Hip Hop artists who want to remain true to their creative spirit and quest to keep the purist’s sound alive and well in ’09 can do just that, thanks to the power of the Internet. Eschewing the normal path towards achieving success in the music business (read: signing to a major label and receiving commercial radio airplay), the World Wide Web has allowed these “true school” scholars to release endless amounts of digital material that can easily expose them to a small but dedicated group of like-minded fans across the globe.
North Carolina-based Cesar Comanche is one of those cats who has toiled endlessly in the shadows of the mainstream, keeping himself busy by constantly touring and releasing material on indie labels, co-founding the acclaimed Justus League and maintaining a very popular MySpace page. His fifth studio album, Die in Your Lap, further solidifies the emcee’s continuing dedication to his craft and music. Nevertheless, will Comanche‘s latest offering finally break him above ground and unto the mainstream stage?
On a majority of the album cuts, the southern wordsmith appears poised to make noise in the commercial rap game with his earnest approach towards making music and courageous appeal for spiritual change. For example, “Mercy” (featuring AC Goodness) is a jam that passes with flying colors, thanks to the triumphantly hypnotic beat and Comanche’s ability to dissect the everyday challenges of trying to make it as a professional musician – especially for someone who will not fall for the nasty tricks of his trade. On “Hands High”, the nimble wordsmith rides out to 9th Wonder‘s [click to read] beat with aplomb – admonishing the audience members to cherish each other and to unite regardless of color, religion and creed. In addition to exposing cats to the reality of living the Rap life and the universal appeal of his beloved art form, Cesar is unafraid to question the blind allegiance of some of his fans. On “Lamb to Lion 2”, a spy-themed slow-burner that finds him asking Hip Hop aficionados to judge the North Carolina native strictly by the dopeness of his creative output and not because he is down with certain artists and producers that are celebrated by the underground massive (e.g., Murs [click to read] and Justus League affiliates, 9th Wonder, Edgar Allan Floe and Supastition).
For better or worse, there might be one thing against Comanche that might make Die in Your Lap less-than-appealing to those unfamiliar with his body of work (and subsequently, unappreciative of under-the-radar music). The Justus League co-founder’s mastery of wordplay and knowledge of his craft is commendable but he lacks a truly magnetic presence that could make him that much more appealing to hear. Take for instance, “Guf 2”. On this particular cut, the North Carolina emcee attempts to flex his vocal muscles in the form of a party Rap, repurposing a boisterous Flavor Flav line for the hook but his laid-back flow does little to aid in the art of moving serious butts on the dance floor. The same problem also occurs on “Everything”. In the aforementioned song, Comanche is able to effortlessly break down the breadth and variety of his verbal arsenal in rhyme form but he utterly fails in fully convincing the listener because his voice cannot capture the unbridled passion and intensity of the instrumental.
With the advent of the web, it is much easier for rappers who are talented and extremely dedicated to “real” Hip Hop to achieve relatively moderate success and cult following by exposing their joints online. Cesar Comanche, a hardworking emcee who has been paying dues by taking that particular road less traveled, has his eyes set on a much bigger prize. Without the need to sacrifice his deep-seated spiritual values and by being brutally honest in his music, Cesar‘s latest full-length, Die in Your Lap, is a valiant attempt in bringing him that much closer to achieving his dreams in the dog-eat-dog world of Rap. Although he needs to work more on making his rhyme delivery a bit more commanding in order to garner serious mainstream attention, that is a minor concern. What Comanche brings to the Hip Hop table is more than what worldly fame and success can ever repay with and that’s peace of mind.
