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Sir Menelik - Game Time · by Nikhil P. Yerawadekar
As Rafi noted last week, Rawkus Records as an artistic enterprise is over and they cannot even mention their accomplishments without making it very clear that they haven’t done shit for the past six years or so. And of course, the latter statement also applies to most of the artists that they have been affiliated with. Some, like Pharoahe Monch, had been brilliant, others (Mad Skillz, Bahamadia) were of limited talent to begin with and were merely caught up in the tremendous hype that surrounded the label, but at the turn of the millennium, it seemed like they would all get bigger and bigger indefinitely.
While Sir Menelik’s esoteric and hard-to-follow style of rapping may prevent him from being looked at in the category of Rawkus “could-have-beens,” he will forever share space with the likes of Monch and Common on Rawkus’ excellent 1999 Soundbombing 2 compilation. Menelik is hardly noticeable on the lineup and he gets completely overshadowed by Grand Puba and Sadat X on his own track, “7XL.” While he was unable to steal the spotlight from the much bigger names affilliated with Rawkus, his catalog today, (combining the Enstein Rosen Bridge compilation under his Sir Menelik alias with the Seven Eyes, Seven Horns LP and the Big City Hustlers EP, under his Scaramanga alias), is stronger and certainly more consistent than those of most of his former labelmates.
“Game Time,” most likely from 1998, is an especially notable Sir Menelik track since El Producto, Ex-Rawkus Malcontent #1, made the beat for it (he also produced Menelik’s more high-profile but less nice “Nightwork” off the first Rawkus Soundbombing compilation). The ugly, sample-based sound could easily have worked for Company Flow, which at the time was still an entity. The beat features crispy drums and a sparse, memorable bassline with few other melodic elements, making for a logical background to Menelik’s busy style.
The rhyming is prodigious. Menelik’s content maintains a balance between flossing and nonsensical scientistic vocabulary throughout the song’s two tightly packed verses, and he crystallizes this motif with a hook that is both rhythmically complex and catchy. Like Kool G Rap, Menelik crams in as many slick alliterations and rhymes as he can and delivers his lyrics aggressively, but he also freely slips in and out of conventional phrasing and syntax whenever he wants to, allowing himself to showcase a different flow for every line. The sound is great and the lyrics are inventive and, in their own way, clever. In the places where he is not witty by the standards of prose, he goes to stunning lengths to arrange and deliver his words in a seemingly endless combination of ways to convince us that he is the shit, an iced-out chemistry professor.
Soundbombing 2 is especially interesting now that we know how the careers of Eminem, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Monch, The High & Mighty (lol), El-P, Big Juss, etc. turned out, sprawling into incredibly varied pockets of the recording industry, from the very top to pretty much rock bottom. Since his first appearances, Sir Menelik was destined to remain obscure, as he lacks the vitriol of Company Flow, the politics of Black Star, the accessibility of Dilated Peoples, or the immediate strangeness of Kool Keith, who broke him into the scene. Throughout his repertoire, “Game Time” being a great example, Sir Menelik is simply a master of his own style, one that other emcees would simply have no interest in trying their hands at.
Comments for "Sir Menelik - Game Time"
“some, like Pharoahe Monch, had been brilliant, others (Mad Skillz, Bahamadia) were of limited talent to begin with and were merely caught up in the tremendous hype that surrounded the label”
False. Egregiously so. Bahamadia was not hyped nor is she of limited talent.
— jb Mar 21, 05:39 PM
I dunno man… Bahamadia’s lyrics sound dated even now and I don’t really care for the idea of emcees whispering over beats. Except Ying Yang Twins.
And certainly her affiliation with Rawkus brought her more notoriety than her other releases. Back in these glory days that I’m referring to above, her BB Queen EP got a lot of attention from the indie hip-hop media, on and off the internet— you can’t deny that she got a lot more press than she would have if she didn’t appear on Soundbombing 2 or the Lyricist Lounge comp.
Despite having a style that could never put her in the spotlight, she had a huge opportunity with all that attention toward her scene (conscious/underground hip-hop) and she failed to capitalize with a stronger release.
— Nikhil P. Yerawadekar Mar 21, 06:23 PM
Shams is a Raiders fan. Mind I.C. Mine is a hot jam too. Sort of reminds me of Megalon from the Monsta Island Czars.
— SmoothJimmyApollo Mar 21, 06:47 PM
Let’s get some things clear. 1st Soundbombing comp. dropped in ’97, Bahamadia, who wasn’t featured on it, had ALREADY put out her major label debut (Kollage in ’96 on Capitol). And she got regular rotation on MTV and BET’s rap shows (“True Honey Bunz” and “U Know How We Do”). She was already down with the Roots and the Gang Starr foundation having been featured on the first Jazzmatazz in ’95 and Illadelph Halflife in ’96. How could her career be propelled from Rawkus/Soundbombing hype when it preceded it? And let’s be real, who else from that first Soundboming comp was on BET or MTV at the time?
By the time Bahamadia appeared on the 2nd Soundbombing comp in ’99 she had BEEN put in work. Her skills, her flow were never in question (Gang Starr and The Roots co-signed what everyone else could hear) and her distinctive voice an asset but she was older and not the most conventional looking, which inevitably did her in. Thinking back its amazing that she was able to reach the level of prominence she did in ’96. The landscape has certainly changed.
— jb Mar 21, 08:52 PM
Am I dickhead for thinking aloud that some of my own website-mates, in particular the younger ones, frequently play themselves out with hastily written and overdetermined opinions that rarely take into account the climate and culture of hiphop prior to 2000? No offense Sach, David, and Nikhil, but your youthful caprice has only inensified with the advent of the blog format.
— R.H.S. Mar 21, 09:04 PM
I know, right? Why talk about hip hop on a hip hop site when you could be taking “you’re so white and middle class” cheap shots at well intentioned fans stating their heartfelt albeit at times uneducated opinions. I definitly feel you R, being an anonymous elitist asshole is so much more authentic.
— Abe Beame Mar 21, 09:42 PM
I disagree about Bahamadia having limited talent…she was probably the best female emcee in the game before What What AKA Jean Grae showed up with the Makin’ Records fam.
As far as Sir Menelik AKA Scaramanga Shallah goes, he’s one of the illest (and craziest) and most underrated emcees of the indie hip hop boom era (1997-2000), my joints are “Nightwork”, “Game Time”, Special Efx”, and “Let’s Build For A Sec”. One.
— Dart Adams Mar 21, 10:48 PM
I’m with jb and RHS.
If nothing else, your assessment of Bahamadia’s (and Mad Skillz’s) popularity is plain wrong. Were you watching Rap City then? I don’t even remember her getting any press as a result of Rawkus. The last thing I heard of her was her work with Goodvibe.
— eauhellzgnaw Mar 21, 10:56 PM
Abe Beame,
I am not taking swipes at anyone for being white and/or middle class. For the record, Nikhil is neither. And I’m not anonymous, I’ve known these guys for quite some time. I was ribbing them for their tendencies to run with a generalization that could have been edited down to a reasonable opinion. I blame the artificial immediacy of blogging more than any new-jackery, although I admit that when they post opinions that seem to lack a broader perspective, it is a bit cringeworthy, especially when they are almost as quickly called out for it. Just tough love from a fellow writer.
Now as far as anonymity … who the fuck are you, might I ask?
— R.H.S. Mar 21, 10:59 PM
My lack of interest in Bahamadia’s career is based on the fact that I haven’t liked a single appearance of hers. I shouldn’t have included her name in the post, but I’m particularly annoyed at myself for acting like something didn’t exist because I didn’t know about it and filling in the blanks myself. I’m not nearly as interested in historical type stuff as I am in interpretation so I shouldn’t even be getting into it.
Still though, I think her style is gimmicky and annoying, and that is based on hearing her on the Guru record, the Roots record, the Rawkus shit, BB Queen and on Erykah Badu’s Worldwide Underground EP. I dunno, I think that’s enough.
— Nikhil P. Yerawadekar Mar 21, 11:29 PM
i’m keen on bahamadia as well, but to each his own
— plogo Mar 22, 12:00 AM
Fair enough. I was addressing the specific comment within the larger framework of the mad rapper persona youve assumed throughout the last year or so and ironically enough it was written hastily without much thought, speaking to your point. So to address the point itself, while I would never advise against meticulous research, and I think presenting specific work in context and showing it as a progression of style is a great innovation here that will prove to be way ahead of its time, I dont really see the harm in sparking a debate on the merits of Sir Menelick and Bahamadia. (I fuck with neither) In fact, considering the fact were all hip hop fans with 9-5s I think thats kind of the point. Again, I understand credibility and an understandable distaste for the glut of hip hop related bullshit floating around the internet, but would it be better for dude to let the piece languish on his comp for a year and a half until its immaculate? Its a gift and a curse, but personally Id rather see contributed flawed material sparking the varied and informative debate above then arm chair hating.
— Abe Beame Mar 22, 12:11 AM
RHS has no street cred. He doesn’t bust his guns. He’s not in the streets. Let’s see album sales and then we’ll talk.
Seriously though, makes sense that younger and more exuberant posters would be…more exuberant and less likely to enshrine the 88-98 era as their sole reference point. While I’m not averse to becoming more cautious I think there’s a certain bitterness to you that I’m not necessarily keen on emulating Rog. Got nothing against it, but it’s not me. Hopefully most of the time I hit a spot somewhere between wide eyed backpacking idealist and total cynic, if not for the audience than at least for my own enjoyment of the music.
Anyways I think the site works best when a bunch of us post and there’s a variety of viewpoints.
And incidentally, no one around here really catches feelings over these comments. Or at least I don’t.
— Sach Mar 22, 01:00 AM
Thanks to my limited exposure to hip hop (living in Saudi Arabia) I’ve never heard of this artist.
I’m tickled he shares my first name :) He’s got a really tight flow, please tell me he’s working on a new album.
— Menelik Seth Mar 22, 01:08 AM
“So to address the point itself, while I would never advise against meticulous research, and I think presenting specific work in context and showing it as a progression of style is a great innovation here that will prove to be way ahead of its time..”
If publishing unedited articles and unresearched opinions is ahead of its time, then journalism is moving backwards. You know that, even on a blog, it is possible to make sure that your points make sense, right?
— mothership Mar 22, 10:21 AM
Menelick was also really impressive on the cuts he did with Kool Keith — I’m thinking mostly of Dr. Octagon album — I remember thinking he outshines Keith on those tracks — can’t remember the song, but that “slice head halves” verse was fat, if you know what I’m talking about…
— jamie radford Mar 22, 11:52 AM
get your stuffy notions about journalism off our reckless blog.
yes you will continue to find unedited opinion pieces in this blog.
that’s what the blog is for. and hey an editing mechanism is built in…
and that would be you the commenters who can question or challenge those opinions.
good post, good points by commenters and good song.
— Rafi Mar 22, 01:28 PM
“Still though, I think her style is gimmicky and annoying, and that is based on hearing her on the Guru record, the Roots record, the Rawkus shit, BB Queen and on Erykah Badu’s Worldwide Underground EP. I dunno, I think that’s enough.”
You heard everything except the good sh*t. You gotta check Kollage for the real scoop.
— Open Mike Eagle Mar 22, 01:49 PM
Anybody want to post Kollage?
— Nikhil P. Yerawadekar Mar 22, 03:00 PM
“the larger framework of the mad rapper persona youve assumed throughout the last year or so”
OH! THAT larger framework! Duh! You should’ve said so sooner.
— R.H.S. Mar 22, 03:49 PM
“Hopefully most of the time I hit a spot somewhere between wide eyed backpacking idealist and total cynic”
I don’t think it exactly qualifies as total cynicism when I expect a writer who goes out of his way to discredit the career of a rapper who hasn’t put out music in many years to have actually heard her only full-length album.
— R.H.S. Mar 22, 03:51 PM
Oh Word “Others” Cage Match this Friday. Book your tickets early!
— Robbie Mar 22, 04:04 PM
I believe I have the Kollage CD at home (originally I had the tape and its probably still in my bedroom in Seattle). Let’s hope its not scratched. I’ll try and upload it later.
— jb Mar 22, 05:32 PM
Hey RHS, Bahamadia has been putting out quite a bit of music in the past few years:
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Bahamadia
And regardless, I’m not obligated to have listened to Kollage in order to dislike her as an artist. If you hear something you don’t like, are you going to want to spend time going through that artist’s discography in order to justify your opinion, or to make sure it’s valid?
Hip-hop is full of guest appearances, mixtapes and singles that aren’t attached to albums, and as I already stated, I’ve listened to a healthy amount of her shit. I don’t think your point is very strong…
— Nikhil P. Yerawadekar Mar 22, 08:51 PM
It is incredibly wonderful that a half-sentence throwaway mention of another mc has taken over the comments section from the cat who the post was actually about.
— SmoothJimmyApollo Mar 23, 02:49 AM
SJA,
From margin to center.
Nikhil,
I said I’d upload some of Kollage but instead I just ended up doing a post on my site on Bahamadia.
— jb Mar 23, 10:42 AM
Pharoahe Monch is of limited talent? Sorry, but your brain has been crack attacked. Monch is the best MC to ever work for Rawkus. (Not saying much, but still…)
— gary Mar 24, 07:10 PM
“Some, like Pharoahe Monch, had been brilliant, others (Mad Skillz, Bahamadia) were of limited talent to begin with…”
Shit. I read that wrong. Whoops!
— gary Mar 24, 07:17 PM
Seriously though, how high do the rest of you hold Phraohe? The more I listen to him, the more I of think of him as the MC Jay-Z wishes he could be.
— gary Mar 24, 07:26 PM
Youngin’s, thinking BET or MTV mattered. That was only for middle America -aka everywhere outside of New York. Like it or not that was the truth. (Ain’t anymore and thats a shame) Can’t rate someones success or career based on those criteria. Just because it got play doesn’t mean it was worthy.
— zebrok Dec 28, 04:38 AM
It’s official! You boy Sir Menelik aka Scaramanga aka Chewbacca uncircumcised has hung up his mic! He gave hip hop to pursue other options. Is This a bad choice? Holla at you boy. I think ya man needs some incentive!
— Dizzle Dec 28, 06:07 PM
Still though, I think her style is gimmicky and annoying, and that is based on hearing her on the Guru record, the Roots record, the Rawkus shit, BB Queen and on Erykah Badu’s Worldwide Underground EP. I dunno, I think that’s enough.
— H. Guide Feb 18, 05:28 AM