The Wake

In the late 90s, Eminem became hip-hop’s light-skinned rapper with dark thoughts. A couple of years later, his hometown crew attempted to ride this shock wave as far as it would take them. They found success with “Purple Hills,” and showed audiences six similarly twisted, yet diversely gifted personas, each accompanied by a split personality. Proof was considered by many to be the most promising member of d12. Finally, he’s getting his chance to shine on Searching for Jerry Garcia. The album’s design and title allude to an experimental approach of soul searching on this rapper’s first full-length release. If you’re looking for raw beats, well-constructed flows and star-studded guest appearances, than you might add this one to your collection. But with the exception of a handful of tracks, this album sounds like Proof is trying to relive d12’s early success. Songs such as “Jump Biatch” exemplify the lengths the artist will go to carry on d12’s shock-rap antics. The punch lines are often cliché and the ones that aren’t, such as, “I can barely add but still got ADD,” leave listeners more confused then humored. In short, Proof spends too much time looking through his old d12 notebooks and studying Em’s and 50’s chorus and bridge crafting rather than experimenting with new sounds. Besides the last track, which seems apologetic for the album’s generic feel, there is little searching outside the box on Garcia.