Once upon a time, Southern Hip-hop wasn’t a money making
laughing stock of the music industry. Before the cartoon dances, the
synth-heavy tempos and the gold-capped riddles of the trap house, rap from the
South was a movement where Hip-Hop musicians from around the world had its’
eyes locked, looking for pointers in creativity, musical depth and profound
storytelling. During the Atlanta rap boom in the early 90’s, legends such as
OutKast, Goodie Mob and Cee-Lo made their voices heard loud
and clear, as they still resonate today. But when the name Witchdoctor
is spoken, some might get confused. As one of the first solo artists out of the
Dungeon Family (’98’s grossly
underrated A S.W.A.T. Healing Ritual),
Witchdoctor has been hard at work keeping his name warm, building his
own label, and bringing back that kind of down home soul music that fills you
up and sticks to your ribs.
As the founder of Dezonly1 Records, Witchdoctor
has created his own musical niche, and stuck to his instincts, crafting the
remarkable Diary of an American Witchdoctor. A natural born writer and
storyteller, Witchdoctor has his genius
vocabulary laid against soulful, zooming, southern fried funk. This piece of
work is very reminiscent of Marvin Gaye
in his prime, as Witchdoctor walks the perilous line of spirituality and
sex, with a little bit of gangsta thrown in the mix. The album starts out with God
Iz Good, a modern day gospel mantra, where we find the doctor giving thanks
to his heavenly father over lukewarm, bluesy plucks. On the song Just Like
You, Witchdoctor reassures that even though he is an entrepreneur and doing
for self, it is always a struggle everyday; “I’m like you/I’m real too/Stressed
too/I’m late paying bills too.”
The lustful Put a Spell on them Hoes
finds Witchdoctor expressing his sexual desires vividly, from position to
climax (check for the song on the upcoming CunninLynguists
LP with Phonte in the mix). The much
underrated Khujo Goodie, out of the Atlanta Empire Goodie Mob,
makes an appearance on the reflective Part of Your Brain, as the two ATLiens
plead with us to live our lives, but to build our hopes on things eternal. Best
Year is a stimulating anthem that your grandmother and kids can enjoy. This
is where we see Witchdoctor having the most fun, as this is the joint
you can put on repeat at the family get together. The Doctor kind of
falls out of place with Semi-Automatic and Oxygen, as if he gets
a little bit of writer’s block and goes delving into the all too familiar trap
music. But he picks up the pace with the thought provoking gems Are you
Happy There? and Mercy. Witchdoctor is a walking oxymoron, as
his name represents a demonic allusion, but there are spiritual overtones in
all of his work, letting you know that Witchdoctor is trying to reach for
something greater than a career in music, he wants to touch people’s souls.
Diary of an American Witchdoctor is an amazing feat
for Witchdoctor, as he blends the southern sounds of yesteryear and
today. Covering all aspects of the game; from your 1:00 AM jump-off, to the
little bit of herb you hide in your cookie jar, to waking up to pray at Sunday
Mass, Witchdoctor paints a visual landscape of life, as the canvas is our
eardrums.