Perelli

Rappin’ Twan (Major Factor)
There are those who treat gangsta rap from any area code as if it were a highly contagious terminal disease. And, trust us, a lot of it should be treated that way. But a remedy for anyone with an uptight aversion to gangsta rap is to follow a listening of Spiritual Warfare immediately with a selection from the heap of local hardcore rap records. Touted by a press release as “positive rap,” Perelli’s Spiritual Warfare claims divine inspiration in the liner notes. But it’s hard to believe that Christ himself inspired this mishmash of awkward rhymes, murky principles and confused morals set to the poorly produced, decadent slow-grind rhythms and slippery bass lines of yesterday’s G-funk. We haven’t been to church in a while, but even to our secular ears, verses such as Dollar bills, we’ve been stacking up to the ceiling don’t exactly sound Christlike.

To purge us of this mixed-up spirituality, we threw on Rappin’ Twan’s Turf Habits. Drugs of every variety, cappin’ knuckleheads, stacks of paper, harsh words, hos and bitches, and tons of bass (great for the car!) are all present and accounted for. Rappin’ Twan is buh-buh-bad, and he knows it. Turf Habits is the kind of album you’d expect from the label run by Rich the Factor — one of Kansas City’s kingpins of gangsta rap. O.G.s from Overland Park should be wary about rapping along with verses like off the chain like a runaway slave, but those who approach gangsta rap with caution will be comforted to know that the music’s blunt edges still pierce when they aren’t disguised by high-minded propriety.