Pee Gonzalez - Whuz The P? (Sub Rosa)

On Whuz The P?, Belgian producer Smimooz reworks and restyles tracks by hip hop activist Pee Gonzalez into a largely instrumental album of deliberately aggressive beats pulled from graffiti-styled vocals. The opener '13.11.73' (Pee's DOB?) shatters any preconceptions and pulls the listener firmly onto the side of in-yer-face Euro-style rap aggression, with an overall feel not a million miles away from the ground-breaking La Haine soundtrack. The title-track is a less brain-draining assault, settling back into a dark, percussive groove. Move swiftly to 'Tripp'n Trankill' and the whole affair is mellowing down nicely into a continental jazz jungle affair. 'Sozy Kaizer' (surely not a refernce to The Usual Suspects?!) and 'L'Abstract-Autor Du Vice' stay true to the originals by pulling in some of Pee's original vocals, but using them more as rhythmic samples than standard rap sessions.

This album definitely peaks in the middle with the tracks 'De Puta Madre On The Wheelz Of Steel' and 'Le Nine En Main'. But the closer - 'Sychobooz' makes the trawl through the second half well worth it, with the jazzy vibes being enhanced by a nice muted trumpet sample (previously explored on the track 'Strictly Bario Sound'). This is apparently the first album in a series of collaborations between Sub Rosa and 9mm Records - so stay tuned for more... 9/10


This review also published in: DJ magazine