Grant JonesI thought this new project from New York’s Randy Mason was a Homeboy Sandman joint at first, but some slight differences between the two emcees are worth confirming before we dive into this review. Sandman likes to eke every last drop out of mundane situations and create something fun out of a very specific moment in life. Mason feels less unpredictable to my ear and follows a more conventional style. There’s an introductory quality to his music, no doubt influenced by his background in education and working with children, that makes him an accessible emcee, utilising a traditional flow and structure to his rhymes. This is not only great for first-time listeners, but it provides a refreshing break from the more abstract and lyrical rap that populates the scene. That might sound like a backhanded compliment, but Randy Mason is well aware of his style, naming his latest album “Practical Rap for Everyday People” and that’s exactly what this is. It’s not only relatable but it’s designed to get you rhyming along to the music too.
The ghost of Sandman is most prevalent in the song “Wallet Phone Keys”, although some may get flashbacks of Mr Zip’s ditty “Where’s My Keys? Where’s My Phone?” that was popular twelve years ago. “Just Rhyme” even sees Sandman side-by-side with the Bronx-based Mason, but for my money, it’s Deca that shows up both with a killer verse:
“First apply paint to the brush
Next set the pace, separate the grain from the husk
The same clay figurine that came from the dust
With trust, placed solely in the angels in us
At days end all rave reviews and praise do
Center stage endless charades to fall prey to
Put a pen to a blank page see what takes root
And grows limbs where the spirits of our age roost
The same tools of the trade used in grade school forged a way through and put food on the plate
Stay the full course, make mistakes these are the breaks
Chopped beyond recognition and strategically placed
Everything’ll be, just right
Fine tuned to fit the scenery precise diamond cuts and clutched mics
It might blow up, but won’t go pop
I don’t treat the holy moments like a photo op
I just rhyme”
A sense of hopefulness and achievement is prevalent throughout the album, most literally with the songs “Got This” and “I Did That”. They straddle the line between pep talk and Christian rap but succeed by not being as preachy as either. “Just Decide” and “Just Rhyme” aren’t that dissimilar, and there’s a charming simplicity to titles like “You Got This” and “I Did That”. There are no complex schemes or hidden messages here, it’s just straightforward rap, but navigates carefully past the dreaded genericism of modern revisionist boom-bap by retaining one of Hip-Hop’s most important elements – fun.
“Practical Rap for Everyday People” accentuates the everyman quality of Randy’s output, but the Homeboy Sandman comparisons are difficult to ignore, especially when Sandman just dropped one of the strongest rap albums this year. Pushing that aside, Randy Mason has succeeded at providing a succinct selection of tracks that embrace the sentimentality found on old-school Hip-Hop but still manages to apply a modern twist to it. With Deca on production too, you’re practically guaranteed a good time.