Consisting of Jaymanila, Calm-Pete and producer DJ Pre, the Babbletron team take their no-frills boom-bap to various platitudes, from regrets about the nature of time ("The Clock Song") to discontent with the artificial aspects of life ("SpecialFX") to an idiosyncratic (yet unfortunately corny) trip into outer space ("Space Tech Banana. While most of the album stands purely solid, "Birds" is the obvious triumph on Mechanical Royalty, and it may be one of the best songs of the year. An extended metaphor for promiscuous women, the boys play devil's advocate to her irresistible whoredom while Calm-Pete, rapping with a pleasantly slow, light cadence reminiscent of Slick Rick, warns, "Beware of the succubus, out to belittle us/ She's a perfect stranger, don't be ridiculous!"
About Mechanical Royalty. Mechnical Royalty is a solo album by New York hip hop group Babbletron. The group consists of MCs Cool Calm Pete and Jaymanila and DJ Pre on the boards. Mechanical Royalty Q&A. Writers JayManila & Cool Calm Pete. Featuring Cool Calm Pete, DJ Pre & JayManila.
Sleeve Notes – Babbletron, Cool Calm Pete, DJ Pre, Jaymanila. Written-By – J. Menella (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 7, 9, 11 to 13b), P. Chung (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 9, 12 to 13b), S. Prentice (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11 to 13b).
Babbletron's Mechanical Royalty finds Brooklyn's Jaymanila, DJ Pre, and Cool Calm Pete working similar sci-fi grooves to their friends from Def Jux - dark samples, snaking basslines, and disturbed beats abound. But Jaymanila and Cool Calm Pete seem a little more laid-back than the average Def Jux rhymesayer, as much A Tribe Called Quest as Aesop Rock
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