Anyone familiar with Cunninlynguists 2003 masterpiece, Southernunderground, should be familiar with Mr. SOS’s lyrical prowess and power to turn a phrase. On that album, listeners were also given glimpses of the MCs knack for the conceptual on songs like “Seasons,” “Old School,” and even the doomsday-inspired “Doin Aight.” After amicably parting ways with the group, and after dropping two solo mixtapes and an EP, Mr. SOS finally gives his fans what they’ve been waiting for—a full length album showcasing what the MC is truly capable of: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.
On the album, Mr. SOS lets us know what the future may hold if the state of the world continues in its present ruinous way. Rather than critiquing the world as it is, however, SOS develops his futuristic vision amidst eerie soundscapes and chilling rhymes. In this approach, the album is reminiscent of the futuristic hip hop staple Deltron 3030 on a conceptual level, but the sound and delivery of the concept are entirely different.
Immediately upon hearing the monumental album opener, “Apocalyptic Doomsday,” the listener is transported to a world of hellfire and destruction. By opening the album with the end of the world, Mr. SOS provides a clean slate upon which to built his dystopian vision of the future. Wasting no time after doomsday, the second track, “2013,” begins with SOS repeatedly chanting “start it over again” over a picturesque keyboard loop before he begins constructing his complex post-apocalyptic society in which the rest of the album takes place. It’s clearly no coincidence that the title of the track references the year after doomsayers across cultures have pinpointed the apocalypse, suggesting that perhaps SOS himself sees the apocalypse arriving sooner than later.
The MC continues to develop his dystopian theme over the next three tracks until it’s abruptly interrupted by “Save You,” the obligatory love/sex song on the album. After this point, SOS concerns himself less with the specifics of his created society and more with the larger themes of what this society contains and his (Dr. Strangelove’s) struggle within the society. The climax of the album, the brilliant “What’s MK Ultra,” samples Jefferson Airplane’s seminal “White Rabbit” and chronicles a hallucinatory experience due to the mysterious drug MK Ultra.
The production on How I Learned altogether matches the theme of the album and each backdrop independently draws the listener into the state of mind that Mr. SOS simultaneously produces with his lyrics. This perfect marriage of theme and sound is the hallmark of the album, and it is clear that SOS chose his production roster (which features Tonedeff, Quincey Tones, RickyRaw, Beat Chefs, as well as the rapper himself) as carefully as he chose every word that he spits on the album.
The one problem with the album is the lack of closure which the opening track tacitly promises in its expansiveness. The album begins very strongly and with a specific direction, and although the closer (“Time Capsule”) is an excellent track, it doesn’t answer the question that is “Apocalyptic Doomsday.” That said, there isn’t a weak track on the album, and even if the concept falls a bit short through the latter part of the album, it’s enormous scope and focused sound makes it a must-buy, not only for connoisseurs of conceptual hip hop, but fans of rap music everywhere.
Back in action,
-gilmore