They say don’t judge a book by it’s cover, and in the world of books that often holds true, but in the world of music many a digger will tell you the exact opposite. In record stores and blogs alike, great cover art is a near necessity. How else can a random record hope to nab the attention of someone fanning the shelves or scrolling the pages in search of something unheard?
Judging from cover art alone, as I was at first, Soopah Eype’s Better Off Dread is definitely worth a spin. Of course, it can’t hurt that Soopah Eype has a name that references Lee Perry and song titles that reference Spawn. Actually, as far as I’m concerned: anthropomorphic imagery + ’70s dub + Image comics = let’s fucking do this.
So I download Better Off Dread, and I listen to it one morning on my way to work, and I’m blown the fuck away. At 24-years old, straight out Portland, OR by way of South Central Los Angeles, Soopah Eype is an imminently quotable MC in possession of an effortless syllabic command the likes of which haven’t been heard since Madvillainy dropped. He’s “Isaac Asimov riding a massive moth,” and his off-the-top game is every bit as thorough as his writtens. It’s nuts … indescribably so.
Streaming below, Better Off Dread is Soopah Eype’s 8th mixtape created with the help of producers Steve French and Doogie the Lion. Together, the three form a crew called Plenny Tuff. And that, they are. That, they are indeed.
• Soopah Eype: http://soopaheype.bandcamp.com/
More about: Soopah Eype
