Cage “Depart From Me” Review

In hip hop, not liking something always carries with it some imaginary ulterior motive. If you don’t like boring throwback rap, you’re obviously in love with 50 Cent, T-Pain, Lil’ Boosie and all that commercial hip POP. If you don’t like the latest Top-40 hit, you’re obviously some elitist backpacker nerd who hates having fun. And if you don’t like a given artist’s experimental, innovative phase, you’re obviously just too dumb to get what the artist is going for.

So to be clear, Cage’s Depart From Me isn’t underwhelming because it’s so different and out-there; it’s underwhelming despite being so different and out-there. I love the impulse to innovate and re-draw hip hop’s sonic boundaries that defines this album; it’s just that the album is, perhaps appropriately, flawed.

To be fair, Depart From Me does actually feature some pretty compelling production. Mixing hip hop, electronic music and punk, the album pushes the Def Jux sound even further into new territory. Fans of straight-up hip hop might not enjoy it as much as they enjoyed the more traditional production on Cage’s earlier work, but the sound makes sense, for the most part. The crunchy synths, hair-ballad guitars and ghostly snare on “Captain Burnout” make it a definite highlight, and the dynamic “Nothing Left To Say” could stand right next to the most interesting tracks on El-P’s far-superior I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. All in all, the production, courtesy of El-P, Aesop Rock and Cage himself, as well as Hatebreed’s Sean Martin, is a laudable effort to reach outside the box and try something new.

Cage himself, however, is less successful. His voice, a kind of sneering (or whiny), drunken slur, works for the subject matter, but also has the tendency to devolve into a rather distracting affectation, especially on the album’s many cringe-worthy hooks. Cage has said that he was going for bigger, catchier hooks on this album, but those hooks end up being Depart From Me‘s fatal flaw.

The subject matter is also, debatably, a weak point. Songs about addiction, stalkers, child abuse, psychological problems, failed relationships and more could be compelling, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that we’ve been here before. Cage himself has covered some of this ground already. The overwhelming dreariness of the album isn’t a problem because I’d rather Cage make happy-fun-rainbows-and-sunshine music (I don’t think anyone wants that); it’s a problem because writing about how fucked-up you are can only remain interesting for so long. This is a message that applies not only to Cage, but to a million up-and-coming rappers, singers, poets and writers too. Pain and misery will always be fertile ground for artists, but you have to really do something new with them to succeed.

Then again, I may not be this album’s target audience. If Depart From Me is about exorcising demons, someone out there will appreciate it. Also, the key word here is “underwhelming,” not “wack.” Cage is still an imaginative lyricist and ambitious songwriter, and Depart From Me is a worthwhile, if challenging, listen. If you can get past the hooks and the faux-punk rock voice, there’s a lot to appreciate.