DANGER MOUSE AND JEMINI
Born Again (Lex)
Way back in 2004, Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton to his folks), and rapper Jemini (aka the Gifted One in rap battles), recorded this joint and left it gathering dust – even while its precursor, their 2003 debut Ghetto Pop Life, was taking off. When Danger Mouse’s Grey Album bootleg fused the Beatles with Jay-Z, his production nous saw him hunted down by everyone from A$AP Rocky to Gorillaz, Cee Lo Green to Karen O.
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On Born Again, all of the Danger Mouse hallmarks are here – crisp beats, haunting strings and spectral organ, best evidenced on Walk The Walk – making for an album of solid hip-hop, which always has its place. The enforced isolation depicted in Locked Up is a good place to start and could have done well during (whisper it) COVID times, while the self-centred braggadocio of Me resonates in this age of the self.
Add some feisty Turkish psych sounds, fierce beats and fine rhymes on Knuckle Sandwich II, plus the confessional Tupac echo Dear Poppa, and with only a couple of tunes sounding very of their time (namely Brooklyn Basquiat and Where You From), this is a pretty solid set.
words CHRIS SEAL
