Reviewed by Kyrby Raine
M.C. Mars/Letz Cabalaborate
When M.C. Mars’ album arrived in our office, there was a mad tumble among staffers for it who mistakenly thought that Dennis Hopper had released a rap record under pseudonym. Yes, if you look at the album cover, Mars does somewhat resemble Hopper. However, he is his own person and possibly one of the most articulate and frank rappers in years.
Mars is unlike any other hip-hop artist on the scene today, at least from what I’ve heard. First of all, let’s start with his age; Mars is in his late 50s; secondly, he’s a cab driver, and his songs originate from real-life incidents on the road. Thirdly, he has HIV, and a couple of tracks, namely “A-I-D-S Is a Manmade Virus,” “Eulogy for Eazy-E,” and “High Inner Vision,” refer to his illness. But that doesn’t mean Letz Cabalaborate is a depressing album. Far from it. This is a CD brimming with life and high energy. Mars pokes fun at rap cliches on “Hip Hop Taxi” and “Cabdriving Is a Video Game” brings a macho outlook to taxi driving.
The genius of Letz Cabalaborate is in Mars’ stories. From the gender-bending shocks of “TV Humor” to the failed hooker hook-up of “Bob the Fertilizer Salesman,” Mars finds humor in the darkest recesses of the human condition.
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