Tag Archives: David Mac

Introduction to Mediocre Rhyme Explosions, Volume 1

“I’ll never forget the first time I ever saw the Oral Anarchist David Mac.  It was a hot Fargo afternoon in the midst of the summer of 1983.  The sun went down on the searing asphalt creating a shroudlike silhouette of the skinny boy, dressed the nines in his trademark Fila sweatsuit and Bally loafers.  His breakdancing was flawless, each subtle movement recalling the nuanced grace of Nureyev or Baryshnikov.  A crowd had quickly formed in a crescent shaped throng, each spectator agape as Mac took on battle after battle, slicing and dicing all challengers into a hip-hopped mincemeat facsimile of their former pathetic selves.  It was then that I knew I had stumbled upon something unique, something unparallelled, something whose allure drew me in like an unsuspecting safari member in the quicksand of the central African jungle.  That was only the beginning, however.

Wiping a bead of hard-earned sweat from his brow, Mac swigged a quick dose of his 44 ounce Dew and sidled over.  Amazed, I stammered some piddling comment about his finesse, artfully combined with freighttrain-esque power.  And I’ll never forget the next words out of his mouth–“you think that’s hot??  You’d better check out these rhymes…”  Thus began a decade long partnership which has now culminated in this magnum opus — the quintessential rhythm explosions of the man known as David Mac.  Please — read and listen with a discerning ear as the rhymes enclosed here are sure to conjure up images in your cranium of the boombox toting warhead of hip hop mediocrity at his absolute finest.” — Introduction to Mediocre Rhyme Explosions, Volume 1, 1993.

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Concentration Camp Muzak

1992 saw the appearance of two conjoined releases; in the process of recording the more conventional rap numbers for Envy the Dead, we found that we were taking a lot of pleasure in these instrumental tracks too, whether dancey or more meditative.  Thus was born the idea of a dual release; the latter cuts made up Concentration Camp Muzak.  Much of this was written and programmed at the Troost Palace in Kansas City; the recording and mixing happened at Studio K East in Pennsylvania, with the help of Handy Dan (so named for both his crash course in running a board and his ability to perform quick improvisational repairs on the VW bus that got us out there).  Dallas Poague contributed the cover art for this and for Envy the Dead.  Track listing is as indicated above.  Tracks follow.

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How I Killed George Bush

Recorded somewhere in KCMO during the hot summer of 1991, HIKGB was formative for the F-Kripz.  The Secret Service checked in on us for this one.  Musically speaking, we outsourced the production to Icy Roc and Frostbite — hence the distinctly different sound between this work and our others — and got some dusted guitar parts from a certain “Dr. Sweet Leaf.”  The album is perhaps more notable for its historical/biographical import than for its aesthetic qualities.  Nevertheless, a young David Mac had some creditable lines in here (and some probably best described as regrettable).

Following are a couple of the high points.

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Mediocre Rhyme Explosions, Volume 1

Mediocre Rhyme Explosions was the booklet that accompanied the Envy the Dead album in 1993.  It showcases some of Dave Mac’s lyrical ingenuity and features a special handwritten bonus lyric, for the song “The Principle of Uncertainty,” which unfortunately we never properly recorded .

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