprised how much it helps.
It’s charming to hear Scallops de Ferreira say “this beat is nice… it might sound nice” and then start singing it himself. It’s dare I say wholesome? Definitely unpretentious. Mr. Hotel or whatever you want to call him today raps with the flannel and the “beard of Mick Foley” as he casually drops wrestling references during his “Private Temple Hours” alongside excitable cohort YOUNGMAN. Man don’t you just love it when a rapper makes you smile? When you’re listening to someone who you feel is just talking to you as another human being, not bragging about his bucket list of personal achievements?
“Sovereign Nose of (Y)our Arrogant Face” is set at a name-your-own-price point, which means you could theoretically download it for free. In this current economic climate I don’t think Rory would be all that mad if you did. I’m still going to gently suggest that you don’t. Maybe you can give it a try for free on a streaming service first, then realize you dig his vibe as much as I do, at which point you’ll gladly fork out a little cash to say thank you. What do you have to lose by trying? Mr. Ferreira is a quiet revolution for rap music. He might tear down the walls that surround our conceptions of the art, but he’ll do so by handing you a shovel and a cold beverage with a smile and saying “join me.”