Von Pea
Pea's Gotta Have It
Of the thousands of rappers out there claiming to be hardcore in 2009, few were harder than the hardest of Brooklynati’s hardcore gentlemen, Von Pea. Funny thing is, Mr. Pea isn’t actually all that hardcore. He’s got an alternative mentality, mixed with an updated swagger (oh, how I despise that word). However, it’s his lyrical dexterity that makes his microphone skills hardcore.
Just check how Von topples his competition in “Freestyle Live at Low Key’s”, the opening cut on his latest solo venture, Pea’s Gotta Have It. Now toss those false assumptions about this album being about Von slicing and dicing microphone foes for fifty or so minutes. No, Pea’s Gotta Have It, actually falls into more of a dear-diary type of affair as Von recounts his days growing up in Brooklyn, and all of his high school (mis)adventures.
What’s pleasant about Von’s exhibition here is that it’s more or less a pure exercise in nostalgia, which ups the emotional attachment many listeners will have to this album. Who can’t relate to those high school crushes, goofing off in the back of class, shooting hoops with the homies, and just enjoying the bliss of adolescent innocence? And not that it would be labeled throwback by any means, but the production falls right in line thematically, taking cues from the post-Rawkus era of the early 2000’s. It would have been nice if this album had dropped earlier in the summer, because the samples are so often warm and endearing, but alas that is a minor gripe.
Just as with many other Tanya Morgan-family releases, Von recruits a fantastic guest list to share the lyrical load. All the usuals – Ilyas, Donwill, Spec Boogie, Che Grand and Jermiside appear. Danny! Even returns the favor (Von rapped on Danny!’s Where is Danny? recently) on the highly entertaining “Open School”. Despite a long guest list, this project remains wholly Von’s as he crusades through all the trials and tribulations that those teenage years have to offer.
Ultimately, Von succeeds because he finds a balance between (somewhat) serious storytelling, and all-out hilarity. He paints an intricate picture of his city in “The Yorker”, then later proceeds to detail his love for detention. Many of the songs focus precisely on one given topic, which makes the content all the more engaging and relatable. “New Pair” is literally about how awesome it feels to step into school rocking a brand new pair of kicks – nothing more and nothing less. Ultimately, with Pea’s Gotta Have It what you see is what you get. There are no deeper insights or takeaways to be gathered with repeat listens – although repeat listens are certainly in order to the pure enjoyment. It’s an album that simply is what it is, and doesn’t try to be anything more.
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