Album Review
Playboy Tre has been toiling in Atlanta's rap underground for nearly 10 years, and unless you are following one of the handful of regional-rap blogs that are championing him, you've probably never heard his name before. He spent some time running with the Youngbloodz and recorded an album with one-time Lil Jon signee Bohagon that was never released, but these days he mostly pays the bills selling hooks to more-successful rappers (T.I.'s "Slide Show", for example) alongside his also-way-more-famous compatriot Bobby Ray (aka B.o.B.). His long list of setbacks seems to have both humbled and focused him, however, and over the past year, he has released two increasingly ambitious and introspective full-length mixtapes full of all-original beats that grapple honestly and engagingly with his growing despair and frustration. Last year's Goodbye America was a bitter farewell to a country that had done nothing for him, while Liquor Store Mascot is an even more personal affair, detailing his struggles with alcohol. His frivolous rap name is a remnant of his more carefree youth, and it feels like a misnomer now; he can be hilarious, but Playboy Tre is emphatically not playing. On "Before I Go", he lays it all on the table: "I'm the man behind the raps, but I'm way older than your average/ Fuck, I'm in my thirties, got a nephew named Josh, another nephew named Dave who I'd kill for any day/ And I don't have kids even though I'm past due/ Said I'd never do abortion, but I did that shit, too."
This kind of disarming candor is what helps make Liquor Store Mascot a memorable tour of the view from Tre's barstool. "I ain't scared to tell the world I'm a drunk, man, cuz this is me," he raps on the title track, the perfectly phrased and delivered chorus of which goes, "You know I do it for the have-nots/ And keep an ice-cold beer like I'm the liquor store mascot." His fondness for booze, and the self-deprecating way he raps it, have led to some Devin the Dude comparisons, which is a fair starting point, but the different between Devin and Playboy is also the difference between a stoner and a drunk; even when he gets dark, Devin never seems more than a beat or two away from dissolving into giggles, where as even when Tre's joking, the tension and buried hurt is audible in his voice. Part of this comes from the Georgia salt of his accent, but it's also in the flatly nasal, sardonic way he wields it: "Lord bless the people at the bottom of the bottle, word to Gil Scott," he raps on "Living in the Bottle", spitting out each syllable through gritted teeth over an interpolation of Heron's "The Bottle". Like all drunks, his recollections are equally funny and sad: "Pop hit that liquor, his attitude would switch up/ Started kicking niggas out, and tell 'em, 'take that ugly bitch with ya'", he remembers later on "Bottle".
Luckily, Tre doesn't devote the whole mixtape rapping about drinking. On "Sideways", he brings the same narrative clarity and immediacy to recounting dead-end meetings with record executives and staying up till 4 a.m. trying to write songs in a bare apartment. On "Oh My Lord Freestyle", he kicks hilariously nasty sex raps and swagger over uptempo gospel clapping. And on the powerfully evocative "Bleachers", he raps with breathless reverence over an echoing "boom-boom clap" beat and a single ghostly keyboard about staying late at school, "in an empty gym, beatin' on bleachers, trying to get my lyrics right." The song captures the simple joy of rhyming so beautifully-- "I got a song that the block 'bout to hear tonight!" he crows at one point-- that it should warm the heart of even the most cantankerous hip-hop nerd.
As mentioned, the mixtape is composed of all original beats, and truly, if Tre can put together a record this appealing and sonically varied for free with no record deal, than no one with even a paltry label budget behind them has the slightest excuse anymore. "Liquor Store Mascot", produced by Phantom, piles Mannie Fresh trumpet fanfares over Shawty Redd-style pizzicato strings; "If This World Was Mine" is a warm chipmunk-soul loop worthy of pre-College Dropout Kanye; and "Livin In the Bottle"'s Gil Scott-Heron sample is lush and seamless enough to recall "Stay Fly". "Everybody's Lookin for Something" even manages to find a fresh angle on the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams". Sure, there is a slightly cheesy song with Bobby Ray about how we are all like robots, really, when you think about it, and yeah, "Remember Me" features a hook sung by who I'm pretty sure is the lead singer of Evanescence, but for the most part, Playboy Tre has managed, with no label support, pu blicist, or backing of any kind, to release one of the most resonant rap albums, independent or not, of the year so far. Raise a glass to the man.
— Jayson Greene, June 23, 2009
Album Player
- Neil Young: The Archives Vol. 1: 1963-1972
- Dirty Projectors: Bitte Orca
- Big Star: # 1 Record / Radio City
- Little Boots: Hands
- Hot Chip: A Bugged Out Mix
- Mos Def: The Ecstatic
- Saint Etienne: Foxbase Alpha / Continental
- Tiny Masters of Today: Skeletons
- Rhett Miller: Rhett Miller
- So Cow: So Cow
- Sonic Youth: The Eternal
- DJ Quik / Kurupt: BlaQKout
- Various Artists: Underwaterpeoples Records Showcase
- Busdriver: Jhelli Beam
- Jonathan Johansson: En Hand I Himlen
- I Was A King: I Was a King
- Sleepy Sun: Embrace
- Gregor Samsa: Over Air
- El-B: The Roots of El-B
- Pocahaunted: Passage
- Tortoise: Beacons of Ancestorship
- The Lemonheads: Varshons
- Alasdair Roberts: Spoils
- So Many Dynamos: The Loud Wars
- The Present: World I See / The Way We Are
- Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer
- Gossip: Music For Men
- Spinnerette: Spinnerette
- Future of the Left: Travels With Myself and Another
- The Paper Chase: Someday This Could All Be Yours
- God Help the Girl: God Help the Girl
- Regina Spektor: Far
- Playboy Tre: Liquor Store Mascot
- Noisettes: Wild Young Hearts
- Larry Jon Wilson: Larry Jon Wilson
- Dinosaur Jr.: Farm
- Patterson Hood: Murdering Oscar (and Other Love Songs)
- Sharon Van Etten: Because I Was in Love
- Deer Tick: Born on Flag Day
- Sholi: Sholi
Recently
Reviews
- Bibio: Ambivalence Avenue
- Various Artists: A Psychedelic Guide to Monsterism Island
- Ganglians: Ganglians / Monster Head Room
- Hello Seahorse!: Bestia
- Land of Kush: Against the Day
Track Reviews
Reviews
- Tortoise: Beacons of Ancestorship
- The Lemonheads: Varshons
- Alasdair Roberts: Spoils
- So Many Dynamos: The Loud Wars
- The Present: World I See / The Way We Are
Track Reviews
News
- Artists React to Michael Jackson's Death
- R.I.P. Michael Jackson
- Benefits: Jeff Tweedy | Robin Pecknold | TVOTR
- Echo Chamber: Morrissey
- Join the Vampire Weekend Tribute Band!
- New Release: Joe Pernice: It Feels So Good...
- Listen: Wale + Peter Bjorn and John
- Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe on Mulcahy Tribute
- Video: Wilco: "You Never Know" (Live on "Conan")
- R.I.P. Seeds Frontman Sky Saxon
Reviews
- Sunset Rubdown: Dragonslayer
- Gossip: Music For Men
- Spinnerette: Spinnerette
- Future of the Left: Travels With Myself and Another
- The Paper Chase: Someday This Could All Be Yours
Track Reviews
Features
News
- Unreleased Jeff Buckley Song in Tearjerker
- Pitchfork on ABC: Kasabian's West Ryder Pauper Lun
- Devendra Banhart Finishes New LP, Leaves XL
- Buy Billy Corgan Lunch!
- New Release: La Roux: La Roux
- Is This the Flaming Lips Album Cover?
- Pitchfork on ABC: God Help the Girl
- The Roots to Debut New Song on "Late Night"
- Chris Knox Leaves Hospital After Stroke
- Jim James to Release George Harrison Tribute
Reviews
- God Help the Girl: God Help the Girl
- Regina Spektor: Far
- Playboy Tre: Liquor Store Mascot
- Noisettes: Wild Young Hearts
- Larry Jon Wilson: Larry Jon Wilson
Track Reviews
- Air France: "GBG Belongs to Us" [ft. Roos]
- The Binary Marketing Show: "Shape of Your Head"
- The Radio Dept.: "David"
News
- Dirty Projectors in Auto Accident
- Common | Reverie Sound Revue | Octopus Project
- Nick Cave and Warren Ellis Score Sex Trade Doc
- Rhino Releases Factory Records Digital Box
- Jay Bennett's Death: Overdose
- Sunny Day Real Estate Reunite!
- Listen to Archived Primavera Sets on WFMU
- Echo Chamber: Dirty Projectors' Dave Longstreth
- Seniors Interview Fiery Furnaces, Bash Wilco
- Arctic Monkeys Unleash Album Art, Dates
Reviews
- Dinosaur Jr.: Farm
- Patterson Hood: Murdering Oscar (and Other Love Songs)
- Sharon Van Etten: Because I Was in Love
- Deer Tick: Born on Flag Day
- Sholi: Sholi
Track Reviews
Features
News
- Crystal Castles Tangle With Security at Sonar
- Rhino Releases Los Angeles Nuggets Box Set
- Echo Chamber: Death Cab's Chris Walla
- Watch Jack White's New Band Live Right Now!
- A Sunny Day in Glasgow Ready Sophomore LP
- T.V. Eye: June 22-28
- Video: Clipse [ft. Kanye]: "Kinda Like a Big Deal"
- Radiohead/Wilco/Marr Supergroup LP Details
- Wu-Tang Clan Brings Us Chamber Music
- TVOTR's Malone Signs to Anti- for Solo Project
Reviews
- Saint Etienne: Foxbase Alpha / Continental
- Finale: A Pipe Dream and a Promise
- Sir Richard Bishop: The Freak of Araby
- Psapp: The Camel's Back
- Speck Mountain: Some Sweet Relief
Track Reviews
Features
News
- Trent Reznor Logs Back On
- Radiohead's Kid A, Amnesiac, Thief Reissued
- Black Lips + King Khan + BBQ = Almighty Defenders
- Video: Sigur Rós Live on the Interface
- Premiere: Cymbals Eat Guitars: "Tunguska"
- Islands Announce Third Album
- Hear the New Bloc Party Single Here
- Georgia Theatre | Shunda K | Throw Me the Statue
- Clientele Announce New Album Details
- Pitchfork Music Festival Set Times Revealed
Reviews
- Little Boots: Hands
- DJ Quik / Kurupt: BlaQKout
- Black Meteoric Star: Black Meteoric Star
- Ada: Adaptations #1 Mixtape
- Pocahaunted: Passage
Track Reviews
TV
News
- Clark Sabine | Zero 7 | Wheedle's Groove
- Beck Posts First Record Club Cover Song
- Supergrass Dudes Start Band With Nigel Godrich
- Woods Tour With Dungen
- New Blur Music Possible
- Premiere: Polvo: "Beggar's Bowl"
- Hear the Very Best Song With Ezra Koenig
- Broken Social Scene (and Feist!) Play Surprise Gig
- Dead Body Found at Bonnaroo
- Air Announce New Album: Love 2