Content warning for depictions of violence and mental illness.
BONES has been one of the most prolific rappers in recent memory as a pioneer of the modern emo rap movement. His music isn’t for the faint of heart due to his edgy lyrics, but some of his songs have an oddly comforting quality to them.
It can be daunting to listen to his entire discography as there can be a lot of mediocre music to sift through; he is a quantity-over-quality artist. Luckily though, as a whole project, his new mixtape “CADAVER” isn’t as middle of the road. It’s a solid effort from the Howell, Michigan rapper.
The title track serves as an ominous intro to the project, with a somber piano and a distorted vocal sample in the background. It certainly sets the mood for what’s to come.
Producer Kill’s production on “GraveyardFM” is phenomenal. The dark soundfont of the melody pairs extremely well with BONES’ old-school Memphis rap-style vocals. The song then repeats as a sped up, higher-pitched version before slowing down and deepening at the end.
“TheBlairWitchProject,” named after the 1999 experimental horror movie, has BONES screaming about how violent he is with the cherry of depression on top of the murderous sundae. The triplet flow is entrancing even if it’s been done to death already.
BONES judges somebody else for being reckless and stunting with their money, flexing as if they’re rich when they’re actually struggling financially on “October31st.” It’s funny to imagine BONES rapping “stupid dog” instead of “stupid dumb” because of the character Eustace’s catchphrase from “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” a horror show for younger audiences on Cartoon Network. It would certainly fit the title of the song considering that Oct. 31 was Halloween.
Other than that, the vocal inflection halfway through was such a good touch, making the song even more fun to listen to. BONES proclaims himself to be “the lord of paranoia,” which is such a cool nickname to have. The final lyrics of the verse, “From the soil to the cradle, I’ve been living in reverse / Rappers armed and they dangerous but only in their verse,” are both great in their own ways. Many rappers flaunt being violent in their lyrics but it’s usually just a front to look cool for the most part.
BONES raps a lot of depressing lyrics as someone with mental illness, but “HandbookForTheRecentlyDeceased” is one of the grimmest songs from him in recent memory. The lyrics paint the picture of his depression and loneliness vividly, “How many days I wanted death / how many nights that I done cried? / Everyone gonna leave me anyway, so it is I I shall rely / How many times I had to lie to my motherfuckin’ self? / Just to shield me from the damage that the truth might inflict.” Rap at its best is a form of eloquent self-expression, and BONES demonstrates that here.
“DeadGirl (Interlude),” which breaks the usual theme of BONES not using the spacebar to write his song titles, sounds like it could be in a horror movie with the eerie sample and the intimidating drums. The booming bass is incredible as well. It’s funny how the cowbells sound like a high-pitched plucked instrument though. It’s an odd inclusion, though it’s understandable considering BONES’ musical influences use those same instruments. The interlude could have been a full song if BONES rapped on it instead of talking in a low-pitched voice like a radio DJ.
“BlackLungs&YellowTape” begins with a sample of a news broadcast talking about how in Howell, Michigan, where BONES is from, there is “an unknown man committing various acts of violence.” The lyric “Lungs pitch black, how the fuck could I be racist?” is questionable as to what he’s trying to say, but it’s the effort of being an anti-racist that probably counts.
“LiveLeak,” named after the former shock website where graphic videos of deaths and injuries were shared, goes hard with the cowbell sounds. “Chain him up like he got signed and now your ass can never leave” is a proclamation of BONES being an independent artist without a label.
“BloodOnMyBoots” has BONES flaunting how violent and fashionable he is at first, but in the second verse he begins with lamenting with the lyrics “Fucked in the head, can’t act right / I must’ve been the worst in my past life,” which references how in the theory of reincarnation people are reborn and put in situations which reflect how they were in the life prior. The repetitive chorus is super catchy, though.
“FoDa94’” sounds like it was produced in 1994 Memphis in the best way possible. The retro-inspired production suits BONES’ rapping super well.
“TrespassersWillBeShot,SurvivorsWillBeShotAgain” features the lyric “Wanna be me ’cause you dumb as a bitch, but ignorance bliss / Bitch I wish I was you,” which reflects on how miserable BONES’ life is with his mental illness despite being famous and successful as a rapper.
“FoundFootage” has another sample of a news reporter talking about violence in Howell, Michigan before BONES’ starts rapping. The booming 808 looms over BONES’ lyrics, though it’s a bit lackluster compared to how the album began.
His album cover is a grainy picture of a graveyard, and he themed this project that dropped on Halloween after the concept of death. Still, it’s oddly comforting. Cesar A. Cruz once said that art is meant to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed, after all.
Rating: 3.5/5