Welcome to the Boolin Tunes Staff Spotlight, a special segment on the site in which we dive deep into a classic or simply personally beloved album to shine a light on releases that we feel deserve a second glance.
Join the multitudes
So opens the enigmatic Elucid‘s album Shit Don’t Rhyme No More. Alongside Billy Woods, Elucid won recognition primarily as a member of hip-hop duo Armand Hammer. 2018 proved a busy year for Elucid; Parrafin, Nostrum Grocers with Milo, and this tour tape. All told, Elucid dizzily pushes the boundaries of conventional hip-hop, with even the title acting as a cheeky warning of what to expect.
Show me your commandments, I’ll show you mine
Hold the line, that’s not news
Real, imagined, or otherwise
After the sample-laden, self-produced intro “Swazi”, “Bad Credit is Better Than No Credit” establishes Elucid at the center of the world. It works as arguably the most conventional track, presumably to lull the listener into a false sense of security. Even so, this track is riddled with paradoxes and double entendres: “There ain’t enough Africa in computers, is there?” The sense of Elucid winking-yet-wincing on these bars becomes a motif for the album overall.
If I turn back, I’ll prolly morph into a pillar of salt
A mound atop dead pirates in the middle of Fort Greene park
Marked, darker angles, copper bangles jangle
“Hyssop” serves as the album’s strongest statement, backed by the refrain: “What a day”. This track swirls and gyres around the album’s key themes with unbreakable conviction. Though generally obscured by the cloud of unknowing, Elucid takes steps to clear the air just long enough to be left with a tangible picture of the scene.
Here come the planes
So you better get ready
Ready to go
The album ends on two instrumentals, the second of which acts as one of the album’s highlights. Built on avant-garde performance artist Laurie Anderson‘s “O Superman (For Massenet)“, an unconventional sample (and excellent song) in itself. The mission statement furthers itself – Shit Don’t Rhyme No More because it doesn’t have to, and Elucid stands at the front of a new direction for hip-hop.
Otherwise, we hope to see you back here next week for another retrospective from our team.