Champtown, an OG from the streets of Detroit, is now 52 years old and has made his mark as an MC, producer, DJ, film director AND teacher. This man is not exactly a newbie in the game; he contributed to the rise of icons such as Kid Rock, Insane Clown Posse and none other than Eminem. Back in the early ’90s, he dropped his first EPs ‘Call Me Joker’ and ‘Check It! Then in ’99 came his debut album ’Now or Never N***a! After a solid break, he made a comeback in 2016 with his second album ‘Racial Profilin’ and now he is back with his third EP, produced by none other than Ice-T of Body Count.
The title track of Champtown's new project immediately shows that this veteran is far from retiring. This raprock introduction grabs you by the throat with old school hard rock vibes and politically tinged bars you can't help but agree with. The sound is salt equipped and as dope as the best episodes of South Park. Next you have ‘Burn,’ which continues the raprock groove with a fat nod to “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps, and let's face it, his version is hotter than anything the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion ever did.
Between songs, Champtown brings out his inner dragon breath with the track “Hasbulla,” inspired by the Russian social media sensation. He then turns that same bravado into an alcohol-tinged raprock vibe on “We Dranking.” But Champtown also honors the legends; on “Jumpin’ for Eddie V” you can feel the love for the late Eddie Van Halen, and “My Matrix” takes you on a time travel to the 80s, full of synth-wave and pop-rock vibes.
Mind you, a classic is not missing either. “What Color is Soul?” featuring Chaos Kid and Eminem is finally available to stream on DSP. And to top it all off, there's “W.A.G.D. (We All Gonna Die)” featuring Unko Jozee, in which Champtown sums up all his wisdom in six minutes: in the end, the color of your skin doesn't matter, because we're all going to have our moment with the Reaper, whether you like it or not.
Champtown does it all, just 10 days before his appearance at the 25th annual Gathering of the Juggalos. With his founding of Straight Jacket Records and the rock-rapsounds of the new ‘Rocker at Heart’ EP, he shows he's still innovating nearly four decades deep in the game. It feels like he found inspiration from hip-hop's Rolling Stones, Public Enemy, and his mentor Chuck D. Personally, I give this release a solid 7/10. What do you think, has he made the scene a little saltier again?
#hhz #houhet salt #hiphop #raprock #detroithiphop #champtown
