Ilyas and Juice Lee :: Double Dragon 2k11 :: Bandcamp
** RapReviews "Back to the Lab" series **
as reviewed by Steve 'Flash' Juon
![[Double Dragon 2k11]](../coverart/DD2k11.jpg)
I was hipped to this album by well known gamer emcee
Mega Ran,
though I can't remember if the context was a blog update, e-mail
exchange or newsletter blast. Regardless of the circumstances it's
not a review I could pass on given that I actually own a Double
Dragon cabinet that is on permanent residence in my rec room. I was
looking for an old arcade cab to convert into a machine that plays
hundreds of games instead of one, and knew a fellow gamer named
Dan who was willing to help me do the work, so we went shopping
at a warehouse that was more or less a graveyard for my misspent
childhood. The man in charge was quoting us high dollar amounts
for Ms. Pac-Man and Donkey Kong machines left and right, but the
DD cab caught my eye right away. "How much for this one?" He
looked at it dismissively and said "50 bucks." I would have called
him a fool if it wouldn't have blown the deal - I just pokerfaced
it and said "Yeah that sounds fair." 10 minutes later it was mine.
![[Double Dragon]](../coverart/dd-cab.jpg)
If you've ever had the chance to hang out in my basement you
know this cab is the shiznit, but it wouldn't have been mine if
I hadn't been pouring quarters into a similar looking cousin
in my teenage years. The NES home console version is described
as "technically limited" compared to its arcade counterpart, but
if anything I spent MORE time playing it given I knew a
friend with a copy and it didn't cost me a quarter at a time.
The curious twist to this album is that Ilyas of
Tanya Morgan fame was
apparently working on this album with Juice Lee the same year
he left the group to go solo. Gamers gotta do it for dolo!
Reviewer Patrick Taylor
described i-El's departure as spiritual in nature, though I don't think playing video
games is a holy sacrament. In fact if you've ever played any
of the blue colored NES carts from back in the Double Dragon
days, you'd know that Bible-based video games were NOT
good. On the other hand you can't deny there are deeply
spiritual and existential themes to games like "Final Fantasy,"
and Mega Ran has a guest rap on this track.
To be honest the "Double Dragon" theme here is more about how
Ilyas and Juice form a team to fight together, much like how
twin brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee do in the game of the same name.
The duo jump all over the gaming map, which I have no problem with,
since their touchstones as gamers are one anybody who sat on the
carpet (or hard wood floor) in front of their family TV as a kid
can relate to. "Castlevania" is actually one of the more gothic
rap interpretations I've heard based on the game, not just in
terms of accurately articulating the plot but in the way it samples
from the series and reminds you how haunting and eerie it can be.
Various producers contribute various lifts from the game classics,
and although they're more straight jacks than the way K-Murdock likes
to flip and remix game beats, I'm not hating on Mysterious for the
comical usage of Super Mario Bros. 2 on "Waitin 4 U." Mega Ran makes
another of his loop of the Bubble Man stage from Mega Man 2 for the
appropriately named "Splash," and I'm a sucker for him borrowing
from one of my all time favorites on "Chrono Trigger." Sal Dali
contributes some dopeness too such as "Assassin's Creed," DJ JW gives
their ode to the ladies a fly feel on "Gamer Girlz," and Nonsense
laces the short but fresh "Cheat Code."
It's obvious by the end of an hour+ of video game inspired beats and rhymes
that i-El and Juice are serious about this project, which makes me
wonder why "Double Dragon 2k11" seems to have been a one shot. I've
heard Ilyas cameo on Mega Ran projects, and while the cynical could
argue he's just returning the favor, it seems like more of a spiritual
bond (there's that word spiritual again) from one gamer to another.
I'm not even sure what i-El is up to these days, but
I did find his
Tumblr and a lot of what he's reblogging doesn't seem that holy
or spiritual (in fact you might have to turn your filters off to see
some of his mature content). I like Il's gamer rap, Juice is a strong
partner, and if this was a side of himself he couldn't express while
one-third of Tanya Morgan it's a damn shame.
Music Vibes: 7 of 10
Lyric Vibes: 7 of 10
TOTAL Vibes: 7 of 10
Originally posted: April 29th, 2014
source: www.RapReviews.com