gmk songs for bloggersApparently rapper GMK wrote this album just for people like me (or maybe you, Dear Reader) who happen to spend a large amount of time surfing through cyberspace on their blog/twitter/facebook/myspace hustles. Songs for Bloggers is a quirky, concept album that spends most of its short 30 minutes bleeping and blipping through the realms of GMK’s “brilliant reality” which, according to the album, seems to be that alternate reality we humans spend so much time existing in these days: the World Wide Web.

Bump-this-sh*t-in-your-ride music, this is not. GMK has made an offbeat hip-hop album that veers into electronic and synth-pop territory. It’s interesting to listen to, if not a tad inaccessible at times for this hip-hop fan’s tastes. The beats are a little Kanye-ish (when he’s on his electro-synth vibe) combined with a tad of Pharrell (when he’s paying proper attention to the mixing boards and not checking his over-sized ego). In fact, the sound generally reminded me of Pharrell’s In My Mind, but with way more competent emceeing.

GMK sounds a little like Lupe Fiasco without the swag that grows naturally from mic/life experience. The cat’s still early in the game though so there’s lots of time for development. Rhyme topics are as follows: video games, cartoons, surfing the internet, and, of course, blogging. The album is broken down into six total tracks, but four of those contain multiple mini-songs/concepts spliced together. The framework of those four tracks is interesting. I was kind of annoyed at first with the structure, but ultimately came to appreciate it. The bits of music mimic the very nature of surfing the internet, with the constant clicking and refreshing. Props to GMK for capturing that vibe in the album’s format.

My favorite/least-favorite track is one of those conceptual bits called “Japanese Whislte” (as it’s spelled on the iTunes track listing — I presume it should be “Whistle”). On this song, GMK raps about an online romance with a shorty from Japan. It’s funny because of how ignorant it is. He wants her to make him sushi, compliments her on her Hello Kitty dolls, and asks if she will be his “geisha.” Familiar territory for freaky Asian fetishists certainly, but it’s mostly cute and relatively harmless musings on a song by a dude who maybe has never been to Japan. Here’s hoping GMK makes a trip someday.

Pick this album up on iTunes for only $5.94. It’s probably worth it if you want something different to charm your ears with for a while. Otherwise, sample his music on Myspace and decide if you’re ready to invest in a young rapper just starting to find his way through cyberspace.

More GMK:

Here’s an offbeat road-trip with an offbeat emcee. GMK and Sound Magazine take a trip to an animal farm somewhere on the peninsula. I’m not even kidding…

<object width=”400″ height=”270″><param name=”allowfullscreen” value=”true” /><param name=”allowscriptaccess” value=”always” /><param name=”movie” value=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5065031&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1&#8243; /><embed src=”http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5065031&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1&#8243; type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” allowfullscreen=”true” allowscriptaccess=”always” width=”400″ height=”270″></embed></object><p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/5065031″>GMK on the road with Sound Magazine</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user848282″>GMK</a&gt; on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

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Aaaarrggh! I’m so fed-up with embed codes that don’t work (White Whine, anyone?). Check the video here.

3 comments

  1. I have an interview & show review coming up with GMK next week. He is very intelligent and very well spoken. Ill let you know when it drops.

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