Young Son

Counting Sheep

Review by Jack Spencer

Sporting four Hip-Hop Awards nominations in 2008, including Best Album, Young Son crafts heart-on-the-sleeve rap music with an ear for soul and an eye for the world around him. Through a series of free weekly releases on DjBooth.net, the South Minneapolis rapper has been treating downloaders with his brand of street poetry and life lessons. The six songs the young rapper has released thus far make up the loosely constructed “Counting Sheep” mixtape, in preparation for his upcoming full length sophomore effort “Dreamer’s Poetry”. Young Son takes full advantage of the internet’s ability to put music out immediately, giving listeners a slow burn as opposed to presenting an album’s worth of material at once. The steady displaying a smattering of different styles which stand alone as singular pieces and put forward Young Son’s abilities over a variety of beats. From the Lollipop-aping club-friendly sound of “City Is Mine” to the slow, introspective poetics of “My Bus Ride Home” to the frenetic banger “Git Live,” Son delivers his brand of honest and playful lyricism over a number of different types of songs. His ability to stay consistent while hitting on multiple topics and styles of rap is a testament to his skills as an emcee.

The subject matter Young Son touches on can be considered conscious rap, often writing raps that comment on society and human problems. “Speaks Down Low,” the first track dropped, opens with advice the rapper’s father gave him, and the lyrics proceed to speak on curbing beef and staying out of trouble, passing the life lessons forward. “Brand New Vintage” finds the rapper talking himself up for the ladies, by way of denouncing men’s misogyny and the women who fall for what he considers “new fools”. The subject matter is positive without being preachy, though at times the down-tempo beats work against the lyrics. The poignant observations on the troubles the writer is surrounded with in “My Bus Ride Home” come off as a bit cheesy against the slow jam R’n’B backbeat. Young Son is consistent and talented rapper, but is more powerful over beats that don’t distract from his flow. Despite an equal attention lyrically to themes of strife and responsibility in both “Speaks Down Low” and “My Bus Ride Home,” the former is a more powerful song because the beat allows Young Son’s words to speak for themselves.

The best track of the bunch is “Git Live,” which also happens to be the most uptempo. Produced by Rhino, the song is a simple but effective banger, heavy on bass and full of energy. Young Son litters the track with clever wordplay, a slew of similes, and a bouncy flow sure to amp up crowds. The track is primarily for rocking parties, talking up Son’s abilities and generally having fun, but he still manages to sneak in a few words on staying clean: “All that gun talk and drugs / I never messed wit ‘em / Probably the reason that one time never arrested him”. The problem that often arises with rappers who are attempting to push a positive message is that they fall into the trap of rapping over somber beats, thinking it somehow will add poignancy to their lyrics. Young Son falls victim to this at times, but more often than not he is in his element. When provided the proper backdrop, Young Son is able to paint a verbal picture with exceptional skill, and proves able to walk the line between speaking on society and being flyer than the rest of ‘em.

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