Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of.
Week of 08/29/2014
WHO: Slaine
WHAT: King of Everything Else
SPOT: 189
Boston has been unusually infertile when it comes to churning out notable hip-hop performers, especially when compared to the rest of the major metropolises down the East Coast. Still, Slaine has stayed steady and built up at least a modest career for himself, even if his most recognizable feat has been his role in the film Gone Baby Gone (he played drug pusher Bubba Rogowski).
Although having recently declared himself more dedicated to group work with La Coka Nostra and Special Teamz, the emcee has at least two solo albums laid out for 2014. The first, The King of Everything Else, demonstrates that Slaine has at least enough respect in the rap game to keep his career going even if you haven't heard of him yet. Notable guest appearances include Tech N9ne and Madchild (both of which appear on the album's headlining track "Bobby Be Real"), and Slaine catches some assistance from collabo associates Ill Bill and Jaysaun.
The emcee keeps it real for the most part, a series of reflections on life outside of the spotlight, similar to the themes popularized by Atmosphere in Minneapolis, although Slaine does so with more drug slinging. Although his raps might promote similar hustle-based themes like more mainstream rappers, he doesn't go as far as to pretend he's made a life off of it. That's a positive...the last thing he needs is to put on airs, and the last thing he needs to do to get big is to tell the same farce we've heard so many times before.
