Over two decades have passed since Rock and Rap music first collided when a young Run DMC covered Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” off their 1975 album, Toys In The Attic. At the time, Rock music was flourishing; whereas, Rap music was still trying to make a name for itself in the music industry. The two genres again in the late 90s when groups like Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Linkin Park began rapping over heavy metal music.
This time around Rap music was the dominant force while Rock’s popularity was dwindling. Despite it’s sudden emergence as the new “in” sound, Rock/Rap’s majesty began to fade at the turn of the century, and by 2003, witty lyricism backed by power chords was considered a past trend never to be repeated. That was until Seattle-based wordsmith Michael “Outtasite” Singleton teamed up with Fury in the Temple’s axe man, Joel Davila, to commence Rock/Rap’s third coming with Careful What You Wish For.
Although both artists first collaborated on Outtasite’s first album, Right Side Down, Outtasite made his national debut on Sir-Mix-A-Lot’s 1996 track “Fonk 4 Da B.L.V.D,” which lead to him signing a record deal with Mix-A-Lot’s label Rhyme Cartel. Careful What You Wish For is Rhyme Cartel’s first full length release, but you wouldn’t know it listening to Outtasite spit clever euphemisms on standout tracks like “Done Deal,” Leaders/Lead us,” and the album’s title track which features a special guest spot by the baby-got-back man himself, Sir Mix-A-Lot. Davila’s powerful guitar sound is the perfect backdrop for FARCHILD singer Jane C’s unique style of wordplay on “Tequila Stepchild,” but it’s Outtasite’s verbal assault on “The Wake Up,” that makes this album a certified banger.
The Wake Up—-performed by Outtasite & Joel Davila
Careful What You Wish For is both a smart album with edge and an edgy album with smarts. It encompasses a variety of hybrid styles; thus, making it sound quite diverse throughout the album, but the combination of Outtasite’s smooth flow and Davila’s guitar attack that makes the formula work harmoniously. What makes Rock/Rap’s third coming so different from its prior incarnations is that this time around both music genres are equally popular, and it’s the record industry that’s flailing; but after hearing Careful What You Wish For, my worries about the future state of music subsided. Outtasite, Joel Davila, and Sir Mix-A-Lot are giving us a bailout plan, maybe it’s about time we started really listening.
