As one-half of Single Minded Pros alongside Doc West, the Chicago-bred, now Brooklyn-based beatmaker DJ Rude One compiled a Rolodex of ’90s rap gods with his production work. The intro to new solo effort *ONEderful *lays out his credentials by assembling shout-outs from guys like Kool G Rap, DJ Premier, even DOOM (via a static-heavy audio message, as though recorded in his hidden underground lair). But on the record, Rude chooses not to call in old favors. Instead, he assembles a new list of contacts, all dedicated to the hard-boiled ethics—atmosphere heavy, hooks optional, Wu-Tang reigning over all—of NY orthodoxy. The lean, 10-track ONEderful is a grubby set of blood-in-your-mouth street raps, dusty record scratches and musty, subterranean beats.
On “Mr. Goodbar,” Brooklyn-by-way-of-the-Ukraine emcee Your Old Droog flows with the blunted thump of the Kool Genius. Conway the Machine calls out all studio gangsters on the concrete-cold piano keys and tough drum loop of “Andre Drummond.” Elsewhere, “Street Scenes,” featuring Chicago’s Jeremiah Jae, is built on clinking piano keys that recall the Wu’s “C.R.E.A.M.” Roc Marciano gets two tracks—“Murder Paragraphs” and “Triple Black Benz”—because his rasping voice is suited for Rude One’s gritty sound. Almost everything here is sonically consistent, with rapper and producer perfectly in sync; no small thing when it comes to producer compilations that shuffle through guest spots this quickly.
The best beat, though, is actually out of step with the rest of the tape. The Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire-featuring “Tyrannosaurs eX” is all swarming ’80s synths and Moroder-style pyrotechnics, hinting at a different direction. The only unequivocal disappointment is “Supreme Trunks.” Conway’s Griselda Gang sibling Westside Gunn has recently established himself as one of NYC’s real emerging talents, but he’s hampered here by a grating keyboard stab that’s impossible to navigate, even with his energetic flow.
DJ Rude One succeeds, though, by keeping his focus narrow and his lens firmly fixed. ONEderful is short, snappy and completely disinterested with any kind of traditional song structure. It moves with beat-tape momentum, and has no concerns other than letting its rappers do whatever the hell they want. A low-key release, maybe, but if you just want to just listen to some stalwart rhymes over brass-knuckle beats, Rude One proves an excellent foil.
