Blue Sky Black Death X Nacho Picasso Exalted
[xrr rating=3.75/5] Seattle-based beatsmiths Blue Sky Black Death have made a name for themselves with lush yet spacey brooding beats. Their tracks have been both celebrated as stand-alone instrumentals as well as served as the perfect post-apocalyptic super-villain lair for MCs as diverse as Wu-Tang affiliate Hell Razah and cult heroine Jean Grae. Last fall they unveiled their latest discovery in fellow Seattle native Nacho Picasso. On their free first outing, For the Glory, the world got used to Nacho. While many were at first put-off by his silly name, sardonic pop culture references and stream of conscious flow, the smart writing and undeniable hooks made for an end-of-the-year sleeper hit. They returned the following spring with another free album, Lord of the Fly which was in the same vein, only the flow was that much stronger and lyrics were that much sharper. Word of mouth has been kind to the outfit, making their latest release Exalted not only the first release they're charging for, but further proof that their projects are worth your money.
As you may have inferred, Nacho is an acquired taste. But once that taste is acquired, it's one of the most satisfying voices in rap today. While he shares similarities with a few other buzzed about rap artists, his execution of their hallmarks puts Nacho in a style and a league all his own. Detached without being haphazard, referential without nostalgia-baiting, free-flowing without heavy-handedness, it's as if someone made a steak solely out of the finest tenderloins they could find.
There's a level of mystery to Nacho's projects, but it took Exalted to really begin to reveal his artistic statement. After hearing roughly three hours of music from the man, all I can tell you about him as a person (or character) is that he has a Don Rickles-meets-Mitch Hedberg sense of humor, he ingested a lot of media growing up and his dad died. His father's death, even when it's been the hook of a song, is only really mentioned in passing and even then not so much an event that shaped him, but rather a timestamp.
To call his music nihilistic is to dismiss it without really grasping or appreciating what he's achieved. Nacho isn't obsessed with selling your childhood back to you via innuendos that recall television you watched as a child, but rather to apply a "Mystery Science Theater 3000"-style web of references that teeters on a secret dap for those who get his punchlines. But one need not be a couch potato to understand the bulk of this album. When Nacho growls, "Period came late? Well, who we waitin' on?" on "Bloody Murder," you know from the first track you're listening to one of the best writers in the game today.
Exalted is the best of the group's three projects, and while that's due in part to Nacho just getting better and better as an artist, it's also from Blue Sky Black Death perfecting what sonic thunderdome Nacho sounds best in. The album begins sounding like if Kim Wilde scored Escape from New York, and remains ominous enough to make the zaniest of Nacho's lines forceful enough to take seriously.
But it's not all jokes. "4th of July," which features a hook-of-the-year contender by Jeremy Cross, is an outstanding subtle tribute to Seattle's musical history, with nods to both the city of flannel's most famous artists as well as local legends. It's also indicative of what separates Nacho from so many of his contemporaries. While many would forcefully weave band names into a story as if to blatantly point out how clever they are, Nacho tucks the name-drops in such a way that if you've never heard of any of the bands or song titles, it would still be an effective face-value banger. His rhymes aren't dependent on listeners sharing the same niche interests; rather, these are bonuses that are sometimes so subtle it takes repeat listens to even be detected.
When I say Nacho Picasso isn't for everybody, it's because in today's climate of free music at every turn, I'm not sure how many listeners are going to truly appreciate what he's done. He's not just an MC's MC, he's a writer's writer and utterly fearless. Even taking into consideration him naming a song after the Troma film Surf Nazis Must Die!!, there's not a whole lot of irony on Exalted. Instead, the level of actual subtlety might take a few listens for many to catch on. Regardless, Nacho fans should feel safe and proud putting their financial support into his new album. Along with having among the highest replay value of anything released this year, listening to it feels like ground zero for what's sure to be a consistently satisfying career.
Source: https://spectrumculture.com/2012/07/17/blue-sky-black-death-and-nacho-picasso-exalted/
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