EMBRACE THE POP~! - VA - Dexter's Laboratory

[Guest TSMAdmin]

TheSmartMarks’ most beloved poster, columnist, and prodigal son has returned! No, not Metal Ed… anyway, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been dead since my final Velocity column (up until today I didn’t even really visit the boards that much). Well, the reason for this is I moved to college, and had a serious case of writer’s block. Everything’s working out all good so far, and since I have a couple papers to write this weekend anyway for class, I figured I owe Kinetic and Incandenza a music column. A long while ago I promised to be the thorn-crowning pop critic in the site’s Music Reviewers Holy Trinity. Now then, to borrow a phrase from the State of America, REV UP THE REVIEW, OPEN YOUR ARMS, AND EMBRACE THE POP~!

 

When I read that Rhino was releasing a mini-soundtrack, a hip-hop EP with songs based on the cartoon “Dexter’s Laboratory”, I was at the same time totally excited about and totally dreading the release. I was excited because I’ve loved “Dexter’s Laboratory” ever since its first appearance on Cartoon Network, and I love songs based on fictional characters like this. On the other hand, the reason I love those songs are they’re usually really cheesy and tacky, and I not only doubted it could stay enjoyable for an entire album, I also didn’t want to see one of my favorite shows get a stained reputation. Luckily, my initial fears were totally baseless; the EP is fun, but not in a dorky way. At least not in a really dorky way.

 

The reason that most of these songs come off so well is because the songs not only incorporate the subject matter (as opposed to the majority of soundtrack songs, particularly hip-hop soundtracks, where the songs push albums and have little relation to the movie or show), but incorporate it with some dope rhymes. “I got a plan, some sort of strategy / Catch Dexter, stretch his anatomy / MD and a Lex and you’re mad at me / Call me the bad guy / Somebody gotta be” is an example from YZ’s “Mandark’s Plan”, with a chorus backed by the maniacal laugh of Dexter’s arch-enemy (which, for those who don’t watch the show, is Mandark) and some dope production. Sound clips from the show bridge the album’s tracks, from the show’s theme which opens the album, to the “Success!” at the climax of Prince Paul’s “Back to the Lab”. With rhymes lovingly crafted from such talented MC’s as Will.I.Am (of Black Eyed Peas), Phife Diggy (of A Tribe Called Quest) and De La Soul, the only track that really disappoints is Coolio’s “Dexter (What’s His Name)”, which is, unlike the rest of the tracks, propelled by the hook instead of lyrical content.

 

For fans of the show, The Hip Hop Experiment is cheap and a ton of fun. For those who’ve never seen the show, it’s still cheap and its upbeat nature and themed lyrics are still fun enough to awaken your inner child for at least a short while. Assuming you haven’t killed it with too much Adult Swim…

 

By the way, now that buying textbooks has cleaned out my bank account and I only have $3 left to buy food for the rest of the month, for old time’s sake you can always peep my Amazon wishlist. Feedback, as always, can be sent to my e-mail address (and you don’t even have to remove any X’s!), and hopefully I’ll be back again this weekend with another DVD review if I can find a timeframe where nobody’s using the DVD player.

 

Until next time… GOOD MUSIC SUCKS!!!

Edward Robins

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DVDaficionado.com list – PH34R MY DVD COLLECTION!

Amazon.com wishlist – Since you’re going to waste your money, why not waste it on me?

"To me, bad taste is what entertainment is all about... [just] remember there is such a thing as good bad taste and bad bad taste." – John Waters