Canibus is quite possibly the greatest existing example of a niche artist. He debuted as an over-hyped disappointment who many wrote off as a one hit-wonder. Soon, he was a low-profile emcee who attracted what seemed to be unprovoked beef with hip-hop giants like LL and Eminem. Then, as he embraced his style, Canibus became known as a well-read conscious rapper. Now, after many commercial (but not necessarily critical) failures, Canibus has returned simply as the most lyrically virtuosic written emcee alive. Although For Whom the Beat Tolls is full of flaws and far from a classic, Canibus brings enough of his signature rap grandeur to carry the album to a level of relative notability.

Like the Dennis Miller of hip hop, Canibus enjoys packing loads of obscure references into his rhymes. If you are one to pick apart lyrics (or if the aforementioned comparison to the stand-up comedian confuses you), your best bet is spinning For Whom on your computer; wikipedia ready. Per usual, Canibus alludes to pop-culture, nearly every scientific field (Geography is conducive to Astronomy/ And the study of celestial bodies, biopsy), religion, current events, and literature. The title itself plays off legendary writer Ernest Hemmingway and his Caribbean-born novel, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. Canibus, like Hemmingway, prefers short and to the point sentences with dynamic language. Actually, there really isn’t anything Canibus won’t connect to, nothing he doesn’t rap about. While this has been a strength for his whole career, this release is the first to purposely highlight it.

Among Canibus’s critics, the most consistent gripe has been his inconsistency in the production department. His last album, Hip-Hop 4 Sale, aimed to change that. The result was a poor pop-hop record not good enough for the mainstream… or his fans. One of Canibus’ solutions seems to be fan input. The publicity campaign for For Whom involved a 1000 bar long rap stunt that fans were encouraged to rip and mix: “I’m hooked on hip-hop/ I can’t live without it/ You can mix this song a thousand ways/ I don’t doubt it”. Without a consistent chorus or beat recipe, the next chapters in his “Poet Laureate” series were cut into five 200 bar verses that rhyme when spliced together. Play DJ at poetlaureateinfinity.com. The album’s version of the song doesn’t appear to have all the same versus, but either way… 1000 bars is absolutely ridiculous. Even though most of the metaphors are empty and not every line is memorable, the concept is pure showmanship. It’s pretty much 22 minutes of internal rhymes and nearly constant flow. Yo ‘Bis… you gonna use a karaoke prompter live?

The other tracks on For Whom are of course, also strongly versed by Canibus. The guest spots aren’t worth mentioning. Other problems arise in the hooks and choruses. Two of the best beats (”Dreamzzz” and “Secrets Amongst Cosmonauts”) are ruined by terribly constructed refrains while the promising “Harbringer of Light” tends to grow off you- adding to the long list of “pretty okay” Canibus songs “worth a listen”. As long as fans remember how great 2003’s Rip the Jacker was, and focus on his unique talents, they can keep patiently waiting for him to break out of his niche. Maybe one day Canibus will be a brilliant artist with an appropriately brilliant album.

by Brian Meredith

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