After dropping his first full album in four years earlier this year, Sunderland’s E-Mence is back with a new tongue in cheek mixtape that shows a different side to the 20-year-old emcee.
‘Adventures of the Potty Mouthed Pothead’ was released on 4/20 (that weed day thing, if you’re not down with the kids) with all the seriousness of a badly drawn penis in a school textbook. It’s immediately clear after one listen that this mixtape is nothing like E-Mence’s darkly gothic comeback album ‘Live Fast, Die Young’. E-Mence is looking to have some fun on this mixtape, he’s left his serious hip-hop Gotham Town behind, for a land of mischief, garish punchlines and fields of green, green g…weed.
In all honesty, despite painting its self as a stoner album, the topic of weed really isn’t in focus all that often across the tape’s seven tracks and the tone of the album is far from laidback – E-Mence is the least chill stoner ever – “You try to take my splif, I’ll snap your spine and break your ribs, I’ll pass it to the side so that the maddest guys can take a hit”
That last lyric comes from one of the standout cuts from the project: “I Don’t Really Know”; the track encompasses E-Mence’s unique style in a four-minute nutshell: he’s in his element spitting violent shock rap bars laced with witty punchlines that leave you with a smirk on your face, occasionally shifting his pace up to top gear and really showing you some lyrical acrobatics.
“Who Are You” features guest verses from “Mic Ashley” rapper Max Gavins and E-Mence’s fellow Wearside partner in crime Listaa. Both Max and Listaa capture the juvenile vibe of the album, coming with comedic lyrics about porn, pizzas, lamas on bedsheets and ‘really loving the earth’.
Shock rap is definitely what E-Mence is best at, he makes lines about extreme violence funny because they’re so over the top that they come across slapstick and his delivery is like that of an experienced comic – but he missed the mark with this next track in my opinion.
“Pass Around” (Ft. Claymore) is a difficult listen, the track is essentially about a group of guys passing around a girl like a joint and having sex with her; the hook goes “you are not a woman, you’re a joint, getting passed around the flat to like every single boy // you are not a woman, you’re a splif, only difference is I hate it when you linger on my lips // you are not a woman, you’re a sket, get the fuck up out my house until we need you here again.” For me, the whole vibe of the song feels a bit sinister – but maybe I’m just being too sensitive, I’ll let you guys judge for yourselves.
On a lighter, yet still sex related topic, E-Mence has taken a leaf out of Lil’ Dicky’s book more than once on this project, regularly referring to the small size of his own penis:
“Never gave two thoughts for the law kid, living with huge balls but a small dick.”
“Nah, fuck that brother I’m a one-inch Grinch.”
“I’m screaming baby please sit up on my lonely dick, you make it grow a bit and I wanna show you the only inch.”
Overall this is a solid little project (is that a dick pun?), E-Mence shows his ability with a mic and a pen is still without doubt in the top 10 from the North East in my opinion. The tape is filled with witty punchlines, over the top imagery and legitimately funny lyrics. Apart from “Pass Around”, this project is an enjoyable listen from start to finish.
by J.Ramsay
RIDE MUSIC 