“To this point, they’ve answered the question of “are they really serious?” in the affirmative or made it a moot point— whether you just liked the Big Punisher quotes, casually accepted being called a white demon for the greater good, or both, their work could be enjoyed on any number of levels. But Relax feels like it’s hovering over a more pernicious escape clause— “you don’t get it.” Interpreted through telling lyrics like “when you see me on the streets, don’t bother me,” “I don’t know why people think we give a fuck so often,” or, as the closing argument in “Celebration” goes, “you could ask what it is, but I still wouldn’t tell you,” the title of Relax feels more like a statement of aggression, Das Racist shifting the blame to the listener for their own lack of commitment.”
Ian Cohen made some good points regarding DR’s rapping, and the fact that the highest highs of their mixtapes are higher than the highs on Relax. On the other hand, I’ve never felt like I was “being called a white demon for the greater good” when I was listening to the music, or felt threatened by their anti-white sentiments, like the “No qualms with cockblocking white dudes from Boston” line that comes before the above “I don’t now why people think we give a fuck so often” line. This is an interesting review… I think, for where it’s coming from, the score makes sense.
Notes
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mdtepsic liked this
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andyhutchins liked this
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andrewmcclain said:
I liked his review, but I think that you caught a lot of stuff that he missed
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andrewmcclain liked this
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matt-t liked this
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absurdistaudio said:
Not to be that guy who gets up in arms because of a Pitchfork review, but does it seem like half this review is basically feedback on a high school English paper? “you’re so smart! Why couldn’t you just try harder!?”
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berezina liked this
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artyucko said:
oh shut the fuck up pseudoaggrieved white writer.
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jakec liked this
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bmichael posted this