Who’s going to save us now?
Now when I used to hear about Brixton I naturally thought that they actually meant Brixham, the coastal town in Devon. This is quite possibly because being raised on a farm in Wiltshire, I was more likely to go to Devon than I was to inner-city London. Anyway, enough about my geographical inadequacies, we have something here that is a little strange. We have a decent English rapper! Yeah, I know, go figure? However in all honesty we do have the fantastic alternative rapper Kai Motta, but still…Rapper and English??
Marvin, who used be known as Marvin The Martian (I understand that folks would add the acronym AKA here), has a nice laid back style and with this single, ‘Superhero’ really sets himself apart from other rappers in Blighty who are happy to only remain big within their towns or peers. The beats are tough and rugged, and what would also be referred to as Phat, however this is not surprising as it’s produced by one of Bristol’s finest in Bob Locke who has helped twiddle knobs for band’s like Massive Attack and Tricky.
The serious message suggests that whilst as a child you want have super powers and save the world, the reality is that as an adult paying bills and getting through life is a challenge in itself. Marvin does have a good knack of wrapping this up in some amusing lyrics like: “I can’t, see through walls // I have enough trouble just going to Tescos // I don’t, have no cape // And I can’t fly so I’m always late”. If Soulja Boy can Crank It, then I don’t see why we can’t listen to Marvin’s struggles at not being a Superhero!
I’ve never been much of a fan of remixes, and having messed around with backbeats and rapping in my youth, it strikes me as a waste of some backbeats too. Anyway, the Nimble Mix lacks the chunky beat and so doesn’t do the song any justice. It would be better suited to a laid back song with singing vocals.
I’m as much of a fan of Indie-syth as I am of drinking my own vomit, so the Indie Syth Mix is like a thousand nails scrapping down a blackboard whilst pins are being driven slowly into my eyeballs! If I wanted to hear a mentally challenged person play an 80’s Yamaha keyboard with their tongue, then I’m sure I would know where to go to experience this, however, and this may surprise you, I really don’t want to hear this, and neither should anybody else.
Now the Dub Mix is okay once the beat kicks in, and gives it a slight slow Jungle feeling, however the Why Lout? Remix is by far the best. It has strong beats, and possibly as a drummer this is always what I look for in a Hip Hop backbeat. Once again though, I’m happier just having the one version, Marvin!
Now, amongst these remix heaven or hell (depending on your feelings), we have a B-side song of ‘Wait’, which again is another good song. The main melody drive is a piano loop with keyboards and a strong but simple beat. There is a nice nod towards Kate Nash, as he quotes a few lines form her song, ‘Foundations’. Good work.
I won’t try and compare Marvin to another rapper as he has that London flava that is street raw, but instead of wasting his time in senseless boasting, he does have messages that along with flashes of humour push him head and shoulders above the rest. I eagerly await his album which is due for release in August.