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Now I don’t have some long back-story or history about C-Rayz Walz or Sharkey, no clever intro, hell…I’ve never even heard of Sharkey, and the most I know about C-Rayz is that he coached, a young nerdy white kid named Niles to be a rapper, on Mtv’s Made.

The group derived its name from every day life, Sharkey explains, “I feel like the world is the monster maker and I feel like everyone, no matter how good of a family you’ve been raised by, or how good of a person you are, is capable of being that person that is sitting in the middle of bumper to bumper traffic for an hour one day and on the verge of going out and blasting people. Everyone has those moments where they feel like they can cross the line; everyone has that seed in them where they’re capable of doing something monster-ish.” However, Monster Maker also has another meaning entangled within the routes of this album. As you listen to the record you are witnessing a monster being created…yes it is a concept album…and it works.

The beauty of being a music critic is that you stumble across the newest and most exciting music without having to look for it like everyone else. Admittedly, it has kind of been a drought over here at Faygoluvers, as far as introducing new and interesting music goes; however, Monster Maker is perhaps my favorite submission since coincidentally, Gnarls Barkley. The group mixes elements of Big Band, Funk, Hip Hop, and Rock into one big ol Rap version of the KFC Famous Bowl (Now that’s some good eatin!).

The duo went into this project as solo artists, Walz had a successful solo career going for him, working with artists such as Eminem, Rick Rubin, and Public Enemy, his libretto has long been heralded as some of the strongest in the game, while Sharkey had been getting huge recognition from his Debut Album Sharkey’s Machine, named one of the years top albums in The Washington Post. Like two pieces of a puzzle, their skill sets came together and created probably the duo’s greatest effort, be it solo or otherwise.

This concept album starts off as a sunny, life filled party album, however, little do you know a monster is building behind the tracks, and it needs life to feed its rage so it can finally surface. As it beings to grow, the music in turn gets a little darker a little angrier a little more intense with each track. A perfect example, take the sunny disposition of the second song on the album, “This Ol’ Twisted World.” Compared to the dark more mysterious, more paranoid sounds of “Forgotten” you can clearly tell business is picking up. Where anger grows, happiness leaves…and that anger reaches its apex with, “That Moment before Crazy ft. Vast Aire,” Where it is unmistakable that the monster is preparing for his strike, he is fully formed and ready to wreak havoc on the track, “Slim Chances.” The song sounds like the pitfalls of warfare from the beginning, lasers and beeps and zooms flying atmospherically it is…the end of days.

The music almost becomes secondary to the story of the monster, which is by far one of the more innovative things I have seen in music in a long time. The album is more a hip opera, the story of the monster being created as told by C-Rayz and Sharkey. Now with the back-story and concept behind…the music on this album is incredible. Sharkey is one of the greatest new producers in the game, and his moody yet funky influences make for destructive beats and that is what made this album exactly what it is. C-Rayz mind numbing vocals give life to the monster, and sort of act as a narrator to his life at the same time. Depending on what you go into this recording expecting, you’ll either just hear some great music or you can hear great music with an even better story behind it.

The Bottom Line: Monster Maker is officially one of the groups you have got to start watching in the underground. C-Rayz never sounded better then when he spit overtop a Sharkey beat and vice-versa, Sharkey’s beats never sounded as good as when C-Rayz went crazy on em. This is easily the most fun album I have reviewed in months, and If marketed correctly it will be a huuuge hit, with radio spots and hopefully music videos. Monster Maker is the Gnarls Barkley of the underground. Make sure you pick up Monster Maker when it hits stores July 31st.

Tracklisting

01. Birth of Ratto Di Laboratorio
02. This Ol’ Twisted World.
03. My Way
04. Pain To the Picture.
05. Jumping Off At The Jump Off
06. Electric Avenue
07. Might She Shoot
08. We Speak Animal
09. Forgotten
10. Loss of Niche ft. Zooks
11. That Moment Before Crazy ft. Vast Aire
12. Slim Chances

Websites

MySpace.com/ThisWorldIsAMonsterMaker
Babygrande.com

Record Label:

• Babygrande Records

Release Date:

• 07/31/2007

Reviewer:

• Kevin Dank