Whoa Now! It’s Rapper Watsky – All You Can Do

Watsky

Portland – If you had met the acclaimed poet-turned-rapper George Watsky back in high school, you might have expected he’d be the fast-talking chillbro who’d end up painting custom skateboards and performing spoken word at the local college campus. He’s a laidback kind of dude with a sharp wit for compelling wordplay, but the fact that he’s an established name in the alt hip-hop craze is really a testament to genuine nature of his character.

San Francisco-born Watsky began to make a name for himself by winning local poetry slams. In 2010 he found the happy medium between spoken word and straight up rap, as he released his self-titled debut along with a steady trickle of songs throughout the years. The guy’s got a kind of booksmart underachiever vibe that seems ripped right from California’s Silicon Valley: check how he rifts between ball cap-wearing street kid and spiffy pseudo-hipster in proper Bay Area form. This is exactly what makes his new album All You Can Do so good; when most other rappers are too busy playing “The Game,” Watsky is tackling powerful subjects and embracing political enmity. It’s the happy-go-lucky way he goes about it, though, that makes it so special.

So if he seems a little too tailor-made for the next Reese’s Puffs commercial, that’s just because he believes in you so damn much. What does this mean, you ask? Well you’re bound to find some clean-cut fellas rapping about loving the city life and living up to your own expectations in a post-Macklemore world. Watsky earns comparison to his Seattle-based counterpart for good reason: both use real instruments like pianos, strings and horns to create a more inspired sound, and they both tend to speak more than they ride a beat (both dreadful singers as well). Still, his rapid-fire spitting on songs like “Whoa Whoa Whoa” can be better compared to Eminem, if you replace the menacing streets of Detroit with a picturesque California suburb. His flow is clean-cut and always grammatically correct, not to mention devoid of the kind of slang you’d hear on a typical rap album.

It’s more like spoken word poetry than actual rap, but luckily that doesn’t detract from the musical ambitions of All You Can Do. Most songs feature some pleasantly relaxing jazz piano, backed by a live drummer and session guitarist. A female vocalist usually provides the hooks during the chorus, which sounds fresh and inspired more often than not. Sampling is kept to a minimum; occasional songs like “Let’s Get High And Watch Planet Earth” feature snippets of interviews with inspiring figures in Watsky’s life. It can occasionally be distracting, but they help to give the album a sense of personality and cohesion. These are largely personal stories and political views, and while they can sometimes dip into cheesy melodrama, most of the record comes across as genuine and honest.

Watsky Album Art

If I have one complaint about the record, it’s that it’s overly long. Watsky could have trimmed some considerable fat, especially on songs like “My First Stalker” or “Never Let It Die” which definitely overstay their welcome. Still, there are a lot of excellent cuts scattered throughout, like the heartfelt “Sarajevo” or the hot-blooded riot chants of “Bet Against Me.” It’s these treasures that make All You Can Do worth your time. Watsky is a smart and collected rapper, and his thoughtful political commentary will keep your mind satiated as you bob your head along to All You Can Do‘s delightful beats. More than any other rapper, he aims to tackle the world’s problems with a goofy smile and a positive attitude. Because sometimes just giving a shit is all you can do.