>Lil Ugly Mane - Third Side of Tape
Where the fuck do I start with this? I guess if you have never heard of LUM, he's difficult to explain.
Lil Ugly Mane is Shawn Kemp, a prolific bandcamp rap/hip-hop artist that came out of nowhere with heady beats and confounding lyrics with a style that owes a huge debt to the Memphis rap scene.
His style originally satirized the tough hoodrat gangster scene with songs that clearly lampooned the lifestyle on the album Mista Thug Isolation. The album speaks about sippin lean, gang violence, and smacking up hoes. It's decent and entertaining, with solid jazzy beats.
That has since evolved into surrealism and incredibly off-putting track titles, album covers, and liner notes. Just see for yourself: http://liluglymane.bandcamp.com/music
Third Side of Tape is the final installment in a series of compilations of extra songs that Kemp had lying around from 1999-2012. All of the music on this "album", from rap to breakbeat to drone to noise to black metal to folk, was all recorded by himself.
It's a huge mess, but it's an incredible journey through a man's musical vision, and despite the massive range of genres, it has a flow to it that seems logical, or at the very least, it's not annoying and doesn't take you out of it.
Not to mention that many of the songs are incredibly good. I prefer the hip-hop or noise material. It reminds me of Actress's music, but with vocals and a whole lot more life to it. Very catchy with a tinge of darkness and insanity.
It's also entertaining to listen to this for the first time because you never know what to expect. A breakbeat rap song will dissolve into harsh black metal before your very ears, and nothing will prepare you for it.
I don't know how to rate this or if a rating is even appropriate but if I were to give one based on my enjoyment and my desire to return to many of the track I enjoyed, I'd give it an 8/10.
If you have 2 hours to kill and you want a mystifying 2015 release, look no further.