By Mita Tate
Super producers Dan “The Automator” Nakamura (Lovage, Gorillaz) and Prince Paul (De La Soul, Gravediggaz) aka Handsome Boy Modeling School are back. However, it is hard to tell whether White People is a misunderstood masterpiece or a big inside joke. It’s as if they got high one night and made this album and it was hilarious at the time, but when they tried to tell someone who wasn’t there about it, they look the other way in confusion. Except here’s the problem, they didn’t get high one night, it took them months. And they had to involve nearly 30 people.
Some of the people in on this not-so-funny joke include The Mars Volta, Jay-Z, Deftones’ Chino Moreno, Del The Funkee Homosapien, Jack Johnson, Pharrell Williams, Cat Power, Mike Patton, Franz Ferdinand and even “Twin Peak”‘s nightclub chanteuse Julee Cruise and Hall & Oates, among countless others.
“Drop the bomb / Right or wrong / But we’re still living / Turn the page / On a rage / Are you down with it?,” the original nu-metaler and School of Lovage graduate Mike Patton raps on the ridiculously tongue in cheek, “Are You Down With It?” As a matter of fact, no, Mike we’re not down with it. Shut up and get back to work on the new Fantomas album.
The usually incredible Chino Moreno of Deftones comes across like a drunk, tone deaf Robert Smith who just climbed ten flights of stairs on the Bali-tinged, “The Hours.” Sorry Chino, but save it for Team Sleep.
Julee Cruise and Pharrell William’s “Class System” is one of the few highlights and comes across as a trippy, space age ballad. It’s eerie and beautiful and everything the rest of White People should aspire to be.
“Rock ‘n’ Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Part 2” starts off as a homage to hip hop with Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” serving as the backing music. This song is White People’s masterpiece and it knows it. The seven minute track is sadly ruined by a surprise appearance from none other than Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington of everyone’s favorite nu-metal boy band Linkin Park. Let it be noted that Linkin Park has managed to ruin several albums recently and need to realize their 15 minutes are up and go away.
At its best, White People comes off as an all-star homage to hip-hop and rock, but at its worst, it comes across as an inconsistent compilation of hipper than thou artists trying to increase their elite status by appearing on this album. However, little do they know but, the joke’s on them.