Omni returns to the game with Ballyhoo
Omni enlists Fatlip and Myka9 on his third release, Ballyhoo, with mixed results.
Published Jan. 27, 2006
Every once in a while, an artist emerges who forces a person to reconsider how he or she views a genre of music. With his third release, Ballyhoo, underground rapper Omni aims to do just that. Omni dispels all the preconceived notions of musical boundaries and defines them on his own terms.
As a member of the mid-'90s hip-hop group, B.L.X., Omni debuted on the group's sophomore release Sunch Punch. Funkdafied Freddy launched Omni's solo career, which includes 2003's Burgundy Brown, as well as a collaboration album with DJ Quietstorm and a project with famed trip-hopper, Tricky.
With the opening track "Back At It," Omni's aspiration to make his mark on the hip-hop scene is audible in the way he attacks the opening verse with tenacity.
The opening track's driving beat and digital shaker display a dreamy instrumentation that is present throughout the entire album.
Fatlip, from Pharcyde fame, makes an appearance on "Feel How I Feel."
The laidback beat accompanied by a looped organ act as simple, yet satisfying groundwork for the verse and the head-bobbing chorus.
With songs such as the sitar-injected "Cheeba Remix" and the smooth flowing "Never," Omni continues to display not only his lyrical ability, but also his songwriting promise. On "Daily Hustle," Omni spits in a rapid, machine-gun flow, "Do exactly as instructed/my superpowers hypnotic/stronger than any narcotic." For a second, you believe him.
Ballyhoo is plagued by a handful of weak songs that debilitate the album, however ambitious it is. Songs such as "Coca Cola" and "Smoke With Me" contain weightless choruses and lack the memorable rhymes found throughout the album's other tracks.
"Keep It Cool," which features Jefferson DeJesus, is a hip-hop love ballad that has Omni abandoning his typical rapping style and adopting a slow, restrictive approach. Standing alone, "Keep It Cool" is a satisfying listen but within Ballyhoo, it's unsuitable and seems forced and contrived.
On "City 2 City" Omni lays down the best rhymes on the entire album, alongside a quick, skipping beat and irregular loop.
But the chorus diminishes the entire song, with Omni listing "shout outs" to cities (most likely a gimmick intended for his live shows). Omni chants "D.C. what?/Philly what?/LA what?" in the goofy, unsuited chorus.
Accomplished underground rappers and hip-hoppers such as Aesop Rock and Buck 65 rely on unique articulation and incomparable delivery, and Mos Def is regarded as one of the premier wordsmiths and lyricists.
What made these artists successful was their ability to recognize the potential of the genre and utilize it.
With Ballyhoo, Omni makes it clear that he has the potential to become a major force in the underground hip-hop world.
He hasn't discovered how to communicate his full capabilities, however, and Ballyhoo ends up being a seemingly mediocre effort.
In "Trade Mark," Omni assures us, "I exert/my best work hasn't been written." With some honing of his skills, Omni could emerge as a prominent underground hip-hop MC.
