Vandalyzm Megatron Majorz Album Cover

Hailing from St. Louis, Vandalyzm represents that rare artist who is equally capable in the production chair and behind the microphone. It shows on Megatron Majorz, where over half of the eighteen tracks are self-produced. His sound, like his hometown, draws influences from many different regions. “Ol’ Girl,” a dedication to the riper berries, utilizes the old school soul sampling that Kanye made famous from Chicago. “Frontin’,” has that slow, grimy sound of the Dirty South, complete with high hats and synths. Moreover, Vandalyzm isn’t afraid to take chances, with his beats or rhymes. “Charity Case,” creatively turns a Billy Joel sample into sonic crack. Vandalyzm sends a message to those who’ve been utilizing his production skills without showing proper patronage:

Cause I aint really much for the being broke/Bein’ insulted bein’ the butt of your jokes/The game’s unbelievably cutthroat/man i’m bout to cut throats and slash a bitch/turning St. Louis into a slasher flick.

Like many rappers out there, Vandalyzm feels underappreciated. He believes he deserves to break through nationally and be recognized for his talents. Lesser rappers gripes about lack of recognition are tiresome, but the St Louis native handles the subject well by using self-deprecating humor about his situation. An example of this comes from “Trickin’” where he spins a cliched hip-hop chant into a sharp dig at goldiggers.

“Laaaaaaadiees/My Merceeeeedes/doesn’t exist/Now look at all the frowny faces acting all pissed/but chickens dig this/ ya’ll wasn’t gettin’ in even if i had that whip

Such honesty & humor are refreshing in hip-hop, and Vandalyzm portrays himself in this vain throughout the album. He’s not a criminal mastermind or the newest fearless gangster to idolize. He’s not the savior of hip-hop. He’s a struggling artist working to make it big by making quality music. “Chip,” another self-produced gem, crystallizes this philosophy over a beautiful, soft, string loop that contrasts well with Van’s hard lyrics. “Three The…” featuring Wafeek and Finale, is a killer posse cut that gets your head boppin’. “Hands High,” is a solid hip-hop party track featuring Big Pooh from Little Brother, one of several Justus League collaborations featured on the album.

Hip-hop has been built by young, hungry artists looking to prove themselves over its history. As hip-hop has evolved into big business, hip-hop fans have grown used to production and mixing standards afforded by big labels. This hinders independent artists, including Vandalyzm, Some of the beats on Megatron… do not have the same level of polish. At 18 tracks, the album is too long, perhaps because Vandalyzm is concerned with exposure. On Megatron Majorz, Two “freestyle” tracks “Studio Gangstas” and “Dreams Freestyle” utilize popular samples and belong on mixtapes. His MCing could also use some polish and refinement. His wordplay is impressive, but his flow slips off-beat occasionally, like at the beginning of the third verse on “Charity Case.” Maybe it’s my east-coast ears getting in the way, but he could also stand to work on his enunciation.

These flaws make Megatron Majorz the album before the breakthrough, instead of Van’s big moment. But the potential is definitely there. If he stays hungry and gets a little bit of good fortune, we’ll be hearing more from Vandalyzm as a producer, a rapper, or both. Grab a copy, and hopefully in a few years, you can brag about how early you jumped on him.

For more info, visit www.myspace.com/vandalyzm.