Declaime: Self Study
Dudley Perkins aka Declaime calls his latest album, Self Study, “a self help tool…to raise the vibration…to a more positive level.” Judging by that description you would assume that the album would be some hippie bullshit that would sound like Arrested Development sampling “Kuymbaya,” but what Self Study delivers is a encyclopedia of hip hop.
Over the course of seventeen tracks, Declaime explores a myriad of hip hop styles and vibes. “Poet” takes its musical queues from the g-funk style of Dr. Dre. But rather than having a mellow sound like Dre, Declaime’s vocals are more akin to Sadat X as he raps about why he is rapping. His reasons are, of course, not for money but for love.
The album’s high point has to be the title track, “Self Study.” The beat sounds like if Matt and Kim‘s “Camera” was made into an R&B-beat with a female vocalist lending her talents to the chorus. What makes the track special is Declaime’s lyrics. The track is essentially the story of Declaime’s life but without getting too heavy. He raps “always on a quest to keep in tune/not out of tune like autotune/some say the boy was born way too soon.” The words he puts together sound great but also inch his story along which is hard to accomplish.
From a musical stand point, “Self Study” is the only R&B-tinged track on the album I enjoy–though there are several other attempts. It is easy to see that Declaime sounds better over g-funk production. His message gets a little repetitive as the album wears on which can make Self Study feel like “preaching to the choir” by the end but the album is worth a listen.
Rating: 7.0/10
MP3: Declaime “Self Study”
Buy: iTunes
Declaime: Self Study
