Don’t sleep on this latest album from Wordburglar. It was released on June 29th this year. I wasn’t familiar with Wordburglar prior to hearing this project, but I was really intrigued by his stage name as well as the cover art for this album. The list of collaborators made me even more interested in checking it out than I originally was too. Once I heard the first track, I knew I had to share this with y’all.
The opening track is called Verse Things First, and it’s pretty fucking awesome. Burg’s rhymes are super dense and really impressive. He rhymed his ass off on this track honestly.
If you lookin' for mad rhymes, I might know a few
It's tough to put in words, so I do
Hello to you, if this sounds like your style
I hope you stick around, I'll make it worth your while
Now thank whoever told you, go buy him a cold brew
While I show you more than the home view on your Roku
Beaucoup dope crew, haters are so cute
Yo, dude, you're like a kitten in a snowsuit
Oh shoot! First things first out the vocal booth
Overflowin' smooth like a bloke who broke the Yogen Früz
Machine, what I mean, I'm lean with the frozen scoops
Move so many heads whole crews sue for shoulder bruise
He’s an incredibly technical MC, which I appreciate. I love the hard-hitting percussion too. The beat from Beatmason is really tight, and I love the scratches from More or Les at the end of the song. This was a great way to open up the album. It had me pretty excited to hear the rest of the record. I think it’s a great intro. It’s dope as hell. The next highlight for me is called Wordburglair.
If you can’t tell, it’s a portmanteau of “Wordburglar” and “lair.” This track is produced by Buck 65, and it has a really mystical aesthetic. I think it’s a pretty dope beat, but not every rapper would sound good over it. Burg used it well though.
Somewhere deep within a hidden melodramatic location
Contains spoils of an enigmatic vocation
Bodacious state of the art facilities
Uh, not really, but a good place to chill in peace
And keep unique memorabilia items
With parking for vehicles and figures that drive them
It's where I go when I'm looking for answers
Like, why do I still have all these lanyards?
I really love the hook on this track too. That’s one thing I noticed about this project; a lot of the hooks are surprisingly great. Usually rappers who emphasize technical ability kinda get lost in the sauce when it comes to actual songwriting ability, but that’s not the case here at all. Anyway, the next track that I want to highlight is entitled My Favourite Artist. It’s the shortest song on the album, but it doesn’t feel incomplete at all because it’s got a very specific concept. The storytelling on this track is super well done. It’s basically a “never meet your heroes” story about how Wordburglar’s favorite artist is a dickhead. It’s pretty entertaining. I think the production from Milk Plus is pretty cool. It’s not amazing or anything, but it does a good job of being enjoyable without making it hard to focus on Wordburglar’s rhymes. It’s a pretty nice backdrop for the story. I really love this track. It’s dope as hell. It’s followed by another highlight entitled Sega Was Bad, which features Mega Ran.
The concept behind this track is all about how Sega used to be super edgy in comparison with Nintendo, which was more family friendly. I love the kind of Electronic-sounding production from Beatmason, as well as the scratches from More or Les. The verse from Mega Ran was of course very good. It wouldn’t have felt right without him just because he’s so ingrained in Nerdcore & Chip Hop. The main reason this song stands out from the rest of the album is because of the production though. I think the beat is really damn good. The song’s dope as hell. Track 12 is called Accomplisteners. This one is another portmanteau of the words “accomplice” and “listeners.” It’s all about how his listeners are accomplices when he’s burgling words. I really love the production on this track from DK, as well as the cuts from DJ Irate. One thing that I noticed while listening to this track is that Wordburglar’s flow and approach to rhyming actually reminds me a lot of old school Atmosphere. I can definitely hear Slug killing this beat too. As you all know, I’m a huge fan of Atmosphere, especially the pre-Lemons phase of their career, so I mean that comparison as a compliment.
They say people don't know what you do 'til you stop doin' it
So I just assumed no one would ever hear my music
Except the truth is that you and a select few did
And if that's you, kid, I'm shootin' love like cupid
But don't be stupid, if my jams get better
It's your fault too, we're in this together
Am I guilty of being Wordburglar? Sure
But if you're hearing this, you're an accomplistener
The song is dope as hell. The last track I wanna talk about is the penultimate song, No ETA.
This is my favorite track on the album. The production from Fresh Kils is glorious, and I love the sung hook. The song features an artist named Rich Aucoin, who I assume sang the hook. I feel like this song would go crazy live. I can just imagine the whole crowd singing along with the hook a cappella. Of course both of the verses on this track are great. He rhymed his ass off, as always. There’s really nothing about this track that I don’t love. It’s honestly another one of my favorite songs of the year. I think it’s dope af.
This album is pretty great. There’s not a single track on it that I don’t like. I think this was a pretty great introduction to Wordburglar. I was honestly sold after hearing the first track. Burg is super technical with the rhymes without coming off like a lyrical miracle. All of the features came through with dope performances as well, and the production is nice too. The song concepts are also pretty intriguing. I honestly don’t really have any consistent gripes with this album. I mean, certain beats were less remarkable than others, but none of them stood out in a bad way. I wouldn’t say the production is the main appeal of this record, but it’s definitely enjoyable. Even the hooks were surprisingly enjoyable. Honestly, if you’re into Nerdcore music I’d say this is a must-listen album for 2022. Do not sleep on this one. It’s really dope.
Favorite Song: No ETA
Least Favorite Song: Lenny Boutilier
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