Shaun Boothe - Concepts

Since I have no clue how to begin this track review, I’ll let you all in on a little trade secret: when writers bring up the topic of writer’s block in their work, they’re never just being clever. It’s basically the authorial equivalent of a Hail Mary pass, done only after you’ve been staring at a blank sheet for several unproductive hours. The latest mixtape single from Shaun Boothe was clearly conceived in a moment of genuine desperation, but the Toronto native’s frustration is our gain – for a track about the experience of being uninspired, this is pretty damned inspired. Here, Boothe spins his own silky-smooth, soul-sampled boardwork into a meditation on the creative process, brainstorming potential song Concepts with the help of guest emcee Talib Kweli. The result is a catchy, easily-relatable cut laced with spot-on satire of rap clichés: “Let’s do a song called ‘Titties & Rims’/ Nah, I got it: ‘Rims & Titties’/ Trust me, that sh*t’ll win..” If you like what you’re hearing, you can find plenty more clever rhymes and dope concepts on Boothe’s Hip-Hop in 3D mixtape, due out in winter 2010.