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Best of Boston 2009

Amadeus the Stampede | House of Broken Mirrors

Leedz/Traffic  (2009)
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  April 14, 2009

090417_Amadeus_m

I've known Amadeus the Stampede for years. The first time we met was at the former Greater Good compound in Jamaica Plain — where co-defendant Jake the Snake resided, and where Amadeus was a couch-riding regular. Even back then I knew, from his short, aggressive banter, that this dude was chemically scrambled, and he's confirmed that prognosis several times since.

But for a shattered MC whose life story reads like Basketball Diaries, Kids, and Requiem combined and set in modern black Boston, the leather-throated hardcore rhyme horse has composed a focused solo debut. Whereas a lot of rappers allege to rhyme for catharsis, Amadeus wrestles demons by the horns. His track list is a prescription for addiction and degeneracy: "Deadly Toxins" with Reks, "Psycho" with Slaine, and "Pig Pen" with Lateb and Skinny are dark enough to bring nightmares.

On the mic, Amadeus is more Golden Era than experimental — think the Game meets Inspectah Deck — but his backdrops are contemporary. The producers on this project — from Matty Trump and J Scrilla to Stubangas and Amadeus himself — deserve props, not just for bringing the synth-soaked party favors but for dealing with a basket case like the Stampede.
Related: Boston's Best City Life 2009, Boston's Best Food and Drink 2009, Boston's Best Arts and Entertainment 2009, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Boston, Inspectah Deck, Matty Trump
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