Get help with that VG hip hop in 'Tek Support,' the new album by TekForce
Do you see the 'play' button?
Tekforce hit me up to review his latest album, so here I am. It's that easy people! I'm a starving writer.
Tekforce can't even wait to start his album, as he starts dropping rhymes about 20 seconds into the intro. No slow build in this one, Tek gives a public service announcement to get you gamers and hip hop heads prepped for the next 15-17 tracks (depending on whether you grabbed them bonus rhymes).
The album kicks off for real with TekForce's gaming autobiography, which drops a few def references to the Sega Saturn and even the MTV Music Generator, which I spent way too much time with in my youth. I was sucked into the album thanks to the hard hitting Furnace. A foreboding beat mixed with Tek's pressuring vocals. Like being thrown through a warp tunnel. Listen to the track yourself on the latest SUBCON by the way!
Things slow down and real up with Pleasure & Pain. The track kicks off with a repetitive refrain when Tek jumps on the track, rapping through his personal ups and downs and it ain't hard to relate. Banger alert! Ode to the Retro gots that head bobbing intensity on the beat, and TekForce goes to town with that club rocking hook and too many dope lines for me to keep up with on these initial listens. Of course, the Metroid drop in the hook seriously biases me towards this epic track. If this album has a single, this is it.
If TekForce wants to step things up from there, looks like he's got to call in some reinforcements. Vincent Rockafella, and the damn near everywhere SkyBlew join the party in Put Your Hands Up. Some catchy Sephiroth theme style violins driving the beat. If the previous track is the single, this is definitely the follow up.
Got to mention the Gundam inspired SDF-1. I'm not the most knowledgeable Gundam fan (more of a Robotech guy myself) but the shmup fan in me can never say no to ship flying space rap.
I'm not 100% (or even 10%) sure about what exactly Heaven's Lost Property is about (an anime maybe? or an Xbox game?). No matter, since TekForce, along with Mic Most, Shubzilla, and a catchy chorus courtesy of NuyoRiquena, turn this into one of my favorite tracks on the album. I need a drink after listening to this song too, but in the good way.
As I have slowly become consumed with pushing myself across social media (COUGH COUGH) I have also found myself not interacting as often with the fine folks I once loved heckling in my younger days. With that in mind, Digital Help is a stand out track, taking a look at the shift in humanity as social media has 'helped' us interact with more people than ever. Although I don't think I come down on selfies and Twitter as Tek does on this track, but I definitely feel like the flows in this track are things that need to be considered.
Speaking of tracks that I can relate to, Workplace Woes drops some of the realest lines on the album. As anyone with ambition can attest, the workplace can be a soul killer, especially for the artistic types struggling to monetize their 'true calling.' Tek and Aramis tag team the track with their woes, even dropping the difficulties of being a minority in the workforce on top of that. Alongside the sorrowful trumpet beat, it's a surprisingly dark track to end on, but maybe that's the purpose. Get Tek off the damn workforce and cop the album already, geez.
Luckily for those that heeded my advice, there are two more tracks included with a full album purchase, and they are as dope as anything I wrote above, unfortunately, I'm not going to review them, since they are bonus content. Pay to play. Deal with it. Man they are such good tracks though...