God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It - Backxwash: Review
is a Canada based experimental rapper who has risen in popularity over the past few years with EP's and mixtapes that interpolate genres like horror core and heavier rock music. God is her biggest release to date and features themes of spirituality and her individuality as a black trans woman.
Review By Lavender:
This record totally slipped by me when it first came out, and it wasn't until I saw the great reception the record was receiving that I realized I had actually heard and enjoyed Backxwash's Black Sailor Moon project a few years ago but had somehow forgotten about it. Now that I finally got around to listening to the record I'm glad I did because its really good, and one of the more unique hip hop albums you'll hear this year.
I hadn't heard any of these songs before hand so lets just jump into my favorites. The title track serves as the opener and I think its a super creative way to kick off the record. It features stripped back percussion and an Ozzy sample with tight bars and a fiery confrontational performance that serves as a great tone setter. Black Sheep fucking rules with a deep beat and hard-hitting performance that is absolutely lights out. The lyrics feature vivid and visual imagery and the ferocity with which they are delivered is absolutely intoxicating. Amen may be my favorite song on the entire record as it gets political in a way that is direct and unrelenting. She is going absolutely in on the track and it sounds like an alternate reality of Rage Against The Machine and I just cannot get enough of it. Redemption sees Backxwash wearing her heart on her sleeve even more than usual and does a fantastic job of tying up the records thematic elements as a conclusion to the record.
There aren't really songs that I flat out dislike on the record but the albums biggest weakness is clearly the hooks. Black Magic has some horror core guitar fuzzing away in the background as the vocal delivery bounces between intimate and screamed. The only issue I have with the tune is the hook which really just needed to not go on for as long because the explosive appeal doesn't quite last. Spells is a much more uptempo electronic backed song with a sultry and hazy hook. The track is primarily one long verse that does show off some great versatility from Backxwash, I'm just not sure the short structure and hook live up to the songs potential. Into The Void opens with a sample that helps add a little bit of clarity to the records perspective on religion and spirituality. The opening verse is a system shock as Backxwash addressed some very personal affects but once again I think the hook is a bit of a let down. I don't think it is trying to be particularly catchy but the time it takes up does really kill the strong momentum that the verses develop. Finally there is Adolescence which kicks off with a sample of the drums from Led Zeppelin's When The Levee Breaks which I didn't expect to hear and is pretty badass. The song has no real structure but despite its aimlessness Bacxwash still performs well on the song and expresses some compelling lyrical sentiments throughout.
God Has Nothing To Do With This is a short and raw record that shows off some incredible potential from an artist destined to be one of hip hops most unique. Backxwash has a dark and explosive sound that is as compelling as her personal dejected lyricism. While the hooks on the album could be a little better the ideas here are incredibly solid and I certainly won't miss out on the next project she releases, because she has something special. 7/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
Simple design and composition. This cover reminds me of scratch art and carvings and I really enjoy the rugged edges and the differences sound in the symmetrical symbolism. I think it could be a big bigger and that the space on the sides is too wide, although I appreciate the small detail of the guidelines still around the edges. It's not a showstopper but it gets the job done. 5/10
For more experimental hip hop check out my review of Little Simz Drop 6 EP here
