Heathen. The word can bring up several mental images, such as demons, mistakes, the last hangover you had or its antithesis, religion. If you were raised in the church and found yourself doing some serious living, there was a chance that you were called heathen, whether you knew it or not.
It is probably why Richmond, Virginia-based emcee Nickelus F used the word to title his album. The word heathen is a powerful slur. Heathen however, paints an interesting autobiographical picture, and succeeds in giving you the image of just who Nickelus F is, and what he represents.
What is apparent throughout the album is that Nickelus F is a man with his own flaws. This is shown most prominently in tracks such as “Prideful.” Between the guitar riffs and heavy bass production from The Epics, Nickelus weaves between bouts of braggadocio lyrics that cascades through the song. He knows how he feels is wrong, and feels its going to catch up to him. This even shows at the end of the song with his mother catching a marijuana clip in his pocket.
What also stands out during Heathen is the sincerity that flows through the rhymes. This runs throughout the album, however, it is showcased in tracks such as “Be Good”. Around the sample based hook and snap snares given from producer Conrizzle, Nickelus F goes in with a machine gun flow about the wrong in his ways. He is a man who wants change, however he isn’t worth changing it quite yet.
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There are times where this tone gets the album in a bit of trouble. “New Day” has the message that he has changed, but it just doesn’t make its mark. The doubling effect used for the verse gets tiring, as it doesn’t add the strength that they were hoping for. The Auto-Tune isn’t really needed, as it feels tacked on. By the time the third verse utilizes the beat and atmosphere, it’s too late to save it from being skipped.
Some tracks felt unnecessary. “Demon Talk” feels like it was added to round out the album. Even if it has been years later, it reeks of DMX‘s “Damien” series and doesn’t feel more than a ripoff. “Smoke Screen” sounds more like a Cypress Hill throwaway. Guest Hijinx‘s verse is filled with elementary lyrics and an even more elementary rhyme scheme. These filler tracks take away from the album that in other ways create a very solid experience.
There have been many times where we all have sat through albums and have absolutely no idea of just who the artist is. Sure the name is on the front, and maybe a picture can give the visual, but his lyrics are light in the internal substance that allow the listener to get a handle on him. This is why Heathen, while not the best, works well for what it tries to be.
Many of us can relate with the experiences throughout the album, as it is told he is simply a man who has had to go through the various trials and tribulations that have created many of us. While it story elements feel disjointed, and it is no where near as tight as last years Death of Adam, there is still plenty of solid rapping and good production, and that is something we all can enjoy, heathen or not.
