MUSICAL CHEFS DirtyDurdie. |
Hip-hop duo DirtyDurdie have cooked up one of the freshest releases of the year with their Rhymanese Diner mixtape, out next week at their release party at the Rhino Bar in Newport. Rhody native Dirty Ice and New Bedfid-bred Durdie Furbie (aka Gremlyn) teamed up just over three years ago (both have been slinging rhymes for more than a decade), and have since shared stages with rap icons DJ Premier, Slick Rick, and EPMD.
The Rhymanese concept isn't far removed from what MF Doom presented on his 2004 masterpiece Mm . . Food, where he incorporated food-related metaphors and titles as a unique approach to bestow his bragadoccious bars. DirtyDurdie exude a more playful side on the mic, dating back to their 2009 debut EP The Big Dump and 2010's The Afterfunk (check "Party Floppin"). Their official full-length debut, The House That Hate Built, is slated for release by year's end. And while the fun continues across the Rhymanese Diner mix, DirtyDurdie's wordplay is far from campy, cornball material.
" 'Rhymanese' is the language of rhyme, so the concept behind 'Rhymanese Diner' is to serve you food for thought with the freshest local ingredients," Gremlyn said earlier this week. "The album takes place in a restaurant with customers ordering meals off a menu of our music."
Look no further than "Gourmet Plate" and "Steamed Veggies" for a taste of what this gifted duo is dishing. "This is a very sophisticated flavor" goes the sample, before Dirty Ice strikes with the lines "I'd rather starve than snack on anything processed/It's not even an option in my subconscious" and "I can fix exquisite dishes with limited ingredients and still be delicious/Listen, the Iron Chefs should've had me on their hit list." Durdie Furbie shines on "What's Your Poison," and arguably the tastiest dish on the Rhymanese menu in "Steamed Veggies," where he boasts, "Gremlyn's the nightmare you see in your daydreams" behind a solid beat courtesy of DJ/producer Vertygo (Rhymanese was recorded at Chachi's Beat Box Studios in Pawtucket).
Vertygo's beats pay dividends on "Braised PigLatin" and the clever "Who's Broker?," as well as Rhymanese standout "Crème Fresh," where Dirty Ice coolly boasts that he's "flyer than Ricky Steamboat." Dig in.
DIRTYDURDIE + DJ KELLAN + DJ DONNIE BATTLE | Wednesday, June 22 @ 9 pm | Rhino Bar, 337 Thames Street, Newport | 21+ | FREE | 401.846.0707 | dirtydurdie.com
