SPACEGHOSTPURRP: Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles of SPACEGHOSTPURRP Review

Album: Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles of SPACEGHOSTPURRP
Artist: SPACEGHOSTPURRP
Genre: Trap/Swag Rap

5.3/10

       With a rap name as sick as SpaceGhostPurrp, a rap group name as sick as RVIDER KLVN (pronounced “raider clan”), and an album name as sick as “Mysterious Phonk: The Chronicles of SpaceGhostPurrp” SpaceGhostPurrp set the creative bar pretty damn high.  His darker, more brooding approach to trap rap leads to some interesting beats and tones, but lyrically it produces some repetitive, unoriginal, and uninspired verses and hooks for the most part.

     The album begins with the sounds of wind blowing on “Mystikal Maze”, and SpaceGhostPurrp jumps right in with his criticism of the rap game: “If it don’t make dollars then it don’t make sense” (yuck, puns are rarely good).  But it’s a good intro into the SpaceGhostPurrp sound, and he’s earnest in his attempts: “I don’t have money, I don’t have cars/All I got is the truth, and a couple of bars”.  The song ends with an oddly repetitive outro: “It’s all about powa, powa”.  Repetition will prove to be one of the main tools SpaceGhostPurrp will employ, albeit poorly.  “Bringing the Phonk” has a hook that is repeated a staggering 10 times at the beginning and end of the song: “Ima keep bringin’ tha phonk, nigga, bringin the phonk”.  The energy picks up, but the lyrics get more self-indulgent and straightforward.  The head scratching begins when he tells the listener “scientifically I’m cocky” (what?)  The next track “Osiris of the East” has nothing to do with the East, but showcases some different beats and slicker flow, but he repeats lines from previous songs (“give her the phonk”, “catch a nut”).  The next tune is the hilarious “Suck a Dick 2012”, a ridiculous romp solely about a great dick-sucker and her love for Alizé (a stereotypical drink he will reference many times throughout the album).  “Get Yah Head Bust” features a well-delivered hook, but it is repeated over and over again, becoming tiresome.  “The Black God” is by far the best song on the album featuring the best hook and flow: “I got to have the world in my hands/I’m a God/I’m no longer a black man/ The Black God”.  But it runs a good 7 minutes with little variation to be found.  “Grind On Me” features a sung hook, establishing SpaceGhostPurrp’s weak singing skills.

     The entire album follows this similar pattern: rehashed lyrics, repetitive hooks, dark beats, and laid back flow (save for the last two songs, which go pretty hard).  This pattern becomes much more of a problem because of the album’s length.  It runs a full hour of some not-so-good lyrics, salvaged only by interesting beats and the unique, dark sound SpaceGhostPurrp brings to the trap rap game.  I didn’t care for it too much myself, but there was some unique production quality that may appeal to some listeners.  I would recommend listening to “The Black God” and “No Evidence” before delving into this album.  I give it 5.3 Ghosts Purrped out of 10.

Fave Tracks: The Black God, No Evidence, Elevate