DaSkeeT: “Blast Off” – an audacious high-quality album!
DaSkeeT is a project by Roscoe Hanner “targeted towards individuals who like to express themselves through music and clothing.” DaSkeeT has recently released its 15 track album entitled “Blast Off”. The first two tracks on the album are a one-two introduction to DaSkeeT and what he’s up to. There’s the spunky, sparkly opening song, “Bounce That Booty” where he shows off his rapping style and then there’s the instrumental electronic soundscape, “Da SkeeT Music Dubstep Anthem” with its growling basses and screaming synths.
The third song, “Finer Things (feat. Heimy The Connoisseur)”actually, is part of the first half of that introduction. The three minute pop song, similarly stage-ready, but with an outer-space style, introduces DaSkeeT’s willingness to experiment.
The method of rhyming he displays on these two songs is colloquial and uncluttered, languid but piercing. His rap-singing style could be taken as claiming a place within hip-hop for feeling and virtuosity. The transitional song from the ‘heaviness’ to the lighter vibes is, appropriately enough, “Good Vibes”.
It’s a remarkable song that within the album stands as a turning point, towards accessibility but also vitality. When you structure an album like he does to musically match his musical progression, DaSkeeT suddenly becomes precise and gifted as a vocalist and lyric-writer, and he rides colorful and exciting music to great heights.
“Keep It on the Low (feat. Heimy The Connoisseur)” and “Life is a Beach (feat. Heimy The Connoisseur)” are both rather brilliantly produced. The brilliant part is that DaSkeeT realized it’d be a smart decision to pair up with many talented indie producers deeply inspired by hip-hop, but electronically, eclectically inclined.
Maybe someone will see it as a move to attract hipsters, and maybe it is, but it seems more like a necessary move outside the often conservative boundaries of hip-hop. The conundrum of hip-hop is that one of the most revolutionary, world-impacting music genres, built on the hunger for new sounds, has been so insular.
The question with these collaborations isn’t “why?” so much as “why doesn’t this happen more often?”
“Old Memories” is a different sort of collaboration, a more standard hip-hop one, at least on paper. The song’s genius is taking a rather odd rhyme style, a rather silly hook and turning it into a hyper-catchy, forward-looking track. “Open Up My Mind”, “Stoner Chick” and “Times Like These (feat. TBlock)” are no doubt among the best songs on the album, and are as giddy and flighty as rap music can be.
“Weekend Luxury (feat. Heimy The Connoisseur)” and “Weekend Luxury Exclusive Da SkeeT Music Instrumental Remix” are spacey, adventurous, and ridiculously intriguing if only because they are so different.
DaSkeeT’s earnest, straightforward raps match the sonic explorations. He has many punchlines, and occasionally drifts cleverly into alternative-rap territory. The sung verses and choruses work superbly with the cool backdrops, and well enough to be repeated many times.
No doubt, DaSkeeT deserves much credit for such an audacious high-quality album, in the works since 2012. He certainly paints visual scenery with his mic, leading us through his many worlds and moods.
OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – ITUNES – GOOGLE PLAY – AMAZON
