The Needle Drop

Hyperkinesis

Rav- Hyperkinesis EP

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Upstart rapper Rav is a 20-year-old white kid from the UK, and although that description might already be putting some readers off from listening to his music, it's worth mentioning that he probably wouldn't care. Rather than trying to mask his whiteness and his relative immaturity, Rav revels in his hip-hop outsider status, and certainly doesn't try to hide it. His new EP Hyperkinesis finds the young rapper conveying his relationship with the album's titular disorder--which wikipedia calls "a state of overactive restlessness"--occasionally through the lyrics, but mostly in the way the album is structured and sequenced. Rav's zany flow and hyperactive, nearly crazed attitude on tracks like "Nostalgiabot" and the bouncy "Vicodin" definitely have a restless quality to them, while his relatively immature, nihilistic lyrics definitely sound like they're coming from a confused, troubled kid. Occasionally, Rav veers into more serious territory on this EP, such as the self-produced Daisukidesu, but these attempts at conveying maturity come across as slightly less believable.

Despite its interesting pseudo-concept, it's not an incredibly original piece of work. "Kicks" apes Aesop Rock's flow pretty hard, while Rav's vocals on "Void" sound straight out of an early Eminem record. Still, there is something endearingly appealing about Rav's sneering, punkish approach to hip-hop. Thanks to that attitude, and some pretty refreshing samples on tracks like "Vicodin" and "Void," this EP is definitely worth a listen or two. Stream the Hyperkinesis EP above and download it for free via Bandcamp.