Steve 'Flash' JuonIn the annals of rap Beneficence might be one of the most New Jersey rappers to ever New Jerz. Don’t mind me if you’re confused by that opening sentence. I’ll explain what I mean after I explain to you that the word beneficence is defined as “the quality or state of doing or producing good.” This is an excellent choice for a rap nom de plume even if it’s not the easiest one to type (too many E’s). By calling himself Beneficence, Rahim Muhammad made a conscious decision to set himself apart as a lyricist with something to say. He wants to “produce good” in the world. That is an admirable mindstate when the easier path to rap success has always been to talk shit, brag about how many bitches you fuck, and glorify dangerous YOLO decisions. By his very name Beneficence informs us that’s not the kind of thing he’s going to rap about. The danger is to do so without coming off cornball or preachy.
New Jersey rappers have always struggled to separate themselves from their New York brethren. Even with platinum selling acts like Naughty by Nature and cult underground favorites like the late Tame One, the perception is that to make it you have to join the bridge-and-tunnel crowd while not proclaiming it too loudly. What might be worse is that you get thought of as a New York rapper even if you DO shout from the rooftops. Redman has been proclaiming Brick City from the beginning but if you mistook him for a New Yorker I wouldn’t blame you. The accents, the attitudes, the cultural references and even the “boom bap” sound are ubiquitous to both states. On “Basement Chemistry” B does the most New Jersey thing a rapper could do — a duet with a rapper from NYC’s own Wu-Tang Clan.
Make no mistake when I say this — it’s not a knock on either Beneficence or “Digital Warfare.” The song is dope. The longer you listen to Beneficence though the more you notice how seamlessly he blends into the skyline of the city that never sleeps. With a flow that’s part Your Old Droog and part Skyzoo, it would even cross your mind to question him rapping with Inspectah Deck or Andre the Giant (A.G.) on tracks. He might hail from Newark but he’s New-York. In fact there were a few times I caught myself thinking that he and Dmitry Kutsenko had traded places. They sound like twins separated at birth.
It’s a conceit of this review that I’m bringing this up as though it’s an issue when it’s not. To me it’s like Americans going overseas and saying they are Canadian to not get grief from the locals. If you rep New Jersey and do it loud and proud, I applaud you, and if you’re quietly from New Jerusalem but get mistaken for a New Yorker I ain’t mad at it. Making good music is more important than beating you over the head with a map of your hometown. The way B’s “name reigns supreme” and his “dialect connects through all lands when I speak” is enough for me. Were it not for Grant bringing up that he’s “an Artifacts affiliate” I probably wouldn’t have given a second though to where he’s from. Let me give you a more concrete example of why it’s not a big deal — if you heard “Vibrate the Streets” and thought it was a DJ Premier beat I wouldn’t blame you. It’s not. It’s DJ Qvali. The end result is what matters. If you sound like somebody else, you better sound good. Both men do here.
“Basement Chemistry” does hint at that Artifacts connect by having El Da Sensei guest on Da Beatminerz produced “Blast This $hit.” New Yorkers outnumber New Jerseyites in cameos though and each one provides a solid performance that wasn’t phoned in. Chubb Rock can be found on “Masters of the Class” and I love how Confidence produced it. The same goes for the subtle beauty Kon Sci laced Beneficence and Masta Ace with on “When the Sun Comes.” Dres from the Black Sheep is giving us play (along with his lesser known Legion comrades) on “Make It Hot.” Hearing West coast legend MC Eiht rap on “Anyway It Goes” was a pleasant surprise though and it’s another Kon banger.
To make an already long story shorter “Basement Chemistry” is an excellent album. It’s almost a forgotten album given that at the time I was writing this review Wikipedia editors were trying to challenge whether or not Rahim Muhammad was “notable” enough to garner a page. In a sense that informed my thoughts about how New Jersey rappers either accidentally or strategically sound like they’re from New York. New Jerusalem should be more “notable” in rap history than it is, and while Beneficence sounds so much like a New Yorker you could miss where he’s from, let’s celebrate that he stands out amongst rappers from ANYWHERE by the sophistication of his bars and his flow.