Album Review: Strong Arm Steady – Arms & Hammers
Strong Arm Steady “Klack or Get Klacked” [prod. DJ Khalil]
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Strong Arm Steady ft. Too Short “On Point” [prod. Jelly Roll]
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After toiling for roughly a decade in the West Coast underground, Strong Arm Steady finally releases what they’re billing as their debut full-length. San Diego fans should be happy: the Southeast SD-bred Mitchy Slick is back in full force after sitting out for most of last year’s critically-acclaimed In Search of Stoney Jackson (which mysteriously doesn’t count as SAS’s debut). Unfortunately, what makes Mitchy a compelling rapper is largely missing from Arms & Hammers.
Don’t be mistaken: sonically, this album thumps. Production is man-handled by respected West Coast beatsmiths DJ Khalil, Jelly Roll, and Terrace Martin. “Klack Or Get Klacked” lays on the menace with relentless electric guitars. Smacking drums accentuate the disfigured organs and hellish choirs of “Gangsta’s.” On the flip side, the acoustic strums of “Much More” complement the sing-song flows of the SAS gang well. And the stripped down, playful “On Point” creates a fittingly pimp-like swagger for a Too Short guest verse.
What’s missing then is nuance. Mitchy Slick clearly positions himself as a gangsta rapper. But recently, he’s become more and more conflicted with gang life and the consequences of the lifestyle. Amid his pride he’s shown flashes of regret and remorse and pain that have made him stand out in his solo work. However, Arms & Hammers trades this complexity for contradiction. It’s a little odd when the music video for “Klack Or Get Klacked” sees SAS ridding the neighborhood of guns, helping to stop the violence, even as you hear them glorify that same violence in their verses. Odd still is their 15-minute short film that highlights three individuals making a living in three different ways–by straight-and-narrow construction work, by new-school blogging and social media, and by hustling on the corner–when the album revolves around only one of those lifestyles (guess which one). Of course, these examples are all marketing. The actual album on its own terms is a straightforward street rap affair. But even then, maybe it’s a little too straightforward and a little boring.
Reading be fun though:
