I met eXquire at the Fool’s Gold afterparty in New York. Amongst the rappers, music industry socialites and booty clapping strippers there stood a charismatic, 6″4 26-year old sporting an impressive array of necklaces and a huge smile. No Jesus piece or facade in sight, I was instantly intrigued by this guy. Later my friend introduced me to him. Exquire, a rapper from Brooklyn, New York who my girl (a Hip Hop dj and good friend who’s opinion I trust) told me had a Biggie Smalls vibe about him. Say what? Some Youtube searches and a mixtape download later, and here I am bumping eXquire’s debut mixtape, Lost in Translation, singing along to an array of comical, narrative, alcohol-induced and somewhat colourful choruses. Here I pick my favourite tracks from eXquire’s mixtape, be warned…this is most certainly explicit content.
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Brooklyn rapper, eXquire aka Mr Muthafuckin‘ eXquire (in an ode to ODB) has had the likes of The Source, The Fader, 2DopeBoyz and the LA Times cover him, in fact his mixtape, Lost in Translation is in collaboration with clothing brand, Mishka. But from the looks of his bio, you can be assured this dude is more concerned with his music than his publicity…which is the way it should be!
I was born. I did some shit… mostly in Brooklyn. Drank some 40′s fucked some ho’s, oh and I rap. You might have heard of me, maybe you haven’t… fuck you either way.
A combination of an old school rap flow, despair, childhood memories, and a very-adult alcohol obsession, thrown over some of the craziest production you’re likely to hear on a Hip Hop mixtape, makes for an interesting journey. I may be a little late posting this mixtape, as I actually heard it back in early September…but I thought it remained relevant as I’m still listening to it now, plus I wanted to pay my respects to a rapper I really appreciate for doing something a little different. EXquire’s lyrics are often profane, but listen a little harder and you will find a deeper message underlining each of his songs that are just waiting to be absorbed and agreed with.
eXquire – Triple F
Lost in Translation opens with one of my favourite songs on the entire tape. “Triple F” describes a scenario I’m sure a lot of us have been in where friends and associates want nothing to do with you when you’re “down and out”. Then once you’re on the come up, and you’re no longer shopping in Iceland, your bus passes are now legit and you can afford name brand moisturiser again…everyone wants to be your best friend. Triple F is basically a New York version of that tale. Exquire’s cursing and references to suicide are quite ill-fitting against the Charli Brown Beatz production, is this a sad song, an angry song, a bit of both perhaps. To have the balls to just swear all over the first track like that demands some gusto…to make it actually sound good and have me rewinding….that demands talent!!
eXquire – Nuthin’ Even Matters
A mix of misery, Jimmy Neutron empathising and a life of regrets, eXquire talks us through a day in the life of a self-deprecating man from Crown Heights. Shouting out about your depression has been popular for nearly a decade now, Lindsey Lohan, the Geldof girls and Britney kicked off the trend from a “rich girl with an eating disorder, high sex drive and penchant for prescription drugs” angle, and Cudi and Drake took it to the “streets” (kind of). Exquire puts a Brooklyn stance on it, that weirdly as a girl from London I can somehow relate to?! Again, the production gives this track a weird eccentricity that makes you laugh, sing along to the chorus and nod along in “I’ve been there” kind of way.
exQuire – Build-A-Bitch
A mellower offering from eXquire on this self-produced track (alongside El-P). Even though he’s dissing my kind I absolutely love this Frankenstein-inspired track, the production is fire, the concept is cool and the fact that his ideal woman is a mix between Kim Wayans and Assata Shakur is incredible!
eXquire – No Time (ft Goldie Glo)
This track is quite standard in the grand scheme of things, if you’re not taken by the first couple of verses, I urge you to skip to the last minute of the song where the beat takes on a different path and eXquire shows off his flow, I can type at 70wpm and even I don’t think I could transcribe this right.
eXquire describes his music as “acid rap” and works with a group of artists so diverse and wild that in a world of uniform swag rap, it could be hard to handle for some. You’ve gotta jump on his train and have fun, spectate from afar or stay deaf to eXquire’s material…either way I’d stay out of his way because he’s barging through on the come-up. I read that eXquire would become a porn star if he wasn’t a rapper, not sure if he was being serious or not – but judging from his video material, he probably was. I’d much rather see him in a comic or cartoon series as a hero, it would be like The Boondocks for hood kids, rather than the cool “anime” nerds. Exquire is making NY rap exciting again and for that he’s definitely added to my hero list :-)!
Click here for a free download of eXquire’s Lost in Translation, where creativity, the hood and realism come to party. No i.d. no entry and B.Y.O.B.
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About Tara
Music discoverer, explorer and lover! I enjoy traveling, politics, film and all things creative! Follow me on Twitter for rants, food & Hip Hop and check out my other blog!