In hip hop, there is stream-of-consciousness and there is Darko The Super (Evan Souza on tax papers) from Philly, Pennsylvania. Speaking from experience, his brand of hip hop is what would happen if you listen to your favorite psychedelic hip-hop album and you decided it just isn’t far-out enough for your taste. It makes sense that, production-wise and lyrically, Darko cites and regularly quotes industry oddballs Frank Zappa and Beck as influences. If you listen, you can also hear a little bit of Kool Keith in his freeform flows. A regular Darko record quotes those influences, touches on his mental health, occasionally talks shit and delivers surrealist rhymes to go with LSD-laced production.
Now, he is going to have to tackle all of this in a new form: a wedding album. Ehhh…sorta kinda.
Aside from his passionate karaoke performance of Randy Newman’s “Short People,” life with Darko hasn’t changed outside of having someone to serve peas to, someone to feed him when he is sick, and someone to send a heartfelt love letter to (“Happy Birthday” 1 AND 2). But outside of this, it is best to not look at it like a concept album. He still shit talks rappers in the underground scene, he still curses both capitalism and its effect on his own self-worth as a rap artist, and yet, he still has a sense of humor about all of it. At least, just enough to only briefly harp on rappers looking for co-signs from bigger rap names (a short J. Dilla tribute “So Far to Go”). But he still has a love for the old school and underground hip-hop, if plunderphonics approach to production and Biz Markie references say anything.
It’s fun to wonder whether this album is the best album to recommend to those who haven’t heard of Darko, and that would often require a hierarchy of his projects. But Darko’s albums are hierarchy-proof. However, if you like your rap fun, weird and as real as a knife cut to the skin, you will not only be satisfied, but his other albums will just as easily fulfill your hunger.
