by
Yo Majesty
- Record Label: Domino
- Release Date: Oct 7, 2008
- Critic score
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- By date
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The album is over-long, too, and a few songs less would have made it a leaner, meaner, more KAPOW-ing beast. All that said, when Jwl and Shunda’s flabbergasting spit is on form, it’s as compelling as a new, untired voice in rap always is.
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The craziest moment on this debut LP is 'Fucked Up,' where they beg to have their pussies eaten one second, their teeth smashed the next.
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Futuristicaly Speaking is by no means a perfect album, at times it seems overlong and in places too similar in tone, but it is a solid album that should see Yo Majesty making quite an impression.
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No one tunes in to hear Yo Majesty wax on a provocative level, and they're wise to this. Dancefloor fun is the cornerstone of the record, and the primary lesson to be learned is that there's nothing wrong with grindin' and shakin'.
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They succeeded admirably on a pair of sexually frank EPs in 2006 and earlier this year, and they're back for more on their full-length debut.
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The WireIt's a rich mix, and though parts of this album consists of pumped-up club anthems, plus the notorious, raw, 'Club Action,' from thier debut "Yo EP," there is enough grit in the polish to keep it interesting. [Oct 2008, p.66]
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Consistency is not Yo Majesty’s strong suit, and Futuristically suffers from an uneven and unfocused approach. Despite this there is plenty to enjoy here.
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They are, on this startling debut, X-rated, terrifying and funny, not least on brutal opener 'Fucked Up,' which has the girls slashing tyres and asking to be hit in the face--all in the name of a skewed love affair.
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UncutSo while it's hard to quote a single memorable line, Yo Majesty's attitude is infectious. [Oct 2008, p.94]
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Despite the fact that the album is largely a deconstruction of masculinity vs. feminity, Yo Majesty isn’t afraid to tone the sex down to hop on the progressive tip. 'Never Be Afraid' displays the cosmic gospel of Jwl B. However, this retreat into tamer territory isn’t indicative of weakness; chalk it up to what is actually a significantly well-rounded and versitile rap duo.
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Q MagazineArctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand's label is an unlikely home for these militant lesbian rappers who screech sex-filled rhymes over tough, minimal beats, although thheir punky energy should appeal to Messrs Turner and Kapranos. [Oct 2008, p.152]
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You can add this record to the pile of fun, entertaining albums that is sure to get people moving at any party, although it offers little else.
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This final tension--between the desire to exceed perceived aesthetic limits and the reality of the artists’ own limitations--is one that is present throughout Futuristically Speaking. Jwl B and Shunda K are, as of now, stronger conceptually than they are in execution.
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The music supplied by producers Hardfeelings UK, Basement Jaxx, and others is serviceable at worst and at times pretty great, but much of the subject matter that gets lost among flailing arms and flapping breasts during live shows is exposed as boring, cliché, and/or lame over the course of the album's 55 minutes.
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Overlong and oversexed, Futuristically Speaking... stumbles where you will it to stride; something surprisingly staid and mediocre from extraordinary circumstances.
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Under The RadarClever lyrical barbs aside, far too much of the album is the kind of sexed up party fare that grows tiresome on repeated listens. [Fall 2008, p.88]
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A lot of these songs will have people bouncing off club walls with the rhythmic shifts and frenzied beats that merge electro with crunk and house. But this adds up to nothing more than party music with a bit of attitude and sex-obsessed defiance.