IQ The Goon To End Them All - Go Home

Hear The Track Here

I am not sure that I quite agree with some of the 'hardcore rap is played out' routine, especially when you get to hear an artist take something that worked and reinvented it in a fresh, innovative way. Surely the most oddly named artist on Soundclick, IQ The Goon To End Them All, was first introduced to me on a storming version of Old Man; a song first created by Neil Young back in the golden age. IQ's Old Man (October 2007) was welcomed by me because of that past connection, and the correct respect the artist paid those roots, but also because IQ the rapper had made a rap about his father that complimented the original song perfectly.

That takes HUGE balls AND a hefty slice of luck.

That track got a Must Have from me first time out, and that doesn't happen often. The problem with knocking me on my ass once, is that it's going to be sooo much harder to do it twice and almost unheard of to do it three times in a row. So, let's see what he's got this time... None of the smart little tricks that made Old Man so enjoyable, but hey can't do that every time. The real heart and soul of this track isn't so much the music which is pretty much endless repetition of a string laden riff and some of the most pedestrian beats you are likely to hear anywhere. Kinda strange then because that isn't what I expected at all; its merely there to support the rap. Mind you, this was for (I think) a compo of some kind so that would go a long way towards explaining the lack of basic arrangements.

Like a lot of his work, Go Home has the obligatory Parental Advisory sticker slathered all over it so there'll be a lot of cussing in the air, which as I know tends to give some people a bug up the ass. Still, fekk 'em eh? The rap is what counts and on that score IQ lays down with the same skill that earmarked his previous track. In the world I inhabit, it's tremendously comforting that not everyone wants to sound like yer usual pale clone, so an artist with a distinct sound and lyrical sharpness makes all the difference. It was obvious that IQ wasn't going to better my reaction to Old Man but this is probably a truer picture of his usual material and hey, it ain't bad at all.

Recommended Rap.