I don't think that Alan Ginsburg is an all-time greatest liar. On a Liar Hall of Fame ballot, I'm not sure he would even make the cut. Ginsburg's status as an honorable mention, though? Difficult to dispute; mainly due to "non-existence," of an organization promoting this hypothetical museum of myths. Yet the object of my ire is not quelled. If not everyone sees the greatest minds of their generation lost to madness, then that must mean quotes, and maybe even soft knowledge at large, does not live in a hyperbaric chamber separated from the effects of time. I've been lied to!
Progress is made and new ideas, I am told, are inevitably introduced. Often times these thoughts sprout up as a product of consequence. And with time, these ideas may even be accepted by a plurality people. The same can be said for the career trajectories of Dizzy Wright and Bishop Nehru: the two MCs featured on L-R-G's three song release Brilliant Youth EP. Both spitters are unmistakably products of their environment. Both are very much East coast, lyrically inclined rappers. I type rapper, not emcee, with reason. While the origins of their respective styles have strong links in the past, they are by no means an anachronism. As is mirrored on the 9th Wonder (memorably of MURS fame) beats, the songs are sample-based and do not rely on a nostalgia. Rather, this is a new New York. The difference between contemporaries and Wright/Nehru is a noticeable lack of swagger; unlike some mobs and crews. Both artists prefer to use words in crafting their image. This is not music chronicling a scene or a movement. Individualism is the theme, self-description is the vehicle.
And under this tent of individualism a knack for positive criticism is also found. Admirably the verbal jabs do so while evading a constraint of being deemed socially conscious. Dizzy Wright, of the tape's two stars, is the performer most resembling a battle rapper. But rather than attack a resilient strawman, Wright opts for a conversational approach and consistently returns to autobiography. His bars are well metered, and if anything favor the longer end of the spectrum. As Add-2 says on his "Wreckin' Crew," guest spot, "My verses are like a used car dealer / I be giving them quotes." Bishop Nehru hijacks the spotlight soon after. The good bishop is the EP's standout, and appropriately receives the only solo track. The most noteworthy change is just how far Nehru has come is a short span of time. Even since his late 2013 mixtape, this is a man motivated by madness; otherwise his improvement left unanswered. Wright is extroverted but Nehru thrives as an introvert. It takes all kinds, and peculiarity is taken as it comes. "Isolation," is a good case. It provides a sense of voyeurism. The young rapper has honed in on a sense of cool disconnect that provides an air, not of self-reflection, but of self-conversation. The listener is suddenly forced to inhabit a role of coincidental audience. Nehru is talking to himself, but at the same time compelling ears to stay tuned because it is material too good to miss. Nehru's prose-like style only adds this this effect, unpacking flows and bars the further into his head he retreats. Unapologetically independent, this is a testament to what the "I" can create. Perhaps working on team solo only foments a sharper mental image. Regardless, reasonable doubt should be auditioned too. In the end it might just be as simple as Dizzy Wright's two reasons: money and respect. But it's different line from the self-titled track that fans can hold out hope for: "Top of the chart, but I'm trying to last for a couple of weeks." Hopefully those weeks are soon coming.
- John Noggle
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