Bob's Son: R​.​A​.​P. Ferreira In The Garden Level Cafe Of The Scallops Hotel (studio album) by R.A.P. Ferreira

From mdbaxter 06/25/2021 17:59

A step inside R.A.P Ferreira's idiosyncratic world. High-minded buttery flows and impeccable wordplay over soft but varied jazz samples. Not too many traditional song structures to be found, not too many songs without multiple songs within them for that matter. Really fuck with his outlook on things. His whole philosophy in general is very appealing to me and I don't think there are too many artists out there that can convey their thoughts as well as he does. This a completely uncompromising piece of art in my opinion.

Ok, first of all, what a title. Apart from being impressively animated as a standalone nominal sentence, you can spot some underlying messages with the Scallops reference as well. That being said, I'd rather not go down this rabbit hole and concentrate on the music instead. Milo is a well known name by now, this is the second release under his new alias, R.A.P. Ferreira. I had listened to the first one, Purple Moonlight Pages, multiple times when it came out about a year ago. Despite not being blown away by it, it was an interesting and challenging record at the very least, so I intended to keep an eye on his future attempts. The reason I didn't was that it happened to coincide with the tragic news of DOOM's passing, which was an awkward, painful to be precise, set of circumstances and I really wasn't in the mood for this. Now, he is far from a copycat and one has to admit that he draws inspiration from various artists, while adding his own personality to it, but if there's one thing his work -not necessarily as Milo, but for sure under this alias- instantly reminds you it's Madvillain, you can't deny his massive influence on R.A.P. Ferreira. You might argue this is a dumb reasoning, but it is what it is. Then, I somehow forgot about it. A good four months later, it was about time. So, what's going on here? Well, the production is far and away its biggest selling point. It is a fine and worthy successor of the underground/experimental style that gained momentum during the late 90's/ early 00's and has proved multiple times since then that it's here to stay. The trademark jazzy background isn't really a background here, it assumes just as much of a central role as rap does. The rapping is an acquired taste, not your everyday stuff, I can't say it's my thing either, there were moments he reminded me of some of Aesop Rock's annoying tendencies, who is of course a fantastic producer, no doubt about it, looking up to him and having him act as a creative awakening in that department is great and this album is a good enough proof of that (his influence on the production is instantly recognisable), but his rapping can leave a lot to be desired, as is the case with R.A.P. Ferreira. To be fair, I think there was a slight improvement in the year that intervened between the two albums, he was a bit more willing to shake things up in this one. Another factor that can be mildly off-putting are the spoken word parts. On general principle, there are many "conversational" rappers that I more than like, but I think this particular style doesn't fit that well with the direction of the production. For example, it can work much better in a hardcore environment, when the two can aspects can form a contrast and keep things lively and unpredictable, here it was a bit too much on the smooth/relaxed side. When it comes to lyrics, it’s the never ending debate: can good lyrics save a rapper who fails to deliver or simply suffers from lack of charisma? The answer is negative more often than not. Comparing it with his previous album, there is not much that separates them, it's more or less a second part. If anything, I'd say his newest album takes his jazz and spoken word antics (some people consider this word extremely negative, I don't mean it that way, more in the sense of being out of the norm) one step further.

"Bob's Son" feels like a slow night at a poetry slam. R.A.P. Ferreira raps in off kilter style over cut jazz samples in a way that just doesn't fit. The flow often feels out of sync with the beats themselves, beginning when it should be ending. The lyrics themselves definitely display a strong vocabulary. Strange obscure phrases and words will be weaved in to mixed effect. The biggest problem is it doesn't really make any profound point. Most of the diction is surface level rather than indicative of a greater point. The spirit is there but not the meat of any real discussion.

From Keatownrodriguez 01/28/2021 17:16

A really fun sonic trip but It's not insanely memorable. However, I did find myself saying "you are listening to bob's son, go bob's son" and other similar phrases a lot after a few listens.

From pjohnsongolf 01/12/2021 21:28

Somehow it seems I am in the minority for enjoying this album a lot. This is an incredible abstract hip-hop album with some really unique beats and very slick word play. R.A.P. Ferreira is a poet and it shows with some incredible bars that make you think. At first this album didn't do much for me but the more I listened and paid attention to the lyrics this album as grown on me a lot.

Favorite Tracks: Yamships, Flaxseed , Redguard Snipers , The Cough Bomber's Return

From Mercury 01/12/2021 00:34

75-85/100 (For me, this was quite new and very intriguing. a high quality album methinks)

This is my first time hearing anything by R.A.P. Ferreira, including when he was known as Milo. Maybe I shoulda gotten on his 2019 album (I heard its really good).

But considering this is a completely blind, fresh listen, I'll say what I thought.

The intro is a bit funny at first but quickly wears out its welcome. After that first statement of sorts, the album flows with a nonchalant, effortless quirkiness which I generally really like. Some of the raps which I think are supposed to give off an aura of just easy brilliance, natural and off hand poetry, feel flat and a bit like they could have used a bit more working over to make the raps actually, you know, good and finished and creative. Sometimes these types of "off the top of my head" rhymes work really well with the sleepy, relaxed production though. Its a mixed bag.

"redguard snipers" is awesome! Not sure what it is exactly, but the way the vocals and beat work together and play off each other is sublime. The last half of "Sips of Ripple Wine" is mesmerizing. The beat in "Bobby's Digital Little Wings" is so fucking strange! In the best way. Its strange in a kind of mind-bending and expanding way. Its sleepy and relaxed, but the notes come in so sharply they seem to counteract the mellowness of it. Its great.

All in all the production of this album seems to be the best kind of zigzagging, effortless and whimsical. And the way Ferreira plays with the tracks and kinda weaves in with it or comments on seemingly random poetic ramblings in a really refreshing and engaging way is great. I never felt fully familiar with the music, but I was also never uncomfortable or anything less than relaxed. Its was really a very pleasant experience and maybe the first album of the year I really was surprised by.

From ledaero 01/04/2021 19:32

R.A.P. Ferreira is out here making some incredible art, creating work passionately for himself regardless of who listens. Make sure to go to the cafe for the full VR experience of the album, amazing and innovative project. https://cafe.rubyyacht.com

From spigelwii 01/03/2021 14:38

As a not-even-casual-listener of rap, I was hesitant to spend any real time giving Bob's Son a fair chance...but once I started listening I was really impressed straight through. This is seriously intelligent stuff that deserves the full attention of any self-respecting music fan. It's more than just a beat and some rhymes; the album explains some really interesting themes that deserve additional consideration.