I first heard of Ceschi through Myke C Town's review of his 2015 album, Broken Bone Ballads (also support his channel, he deserves more recognition). I really enjoyed the New Haven, Connecticut rapper/ singer songwriter's blend of hip hop with guitar balladry, which he pulls off with sizeable skill in both arenas. I spent the last part of 2015 listening to this and Joanna Newsom's Divers almost exclusively, probably to the point where 'One Hundred Dragonflies' is embedded somewhere in my DNA. Following up this record, the man born Julio Francisco Ramos did some touring, released a split with Pat the Bunny, and geared up for the follow up, Sick, Fat Luck, which is every bit as powerful and dark as its predecessor, overflowing with introspection and personal reflection, but executed with even more technical virtuosity, genre hopping and conviction.
This album juggles a lot of very weighty themes, a lot of them pretty consistent within Ceschi's discography: the prison industrial complex, drug addiction and drug dealing, death, aging, the fickleness of the music industry, depression and the facade of happiness, disenchantment with religion, and his Puerto Rican heritage, to name a few. There's a lot going on here, and there are tons of lyrics to unpack on this record, and by tons, I mean TONS. Ceschi is a spitter who uses a lot of double and triple time flows, and I find myself just being amazed at how fast he can rap half the time (on the title track, I swear he's going as fast as a human could possibly rap, and then he speeds up). I hate to make an Eminem comparison here, given where his career currently is, but Ceschi's sheer speed makes 'Rap God' look like it was delivered by Lil Yachty on quaaludes. Plus, Ceschi blends rock and hip hop much more masterfully than Eminem could ever hope to (the lack of Rick Rubin probably helps).
I love some of the bars here, but I really just want to highlight a few. The song 'Take it All Back, Pt. 1-4' begins with the line "on the road again", which is the same opening line from Broken Bone Ballads' 'Forever 33', this time referencing Cormac McCarthy's The Road, as opposed to the previous reference to Kerouac's On the Road. It touches on some conceptual continuity that I rarely hear outside of a Frank Zappa album. Also, his wordplay when making the phrase "Oxycontin Candy" really sticks with you. The production, like his previous record, is entirely provided by Factor Chandelier, is pretty variable, alternating between epic hip hop production; almost psychedelic at times and slightly trap influences at others, to quaint and folky; guitar driven and stripped back, with some sparse instrumental embellishments and little filter between the song and the listener. The record blends these two sounds very well, and manages to do so without sacrificing a consistent mood, which while dark and reflective, also can be hopeful and inspirational.
For those who are disenchanted with the current sound of mainstream hip hop, and want more substance besides the conscious or pseudo conscious artists major labels are willing to support, I'd recommend this album. Ceschi has an interesting story to tell, and his skill as an MC, lyricist and songwriter draws you in and conveys his thoughts and struggle brilliantly. On this very album, he sings about resigning himself to the fact that he'll never blow up, but I can't see why he couldn't. He clearly has more going for him than bores like J. Cole or Logic, and he's not so far left of the dial that his delivery or content is alienating, in fact quite the opposite. I feel like his story, while maybe not relatable to all, is well conveyed and thought provoking, political while not preachy (J. Cole and Logic could learn something), and most importantly, interesting. I feel like this will be one of my favorite hip hop releases of 2019, and if you give it a shot, it might be one of yours as well.
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