It seems like it was this afternoon (maybe it was yesterday, I’ve been pretty busy) that I was boppin around with an old school rap beat in my head. You know the kind of thing that I’m talking about – with horns and guitar stabs and witty lyrics like Jazzy Jeff or Will Smith might have thrown at us back in the day. Yeah… back in the day… things sure were different then… even Weird Al stood a chance with a rap song.

Then this evening, this Goliath PAW kid hits my desk and I thought “what the hell… let’s see what he’s all about.” By the end of the first hook, I was grinning like it was 1984. He’s hittin’ me with those things I was thinking about earlier! Damn!

Leaving the in-the-box beats that fill the space for so many “rappers” out of it, Goliath PAW builds a musical experience to tell his stories. Now, that’s refreshing! Synth sounds that go back to Human League, vocal treatments like EMF, beats from 808 and 909 samples, burning guitars are all treats but they take the back seat to the youngster’s lyrycal talent.

He argues with himself and comes to conclusions. He weaves a tale that doesn’t always go where you think it might. He tackles deep subjects and makes light-hearted jokes, and he does it all with his own unique style.

Speaking of style… there are so many cool elements here, It would be silly to list them. Just know this: it’s been a while since you heard an indie hip hop record like this. Combine Tech 9 with Tennessee’s Ware and add a bit of the trademark BUNKS moodiness and you might have an idea, but you’d better just go spin it yourself, and make sure you’ve got a loud system ready to RoKK!