Tona & Lyve: Direct Deposit

Toronto has been patiently waiting to jump in the (cess?) pool of hip hop music since Maestro Fresh Wes set the standard of excellence in 1989, spilling his flexible flows all over the breakbeat bliss of “Let Your Backbone Slide.” Twenty years later, Canada STILL hasn’t exactly stamped themselves across the map of rap, not for lack of trying. There has been a few cats who came close to breaking the ignorant listener barrier that has asphyxiated the aspirations of the average Canadian rapper.  A few good men brave enough to carry the Canuck torch/mic have attempted to be the biggest thing to leave Canada since Pamela Anderson’s double D’s (peace to Shad K), from Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal, Buck 65, K-os, Classified and Drake, among many lesser known (but similarly talented) others.  Now, with Drake’s unprecedented co-signing from the planet’s biggest rap star in 2008, Lil Wayne, doors are open that have never been accessible to Canadian MCs before. And Tona is right on time to cash in.

Direct Deposit is a refreshing sonic excursion to the tragic twilight zone that is Toronto, where gifted greats flourish in obscurity for decades before they either give up on rap completely, find another less-fulfilling avenue in the music industry, or persevere in the trenches, holding onto a sliver of hope while spitting a vision of dopeness.  The album is simply a nifty collection of Toronto-centric new millennium boom-bap.  Not too basic, yet not too advanced, Tona balances his strengths with his singular producer, Lyve, and obscures his weaknesses enough to allow him to own your attention across the 12 tracks.

Tona is still establishing his dimensions on the mic, but he’s well on his way to somewhere powerful.  He sounds like a collage of styles from a couple great New York City MCs, but it’s honestly kinda hard to put a finger on exactly who. And that’s a good thing. He’s not biting anyone while trying to get accepted.  If anything, he’s the latest example of GURU truth: “it’s mostly tha voice.”  Tona’s grizzly baritone might be a slight level above Biggie’s, while his presence is close to the space that Redman occupies.  Thankfully, it’s hard to truly compare him to anyone else.  He is the first Tona in rap history.  And although it’s certainly not ‘way out there’ like Kool Keith or Anti-Pop Consortium, he’s familiar enough to enjoy, while still fresh enough to explore.  Hip hop needs more MCs debuting like this.  Many more.

“The Arrival” opens the album up properly, with a hyperactive beat and a flight attendant announcing, well, the arrival of Tona and Lyve.  As introductions go, it’s what it needs to be.  The album rises (ironically, while landing via “The Arrival”) to a steady altitude from there, and rarely dips below dope.

Enjoy the butterscotch smooth voice of IRS producer/vocalist T.R.A.C.K.S., as it pours into the ear with pleasure on “Fast Pace”, where Tona breaks down his modus operandi and his methodology cleverly flipping couplets like “Don’t leave my mark in life, I just engrave that/while y’all speak for shock value, I went and TAZED that.”  Ha. The swirling hurricane of chimes and keyboards anchored to the thumping drumline will attract most heads, before the longest-awaited musician in Canadian history gives us yet another reason to anticipate the global warming that will occur when “Saukrates Season” begins.  Bigg Soxx gets dirty and funky on the mic, doing that fresh-ass linear/abstract flowing he does so very well.  “Welcome to the killing fields where verses are churches/ we either celebrating or putting them in hearses” he offers esoterically, before putting the smack down with yet another one of the best voices in the game, bar none.  It’s god damn criminal how long Toronto (and Canada, and the world) has been waiting for Sauk’s debut. He’s still got it.  And Tona brings it out even more.  (Saukrates, drop that album! Hip hop needs it desperately!  And look at the plush red carpet Drake graciously rolled out for you to enter upon.  How nice of him J )

An observant, futuristic, Curtis Mayfield-y number called ‘Riffah Man’ burns a hole in the conscience with its wise meditations on the pros and cons of being the neighborhood drug dealer.  Tona is smart enough to walk the fine line of perspective, between talking from first-person experience, before switching into observational story-teller mode.  And that’s before him and Lyve go all squirrely on the outro with some intangible reverse sample action that just sounds great.  The accompanying skit about making “something commercial” isn’t really necessary, but it’s also not long enough to annoy.

“Major,” the first single, might be the closest track with impact like the undeniable Don’t Holla EP banger “Dial Tone.” Tona confidently declares independence on the industry, spitting “never on one job/ porn star status: I keep changing positions”, as Tenisha weaves her spell into the refrain.

There are two stars that emerge with Direct Deposit.  As consistent as Tona’s sub-zero cold hearted killer voice consistently remains, one should certainly not neglect Lyve’s diverse collection of contemporary productions.  Like: daaaamn, homie.  These bangers are mostly just disgusting. Some people might argue as to what is more impressive, the beats or the rhymes.  It doesn’t matter when they both are so dope.

“Mynd Made Up” featuring LVD has one of those serpentine string sections that just can’t go wrong in strangling you in satisfaction. I won’t ruin it with over-analysis.  Just listen.  Over.  And over.

“Hold Back” features a chunk of D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie” embedded into the foundation, and it’s a good sound for them to add to the proceedings.  The addition of great Toronto MCs like JD Era and Richie Hennessy aka S. Roc of BrassMunk also makes this project stronger than the sum of its parts, as the long-time chemistry between Scarborough friends is evident from start to finish.  The finish line is a semi-meditative heat-seeking missile called “The Departure,” rounding out the project quite stunningly.

Still, there are a few oddities about this ‘album.’  As his official full length debut, should his biggest song ‘Dial Tone’ be on it? Would’ve been nice, but I guess it is incentive to grab that Don’t Holla EP joint.  Speaking of “EP,” should this really even be considered an “EP?” Aren’t 12 tracks like 2 EP’s?

That’s a minor gripe, but there ARE a few subpar metaphors here and there on the album, if scrutinized with a visual ear.  Also, am I not seeing long-time collaborator and Palestinian chanteuse extraordinaire Ayah on anything?  I think I hear her embellishing the background of a couple of these tracks, but it’s not certain. Meh.  Ultimately, these are minor issues.  Nothing that truly takes away from the dopeness that is this project.  Peace to the hilarious album outro.

Some long awaited change is finally coming to the rap game, and it shall reward you handsomely to pay attention to semi-precious jewels like Tona’s Direct Deposit that are currently being invested into hip hop’s memory bank.

Tona has upped the ante.  So ante up, son.  Scarboro, what?!

78/100

“Mynd Made Up”

“Fast Pace”

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