Temporary Forever

Album Review

It's clear Busdriver loves the sound of his own voice; his ego is sprayed all over the 18 wildly diverse tracks on Temporary Forever. It's just as clear, however, that his talents are at least as massive as his ego, since the album has so many incredible ideas and catchy riffs that it trumps entire careers by some rappers out there. A bit of a human beatbox, Busdriver is actually closer to an actor or mimic, putting on so many different personas that the album sounds like it features half-a-dozen Wu-Tang Clans. He races a flute loop across "Imaginary Places," scatting his lines along with the melody virtually every time a sample breaks through. He's even playful and humorous on the message tracks, agonizing over his own death in "Gun Control" like Bugs Bunny play-acting in front of Elmer Fudd (which makes sense, since he has at least as many different voices as Mel Blanc). His constant faux-theatrical riffs can wear on subsequent listens, but Temporary Forever introduces one of the most imaginative talents to ever grace the rap world. (Sample lyric: "Go back to Compton you dirty n**ger, we don't sell watermelons here, is what I yell at the white folks on the way to the gun show once a year.")