Art Therapy, Pt. 3 - vidpoet (Hiphop) With a singular point of view, creative lyricism and unique sound, Vidpoet smashes it with his eclectic four track EP, “Art Therapy, Pt. 3”, which as definitely inspired us to go check out the prior two parts of this ongoing project. With the help of producer Steve Perry, vidpoet takes a core of retro hiphop sensibility and colors it with flavors of reggaeton, EDM and even ventures into the avante-garde, to create a trippy sonic soundscape to accompany a collection of thought provoking, expertly crafted rhymes. Before we dig into the tracks themselves, let’s address the project as a whole.
From his Spotify bio, we learn that vidpoet considers himself a proponent of “art rap”—a truly independent aesthetic with a focus on lyricism, devoid of the trope and cliche that he believes proliferates through mainstream offerings. Listening to “Art Therapy, Pt 3”, we can’t help but agree with the ways in which vidpoet stands apart from his contemporaries. The lyrics are the first to jump out at you—you can’t knock the man’s cleverness. From his off the wall references to his word choice to his juxtaposition, it is clear that vidpoet is an artist that truly appreciates the art of word craft, and his skill set in this area shines throughout, particularly in our favorite of the offering, “Mustache Blues.”
As to his delivery, it’s a rapid fire spit throughout, with the occasional breaking of the fourth wall to address the listener and describe what’s to come, or even deliver some smile inducing banter from within the booth. There’s an Eminem quality to his timbre at times, and specifically in “Present the Vid Humbly” we get a healthy dose of Wyclef Jean with vidpoet straddling rhyme and sung vocals. “Spacey” veers into the Kanye West “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” robot voice production. But throughout that melding of sounds delivers lyrics that would work just as well as spoken word poetry as they do song lyrics.
The production is steller, combining a classic hiphop drum core with Neptunes like strangeness of sparkling synths, particularly in “Spacey.” Intro “Microwave Burrito” sounds like something off an early Notorious B.I.G. record, while “Mustache Blues” is driven by a menacing analogue bass thrum that comes across quite hypnotic. “Present the Vid Humbly” gives us a Santana-esque guitar riff veering through a Caribbean/Reggaeton beat made for dancehall. Each track offers something different, each a distinct flavor from the other, and that helps keep the EP consistently engaging.
Our favorite track of the bunch is certainly “Mustache Blues.” The incessant bass permeates the track and vidpoet’s lyricism is in hyperdrive, evoking the great MCs of the 80s and 90s. And despite that retro appeal, it is certainly the most mainstream of the offerings, surely having a place on today’s charts. For pop crossover, we choose “Present the Vid Humbly,” a meld of hiphop and reggaeton that reminds us a bit of Lauryn Hill’s “Lost Ones.”
A clear student of hiphop with a devotion to his craft, get yourself acquainted with vidpoet’s trilogy.