Fredericton’s Go, Homeboy!, AKA Matt Walls, shuffles on up to the mic to pioneer “sloth rap” on his debut album Tale of the Mixtape, bringing his laid back, unique, and supremely referential interpretation of hip hop to the masses. As he proclaims on “Don’t Trip,” “This is hip hop for hippies, hip hop for nerds, this is hip hop for anyone that likes flipping words.”
Wordplay and references are key to Walls’ flow, as the pop culture references come fast and furious (thankfully the film not among them). The following is a not even remotely comprehensive compilation of call-outs made throughout Tale of the Mixtape: Limp Bizkit, Futurama, Punky Brewster, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, KISS, Seinfeld, conflict in the middle east, The Beatles, Anaheim Ducks, Vampire Weekend, Dinosaurs — more than once, The Dalai Lama, Richard Pryor, Bill Gates, CFL legend Doug Flutie, My Little Pony, Willie Nelson and Judge Judy. Our host even pulls off the impressive feat of dropping WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin, Meme of Famer Bob Ross, Andy Samberg and Santa into consecutive lines on the same verse on “I Got That.” In an almost confounding way, this barrage of allusions leaves a listener feeling a further familiarity with Walls.
Another highlight of the album is the varied production. Each song manages to flex a different sonic muscle for Go, Homeboy! to showcase his subdued stream of consciousness raps. The beats keep it simple overall but then drizzle in a little something extra as needed; harmonica featured on “I Got That,” guitar strumming mixed with almost video game-like sound effects on “A Beautiful Thing” and electric guitar licks on “Keep It Movin.'”
A music video for the lead single/title track appears to provide a glimpse into Walls’ process as we see him rolling one up, knocking one back, and going about his lyrical business. He assures us that he’s smoother than Baileys and more popular than girls named Kaylie. It’s a very straightforward and down-to-earth vision of a rapper who does not buy into the posturing and embellishing the genre has traditionally been flooded in.
With his more lackadaisical than breakneck lyrical style, Go, Homeboy! guides us on a leisurely stroll through his mind, possibly best exemplified on “Sloth Rap” as he whistles on through his musings on life. Slight vocal effects may have a hip hop head of a certain age, recalling the Southern US Chopped & Screwed technique pioneered by Houston’s DJ Screw.
Walls never borrows too much from any others and does his own thing, assuring us that “if [his] stars all haven’t aligned, yeah that’s just fine. [He’s] still got time.” The album is his own distinct twist on hip hop while not straying dangerously far. On Tale of the Mixtape, Go, Homeboy! welcomes us to his world.
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