MC Lars – The Graduate

It’s kind of weird to think abiout how little a impact The Graduate had on the scene when it came out a few months ago. It came and went with little to no fuss at all, which is a shock considering how much people gushed over MC Lars with his Laptop EP a few years back. It’s sad too, because that’s means not nearly as many people will pick up the CD or even know that it’s in stores and that’s a shame, becauseThe Graduate is really good. It picks up where The Laptop EP ended and just keeps pushing forward.

Now, MC Lars unqiue still of hiphop, post-punk and rap with beats flowing from his laptop is probably not the greatest idea of music for most punk fans, but for everyone who opens their minds and check out the rapper, they will be surprised. They will see that The Graduate fits, oddly enough, right into almost any punk fan’s collection – even though it is far from being the typical punk sound. It’s clearly evident thatMC Lars grew up deeply rooted in the punk scene, not only does he get help from the likes of The Matches and Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup on the album- but he also plugs countless bands that have all made a staple in the underground scene. Jello Biafra, Minor Threat, GG Allin and the Rock Against Bush series all make an apperance in the rhymes.

It is an intelligent hip-hop album unlike all that “let’s get wasted, band some hoes and shoot our guns in the air” rap/hip-hop we get on TV and radio. Hell, Generic Crunk Rap is a giant mockery of all of that, with a beat that sounds oddly familiar to Usher (feat. Lil’ Jon)’s hit single Yeah (“Lyrics that say nothing – cause that’s how we get down… It’s just too bad our songs don’t have anything to say!“). His satrical lyrics do have something to say, and it is because of that that I am always flipping through the lyrics booklet. Download This Song stands up the for the rights of downloaders everywhere, Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock attacks the major conglomarate, while If I Had A Time Machine, That Would Be Fresh takes a look at a short trip through history and how one event could change everything. Ahab is a new fresh look at the story of Moby Dick, which seems appropriate after his retelling of The Raven on the EP. Of course, there’s a few love songs like Rapgirl, but then he does a full back flip with the comicalInternet Relationships (Are Not Real Relationships). The biggest downfall is the repetition of songs like iGeneration and Siging Emo – yeah, they’re great songs but are already on the EP and it would’ve been better with two new songs.

This is not for the closed minded, but any open minded person who can trully appreciate the varying styles of music will love this CD. Because it is new, and fresh, and it sounds good. Plus, with all the musical, historical, sci-fi and scientific references thrown out amognst the rhymes, you know MC Lars is humerous and intelligent rapper.