Epic / Rob Crooks - Nassau Manor [CD]

After a hip hop hiatus of about 15 years, Prairie rap pioneer Epic returns with his first album of new songs since Aging Is What Friends Do Together in 2008. It's a hip hop team up with rapper-producer Rob Crooks, who produced and recorded most of the album in his Winnipeg, MB apartment in the Nassau Manor apartment complex that also provides the title of the album, with Epic laying down his vocals in a closet padded with a cut-up used cubicle bought at a surplus sale. This DIY aesthetic permeates the album. Those familiar with Epic will be happy to discover that he has retained his blending of absurd braggadocio, politics, very personal memories and nostalgic Canadiana all wrapped in a dry sense of humour and delivered in his unique folk rap flow. Over Rob's jazzy and soulful boom bap beats, Epic raps of sad white rappers on "Sad Rapper Jack", the tricks of the DIY recording method on "Blanket Over the Head Emcee", and reminisces on the good ol' days with "Younger Days", plus he pays homage to fellow Canuck crew Frek Sho with a cover of Ismaila's song "Way Back When", on which the original cut up Epic on the hook. Rob Crooks also drops a solo song with "Saskatchewan", and Kitz Willman makes a guest appearance on "University of Arizona". Nassau Manor is not just the return and re-introduction of Epic, but it's also the first in an upcoming onslaught of albums as he enters into his most prolific period of his music career.