If you are in possession of a taxonomical mind such as my own, one which feels inclined to categorize music in spite of musician’s continued, vehement, justifiable requests that one does not do that, there is a special place allocated for rappers such as Gunplay and DMX (from whom the former lifted “Whats My Name” for this freestyle, “No Church”); it is on the voice side of the Voice-Skill spectrum, meaning that they both rely on the power and uniqueness of their flows, rather than technical proficiency, to establish themselves as artists, and it is then further subdivided into a subcategory composed of rapper’s whose voices rely more than slightly on aggression and bombast.
A reliance on voice should not be misconstrued as a lack of lyrical content, however, as Gunplay, despite riddling a track like an assault rifle, shows the ability to aim with more precision than gathered at first glance, as his verse on “Cartoons and Cereal” attests to. “No Church” is not one of those targets; well above the taunt production, Gunplay sprays here. The opener may be discouraging, but holding tight reveals a deft flow and some particularly on point, rather gymnastic bars (“It’s a Medellin thing/Coke, amphetamine thing/Fo’fo’ loaded next to the King James”).
“No Church” is adept at its job, a piece of rough murder music that stays in a well worn lane, but adroitly runs it. Gunplay has quickly risen to prominence, and his ability to harness raw emotion and put it through its paces, like a well trained fighting dog, a talent on display here, is the reason why.
“No Church” receives a PARL
Rating:
P…Horrible
PA…Tolerable
PAR…Good
PARL…Kinda Great
PARLÉ… Classic
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