When it comes to Seattle and music, it seems like everyone is in a band of some sorts. When it comes to commercially successful bands there may only be a few that come to mind. Most notably Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Seattle Hip-Hop hasn’t fared much better; you either have Big Booty Lovin’, Hoopty Rollin’ Sir Mix-a-Lot or Thrift Store Shoppin, Equal Love supporting Macklemore. Both of these rhyme sayers I can get behind: I support their messages and their art. So when Facebook recommended that I check out another Seattle hip-hop resident, Q Dot, I was all about it. Q Dot posted on his page that he has a new CD out in February and offered out an advanced copy. As I like getting a jump on things, I sent him a request. Later he asked me my opinion. Here is what I have to say about The Darkness.
First off, I like my beats lumpy. The first track, Intro Song, has a nice sustain and the eventual drum patters set a nice somber tone; one that you can lay back and smoke a J to, quite a lovely groove. However, the transition into the next track, Death to the Dreamkillers, is not very fluid. With this following the Intro, I would like it to have flowed together a little bit more. But let’s get the beats banging! And that they do. Most songs have a more commercial sound to them than I would like to admit that I enjoy. Funeral Procession bass line is thumpy and has a nice little 8-bit video game feel that reminds me of Mario Bros. Grind It starts off with Q Dot “conjuring up the spirit” of Chief Seattle. However, the “Indian Flute” that is used in the song originates from the country of India, not the Native American Indians. But I digress. Despite that fact, this is still a dope track. This track has a bit of a Neptunes/Timbaland vibe to it, which I like both producers so that helps.
Some of Q Dot’s lyrics are witty while others fall flat. Q Dot starts the song Champ off by saying he is 29, looks 25, and rhymes like 19. As a 32 y/o that get questioned about my age (I appear to be about 26) I can relate. However, being over 30 I don’t care what 19 y/o kids like. However this verse ends with the fact that suburban white kids are buying rap albums. Since “money speaks volumes and bullshit be walking out,” I can understand this point. Q isn’t like other rappers, on Funeral Procession he claims he pushes an 89 two-toned Chevy truck and that he goes to a neighborhood bar. I hope it is the dive down the block and not the trendy nightclubs that are filled with amateur drinkers and partiers. Til It’s Gone is a song for the smokers, and with weed being legal in the Evergreen State this song seems to be a perfect joint (Pun intended). On Killin’ It, the chorus states that any subject matter that Q raps about, he can kill it. Actually, he gives it a good beat down leaving the subject with a few busted ribs, but it is far from dead. Give It To Me is a song for the ladies. Boy do I love a dirty rap song. The filthier the subject matter the more I seem to enjoy the song. My only beef with this song is that, if you’re going to call out LL’s Doin It at least bring out the XXX lyrical content, which this song seems to be lacking.
Q Dot understands the Northwest pretty well. He refers to the Northwest as the Fresh Coast throughout the album. With all the rain we get here, it totally makes sense. In fact, I think I might start using this term myself. On Grind It Q starts off with “I be sipping coffee at the coffee house and probably have a hipster chick up on my hip” that sounds pretty Seattle if I ever heard anything that is pretty much Seattle. Q Dot does mention a drink in this song that I am willing to give a go; Smirnoff, coffee, and Kahlua which he calls Turn Up. As any good Seattle resident can attest, the Seahawks are on fire as of recent. And Q Dot reps the 12th Man tough. SEA-HAWKS!!!
The song that is the most complete is Focus. We all have our own motivators for keeping on track. For Q it seems to be his family and his religion. I am not a fan of religion being talked about in my music, but I know that different ideas can help someone keep their focus. The point of the chorus is that alcohol and weed smoking may help alleviate the pain of the day, but it can throw you off your focus. The only way to rise above the pain is to overcome the pain and not mask the pain. Q Dot mentions that you have to put in the work to get that money. That means hitting the streets, paying your dues, and working your ass off to meet your goals. This is a good song to have playing in your ears when you are struggling to keep on track and you think your path is going nowhere. Keep your focus, playa.
Over all, I enjoyed this album. It may not be a part of my Top 10 albums, but it is one that I will listen to when I am on the bus, heading to my job so I can pay my bills. Some of the songs are on point, Funeral Procession and Focus, while others seem to fall flat. “Every subject that I spit, I kill it.” Sorry Q, you beat it down with a stick, maybe break it’s legs with the base, but killing it hasn’t really happened yet. But I hope it does. I do want to catch a Q Dot show sometime. I would like to shake his hand and buy him a Gentlemen’s Jack and a Kokanee. In the meantime, I will be hitting up his Soundcloud page to check out more of his music.
Links:
https://soundcloud.com/q-dot
http://www.iamqdot.com
https://www.facebook.com/iamQDot
Some of Q Dot’s lyrics are witty while others fall flat. Q Dot starts the song Champ off by saying he is 29, looks 25, and rhymes like 19. As a 32 y/o that get questioned about my age (I appear to be about 26) I can relate. However, being over 30 I don’t care what 19 y/o kids like. However this verse ends with the fact that suburban white kids are buying rap albums. Since “money speaks volumes and bullshit be walking out,” I can understand this point. Q isn’t like other rappers, on Funeral Procession he claims he pushes an 89 two-toned Chevy truck and that he goes to a neighborhood bar. I hope it is the dive down the block and not the trendy nightclubs that are filled with amateur drinkers and partiers. Til It’s Gone is a song for the smokers, and with weed being legal in the Evergreen State this song seems to be a perfect joint (Pun intended). On Killin’ It, the chorus states that any subject matter that Q raps about, he can kill it. Actually, he gives it a good beat down leaving the subject with a few busted ribs, but it is far from dead. Give It To Me is a song for the ladies. Boy do I love a dirty rap song. The filthier the subject matter the more I seem to enjoy the song. My only beef with this song is that, if you’re going to call out LL’s Doin It at least bring out the XXX lyrical content, which this song seems to be lacking.
Q Dot understands the Northwest pretty well. He refers to the Northwest as the Fresh Coast throughout the album. With all the rain we get here, it totally makes sense. In fact, I think I might start using this term myself. On Grind It Q starts off with “I be sipping coffee at the coffee house and probably have a hipster chick up on my hip” that sounds pretty Seattle if I ever heard anything that is pretty much Seattle. Q Dot does mention a drink in this song that I am willing to give a go; Smirnoff, coffee, and Kahlua which he calls Turn Up. As any good Seattle resident can attest, the Seahawks are on fire as of recent. And Q Dot reps the 12th Man tough. SEA-HAWKS!!!
The song that is the most complete is Focus. We all have our own motivators for keeping on track. For Q it seems to be his family and his religion. I am not a fan of religion being talked about in my music, but I know that different ideas can help someone keep their focus. The point of the chorus is that alcohol and weed smoking may help alleviate the pain of the day, but it can throw you off your focus. The only way to rise above the pain is to overcome the pain and not mask the pain. Q Dot mentions that you have to put in the work to get that money. That means hitting the streets, paying your dues, and working your ass off to meet your goals. This is a good song to have playing in your ears when you are struggling to keep on track and you think your path is going nowhere. Keep your focus, playa.
Over all, I enjoyed this album. It may not be a part of my Top 10 albums, but it is one that I will listen to when I am on the bus, heading to my job so I can pay my bills. Some of the songs are on point, Funeral Procession and Focus, while others seem to fall flat. “Every subject that I spit, I kill it.” Sorry Q, you beat it down with a stick, maybe break it’s legs with the base, but killing it hasn’t really happened yet. But I hope it does. I do want to catch a Q Dot show sometime. I would like to shake his hand and buy him a Gentlemen’s Jack and a Kokanee. In the meantime, I will be hitting up his Soundcloud page to check out more of his music.
Links:
https://soundcloud.com/q-dot
http://www.iamqdot.com
https://www.facebook.com/iamQDot