Rustik - ...For The Better

Hear The Track Here

Persistence pays off, or at least it's paid off in Rustik's case. While I was assembling my thoughts for this review (always a lengthy process) I leafed through previous reviews and was surprised to find I had done so many. It was one of the reasons he made such a strong showing in my year end review of 2010, getting at least three Tracks Of The Year and I don't give them out like Smarties. The reason, of course, is that Rustik is damn good at what he does, and considering this is basically hip hop we are talking about, being damn good is half the battle. Face it, almost anyone can be a rapper right? Wrong!! You ever tried it?

Riding the beats successfully is an incredible skill, and one I can only marvel at so consequently I know what works and what doesn't and I'm not shy about saying so but Rustik is one artist I've never had that problem with. Rustik is one of a new breed of hip hop musicians on Soundclick who are decidedly different to their more commercial contemporaries, musically and lyrically and - for me anyway - offer up some hope of hip hop's long held promise of hope and redemption rather than how many 'hos' you can fit in your ride and the grab-it-all mentality that permeates the genre like cancer.

While For The Better isn't anything like as instant as some of the tracks from last year, give it time and you should get the same result as I did. See, I did say that Rustik was different and this is distinctly so, especially in the way the beats work. You wouldn't think it would work but it does with a vengeance. Have to admit though on first hearing this was very difficult to get a grip on but with some serious replaying it's obvious that Rustik has more than a few tricks up his copious musical sleeve. Moreover, this is all him, no bought in beats and - believe me - that's always a plus.

Highly Recommended indie hip hop.