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| RapReview Of The Week |
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"Go find a rapper spittin' as dope as this s#%t Sean George b/k/a Diabolic is irascible, an intentional button pusher, and even on a label of iconoclasts like Viper Records he was uncomfortable giving up even one percent of his creative control to anybody else. These are not untenable positions in hip-hop, a genre that thrives on doing things your own way even if (and especially if) it flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but it may help explain why in a 15 year career he's only released one EP, one mixtape and two albums including this one - "Fightin Words." Even though Diabolic releases are few and far between, he's not alone in doing things his own way regardless of mass appeal or acclaim - which makes a collaborative track like "Suffolk's Most Wanted" with R.A. the Rugged Man a natural fit. The menacing Snowgoons track is the perfect set-up for the opening bars of R.A., who casually brags "my worst verse is better than your best verse/compared to me, I'm Rakim and you Fred Durst." Choosing like-minded rappers and producers to work with is just one of the reasons a Diabolic project is worth the (long) wait. Diabolic also rewards your patience by being relentlessly hard with his punchlines, like an Eminem who never met up with Dr. Dre and exploded commercially in the mainstream. Block McCloud sings the anthem of Diabolic's style on "Living In My Own Head" with the words "the voices in my skull said - do what you got'ta." That's exactly how he spits. "I'm f#%!in' lost - but who am I without the stress? Without the bills, bouncin checks, without the countless debt I'm in the booth feeling like I died a thousand deaths While fans say 'Why the f@%! haven't you dropped your album yet?' I've been a recluse, choosin to be on house arrest and honestly I need to change a +Little+ like I'm Malcolm X Graf writer turned rapper runnin out of breath Same story - paintin masterpieces with the alphabet" If Diabolic is feeling stressed out by the fans who constantly ask where his album is, the aptly named "Fightin Words" should answer all of their questions from the jump with the menacing DJ Premier produced "Diabolical Sound." The only time Diabolic dials it back is when he has fellow rappers on the track capable of spitting with a level of venom equal to his own - songs like "Game Time" featuring Sean Price & Vinnie Paz, or "Higher" featuring Celph Titled and Swave Sevah. It's fair to say that Diabolic is not politically correct, that he's not going to apologize for anything that he says, and that he's the kind of rapper most parents are deathly afraid of their children listening to - which is also why he's straight up FUN on the mic. He tears into beats with a jugular ferocity, spraying the blood in every direction as he whips his head back and forth, howling at the moon as the crimson drips down his chin and stains his white fur. It's possible that he'll be a little too animalistic and RAW for some of today's rap audience, where even the most violent trap rappers and street criminals step back like "Damn homey" from his rhymes - but if you like the ultraviolence he's got your fix. Music Vibes: 8.5 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 8.5 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 8.5 of 10
Originally posted: October 7, 2014 |
![[Fightin Words]](../coverart/diabolic-Fightin.jpg)
Diabolic ::