Can I Rap for You by Queens’ emcee, Thought Provokah is a concept album which uses the life of a subway station beggar as a metaphor for the struggle of an artist attempting to gain an audience in the social media and streaming era.
This album brings to mind two of my personal favorite albums, and all-time classics, Will Rap for Food by CunninLynguists, and Disposable Arts by Masta Ace. Conceptually, this album is a hybrid of those two themes set in the streaming era. Musically, producer, duMB-o, out of Eichenau, Germany, provides a smooth, jazzy, boom-bap soundtrack as Thought Provokah lyrically guides the audience through the script of the movie.
The whole album is worth a complete listen through, but a couple of standouts on the album include the title track, “Can I Rap for You” and “Almost Gave Up The Pen,” both of which can be heard on our playlist, Fresh Kicks: Boom Bap.
Thought Provokah’s Can I Rap for You is now available on Spotify, Bandcamp, and all streaming platforms!
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