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| RapReview Of The Week |
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"God damn it, I'm sick of this group The little known secret about Rufus Johnson b/k/a Bizarre is that he's been on wax almost as long as Eminem. Even though Marshall Mathers technically wins the war with 1995's obscure "Infinite" album, Bizarre dropped his "Attack of the Weirdos EP" the same year Slim Shady dropped HIS self-titled EP, both coming before Eminem met Dr. Dre and landed the deal that put him on the map nationally. Owing to their common Detroit background it's no surprise that Eminem was a guest on Bizarre's EP, or that Bizarre's local notoriety made him a perfect choice to be part of the D12 supergroup which first surfaced on "The Underground EP" and later went national when Em has gained the clout to sign them to a deal (sadly without fouding member Bugz, who succumbed to Detroit's violence). No one knows if Bizarre really did feel stuck in Eminem's shadow for all these years, but with "Hannicap Circus" he becomes the only D12 member other than Proof to release a solo album since they went national. While Proof's work has been a little on the obscure side, Bizarre is getting a full-fledged push from Sanctuary Urban in the form of national distribution of his CD and a mobile phone memory card. Rap albums have been released digitally before but that's a new one on me - if it's been done before I've never heard of it. With so much confidence from his new label on the release of "Hannicap Circus" it only remains to be seen if the album itself delivers the goods. The album starts appropriately enough with another "Public Service Announcement" skit, on which the announcer warns us that "The lyrics you're about to hear are totally fucked; they're geared towards the future lives of gay and lesbians of the world. So that being said, grab a blunt, take a big hit, sit back and enjoy the ride." GLAAD will probably be offended again, but only because they take this irreverant and non-sensical introduction too seriously. This is followed by the heavy beats of the PMG produced "Intro," where Bizarre explains his concept for the "Hannicap Circus" album:
"Heyyy bitch! It's your nigga with the shower cap Crass, insensitive, foul-mouthed and politically incorrect - that's Bizarre in a nutshell. In case some of you are tempted to tell him he needs Jesus in his life or that he should find religion, just check out the chorus he sings on the "Gospel Weed Song":
"I wake up praisin, God every day Bizarre is an equal opportunity offended, although the sad part is that the same people who take the Old Testament literally ought to have no problem with Mr. Johnson's version of worship. Genesis 1:29 - "Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.'" Even if you read that as meaning for food, there's no reason you can't bake marijuana brownies, and there's certainly no prohbition on chewing on or smoking tobacco - and both have a direct effect on the brain's chemistry (though tobacco has been proven to be both more harmful and more addictive). Getting back to the point though, Bizarre proves he's just as willing to use artificially man-made medicines on "Fuck Your Life":
"Man I popped so many pills it's startin to get scary Perhaps the public service announcment should have included the statement "don't imitate any of Bizarre's behavior at any time," but the fact that he clearly goes out of his way to describe negative consequences of his psychotic behavior proves he's not so crazy after all. If you're hip to the joke, you know that Bizarre would already be dead if he did all the things he said, and the harder he tries to convince us that he really does them the funnier it gets. Bizarre is ably supported on his comic misadventures with superb beats: PMG laces the super-funkdafied "Let the Record Skip," Hi-Tek does the smooth flowing but brutally sadistic "I'm in Luv Witchu" as well as Bizarre's duets "Hip Hop" with Eminem and "Doctor Doctor" with Obie Trice. Speaking of guest appearances, Raphael Saadiq sings on the R&B style track he laced for "Coming Home," while the D12 family can be found on the Mr. Porter produced "Nuthin' at All." Denaun also laced the track "Porno Bitches," but that one features Big Boi and Devin the Dude:
Devin: "When I was young I was sprung off the way women used their tongue Bizarre plays second fiddle to nobody on "Hannicap Circus" though, not even Eminem. In fact the Eminem produced "Rock Star" sounds like the perfect sequel to "My Band," moving him from backup singer to a demented and demanding Ozzy Osbourne style front man:
"I'm on TRL, with David Chappelle "Hannicap Circus" may not be an album for those weak of heart or stomach, because for the sake of comedy Bizarre has always been willing to say (and possible do) anything, no matter how much it offends. Taken out of musical context and read Charlton Heston style, Rufus Johnson's lyrics would probably sound like every parent's worst nightmare. In the context of the album though they are just like the rapper himself - bizarre. While the verbals aren't meant to be taken that seriously, the level of deprivation Bizarre is willing to rap shows a serious albiet twisted sense of pride in his craft, and for a heavyset MC his breath control and diction remain suprisingly and consistantly clear. It's not your mother's, father's, sister's or brother's cup of tea, but for fans of D12 and/or Hunter S. Thompson, "Hannicap Circus" is one crazy trip through the mind of a lunatic. Music Vibes: 8 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 8 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 8 of 10
Originally posted: June 28, 2005
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![[Hannicap Circus]](../coverart/bizarre.jpg)
Bizarre ::