Raw, hardcore hip-hop in the classic idiom. "Verba Volant" means "words fly" and that's what Jesse D's lyrics do on this release - the only thing rivaling his speed is his sincerity.

10 MP3 Songs
HIP-HOP/RAP: Hip Hop, HIP-HOP/RAP: Hardcore Rap

Show all album songs: Verba Volant Songs


Details:
Nova Scotian indie rap stalwart Jesse Dangerously returns once again with a new record of ear-baffling raps, Verba Volant, featuring just all kinds of slamming beats and adroit guest raps from Canada's indomitable Backburner crew... and a few other friends!

Although the album's ten tracks feature vocal appearances from Johnny Hardcore (Newfoundland), ginzuintriplicate (Dartmouth/Osaka), Toolshed (London, ON), Don Brownrigg (Newfoundland again!), Rez Villain (Membertou, Cape Breton), Wordburglar (Halifax), Apt (Halifax) and More or Les (Toronto), as well as scratches from Uncle Fester, the guests are concentrated onto four songs of reasonable lengths and with the scratch intro, the remaining five tracks are all Jesse! New raps and new rap styles, more intelligible than ever (or have you just gotten used to him?) and yet his tempos more dynamic than ever as well. Some of the raps are almost slow, but the title of this album is Verba Volant, meaning "words fly" in Latin, and the main thing is they certainly do when Jesse D's commanding them.

Also there is a song with feelings.

Keeping in tradition with the previous Inter Alia EP, the beats are provided half and half by two of Jesse's Backburner posse-mates: Fresh Kils, who has also produced tracks for Aristo, Spesh K, DL Incognito, Jay Bizzy and other big rap stars, and Timbuktu of London's Toolshed, whose best known work has been with that group and also for other Backburner artists like Thesis Sahib. The musicality is out of control this time around, with both producers revered by those in the know for their attention to detail and progression. Dexter Doolittle also steps in to pinch-hit the Fresh Kils' produced The Day's Arc firmly into dub territory, with Don Brownrigg's mournful, folksy hook reverberating in every corner.

Despite Dangerously's tenuous and oft-strained affiliation with what's known as Nerdcore hip-hop, this is not a nerdy record. This is a brilliant record. And yeah, I wrote that myself in the third person. I really hope you like it!