Wreckless Music (EJAY) - Falling Thru

Hear The Track Here

Out of all the genres I review I am probably most critical of the biggest genre of all: hip hop. Not that I am against hip hop, far from it I have loved the genre since I first started hearing it back in the early 1980's. I was living and working in NYC at the time and got involved with a Brooklyn studio where a lot of the early hip hop records were made, and of course, Grand Master Flash and The Furious Five were all over the radio at the time and if anyone signifies the birth of this genre to me it is this outfit. Therefore I have an abiding love for the genre and frankly despair of the commercial mess it has become today. No matter though because - believe it or not - the original spirit of hip hop lives on, and in the most surprising place of all, the internet. Over the years I have reviewed a great many Soundclick hip hop musicians and rappers but found very few of them to be what I would consider 'true' hip hop. Wreckless Music (EJAY) is one of those artists and he has at least three Must Haves from me to prove the point. Bear in mind that Must Haves in this genre are as rare as hens teeth.

As an example of why I hold this rapper in such esteem can be heard on Old Times (October 2008) arguably his best track so far, Times In My Life (May 2009) and Words Kill (August 2009) all of which are worth listening to again and again. Although most of his work carries the almost obligatory Parental Advisory, Ejay uses profanity to make the words count, rather than merely peppering his rap with convenient cussing like most rappers these days. It's in the combination of words and flow where Ejay scores for me though, and this is one artist I will take the time to listen to the lyrics properly because they usually have a decent tale to tell, and not always about his trouble with his girlfriend/mom/sister/any other female. Speaking of which, the rap on Falling Thru is shared by Ejay, YS(?) and Lady E but it's Ejay's rap that still registers most for me but probably because I have become used to his sound and style.

That is not to put down the solid contributions from YS and Lady E, both of who offer up the opening for Ejay to roar through and this surprisingly short track, or at least it seems short. Coming in at a whisker over three minutes Falling Thru seems to be over before it starts which - to me - shows I am enjoying it. Musically, of course, it's a fairly standard mix of piano/string licks set against a solid - if pedestrian - beat track, although the production is several shades above most Soundclick based hip hop. Ejay may well be making these tracks on the cheap but he knows how to clean it up enough for someone like me not to pick holes in it. While I wouldn't want to say that this is one of Ejay's better tracks (the ones I mentioned are far better IMHO) it would certainly serve as a good introduction to this rapper if you have never heard of him before.

Recommended Hip Hop/Rap.