Rarely do rappers ever really identify with their historical namesakes. Jim Jones [click to read] may have cult followers, but neither the rapper nor his fans have killed themselves, a la Heaven’s Gate. Rick Ross‘ [click to read] past revealed that he was on the other side of the bars than “Freeway” Ricky Ross in his former life. Donny Goines [click to read] appears to be more inspired by John Hughes films recently than penning accounts of Black Gangsters. One exception to this rule may be William Cooper of The Black Market Militia, who takes his name from the author of 1991’s Behold A Pale Horse, the popular conspiracy theory book that proposed UFO existence, and countered theories on various moments in time. Eighteen years later, the New Jersey rapper drops Beware Of The Pale Horse, an unofficial extension of the sort of social distrust and parnoia that made his namesake a controversial author.
What makes Cooper unique is his succinct balance of content and delivery. Whereas emcees like Immortal Technique [click to read] and Ill Bill [click to read] often propose some of the same theories, same accusations of the Bush Administration, they often roar their sincerity into the microphone. Nobody can doubt Cooper cares about what he says, but he still maintains his calm, true to Black Market Militia form, a group once mentored by Tragedy Khadafi [click to read], the pioneering Intelligent Hoodlum. “Free,” featuring Stoneface and Magesty is evident of this. With some chip-chopped Soul sample production, Cooper and co. chronicle the government’s exploitation of the ongoing wars, without valuing the soldiers’ lives lost in the process. For such a serious allegation, the track still finds a way to rock in a means accessible to listeners simply looking for a beat before a message. This is also true of “In America” [click to listen]. Here, the Militia is in tact, with Killah Priest [click to read] and Hell Razah checking in to look at the systems of oppression and conspiracies in America, breaking down the Free Mason‘s pyramid on the one dollar bill. A dramatic beat allows the introspection tone to be set, but the trio of emcees dissects the United States, going from that top one percent, to the have-nots.
Although Black Market Militia never gets the credit of Just Blaze, Kanye West or even Heatmakerz, dating back to Tragedy‘s 2003 album Still Reportin’, the group and its members were pioneers in the “chipmunk Soul” movement. Largely do to project A&R BP, that sound is alive on Beware Of A Pale Horse. “American Gangsters” [click to listen] features the most intelligent Kool G. Rap [click to read] verse heard in years, and the track also features intricate guitar and keys arrangement from BP. Not all of the tracks have that polish, as heard in lackluster loop “Heaven” and the record-skip-sounding repition intro “The Day Of Light.” Still, many of the vocal manipulations on records, such as the grimey drive-by anthem “Bust My Gun,” produced by Marshall Law, are some of the best sample production heard on an album this year.
When The Black Market Militia released their self-titled 2005 debut, William Cooper was likely the least known, in contrast to Tragedy, Timbo King and his Sunz Of Man brethren. Almost five years later, the New Jersey emcee has defined himself with Beware Of A Pale Horse fully. Although it’s hardly overt, or billed as a concept album, this effort puts the rapper and the author in the same aesthetic – weary of society, distrusting of government, and talented men with words, who may not carry a popular message, but one that just may prove to be the truth.
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Black Market Militia Presents: William Cooper “One Roll Of The Dice” from Roundabout Marketing on Vimeo.
