The etymology of ‘slang’ is hotly debated, but if I had to choose sides, I’d pick Jonathon Green’s theory that ‘slang’ means ‘thrown language’, originating from the Old Norse, ‘slyngva’, meaning, to throw. With this, imagine slang as something which is quite literally thrown into speech whenever the user feels secure to do so. You don’t throw around that which is fragile, you only throw that which you are comfortable with throwing – the language of one’s home. Slang isn’t something new to hip-hop, but reframing it as something thrown into rap as a comfort, an artist’s slang becomes a source of hidden knowledge and personality. Enter Obijuan and YUNGMORPHEUS: the dynamic Caribbean duo blessing us with one of the best albums of the year, SLANG CASINO.

And where’s better to start than the eponymous, ‘SLANGCASINO’. YUNGMORPHEUS is transportive with his production across this record, and the title-track is an exemplary introduction to that sentiment. The drums aren’t complex, but in their simplicity does the refinement lie; buried under vinyl fuzz, giving them a travelled edge that works in tandem with their tinny and rustic sound. A low, ruminating hum of a bassline is plucked with perfection, emphasising the drum-loop idyllically on every fourth beat, but the true bride of the ball is the bright, melodic guitar licks that carry this song along, bouncing and bobbing like a skiff off an archipelago. 

I could bring up some of the imaginative turns of phrase like, “clash champagne flutes, remain aloof, quote me maine to Bermuda views”, or “double tail coin toss, face the odds”, but I want to focus in on is some slang.

“Pack blow fresh, react slow, mac in the black coat, tongue twist, cash flow, cigars like Fidel Castro, chew the beat like tobacco, game in a lasso, with the white rhino like Lazlo”

We could talk about the shifting rhyme scheme that moves throughout each line, having the “ack” and the “ow” sounds constantly changing positions in the first half of this long hook, but the last clause of “with the white rhino like Lazlo” is where things get mind-bending. From what I gather, “white rhino” is slang for piff, but what separates this line from, “smokin’ on Thor’s hammer”, is its context. Camp Lazlo is a Cartoon Network original which aired between 2005 and 2008, starring the titular Lazlo, who just so happens to be best friends with Clam, a white rhino. Niche references and slang – it doesn’t get much better than that.

Then we have the track ‘RUMRUNNER’, which is so lyrically dense that I need only talk about the first forty seconds to make a case for Obi being one of the best to ever put pen to paper. YUNGMORPHEUS matches Obi’s brilliance at every turn on SLANG CASINO, but his best work comes on ‘RUMRUNNER’. The beat starts in media res – hauntingly beautiful from the first beat in all its intricacies and subtleties. Here, MORPHEUS pulls together some of the greatest percussion to ever bless a hip-hop track with tight hi-hat hits and cymbals, layered in glistening chimes that dance throughout the track like moonlight on water. A single ominous chord strikes on every sixteenth, setting up the melancholic strings that pluck and flicker while Obi paints pictures of extravagance and mysticism with lyrics like

“Colourful silk, land of the honey and milk, money and krill, shine like sunny Brazil… Ghetto tabernacle phonetics, hieroglyphic sentence, pearly white, smile for my dentist”

Focusing in on the second lyric, this is the sort of bar that proves goat status. The term ‘ghetto’ derives from the area of Venice where the Jewish population was forced to live during the 16th century – a place the Venetians called, the ‘ghèto’. Juxtaposed with “tabernacle”, the earthly dwelling of God for those of the Jewish faith, Obi creates this powerful imagery of a “ghetto tabernacle”. At first pass, this is almost oxymoronic, but on etymological inspection, is a pairing which is intrinsically linked through Jewish history. Obi then makes the allusions to faith in the slums self-referential with “phonetics”, which I take to be Obi esoterically claiming his position as a rapper with a God given gift who will excel no matter what things may be trying to hold him back. These hidden meanings are found in this “hieroglyphic sentence” and it’s up to us to decipher it.

Tying in the themes discussed, we have the track ‘SPLIFFHOLDER’. This is a Cerberus of a hip-hop track: a three-headed monster that sees languid.oceans (the pairing of Obijuan and looms.) come together once again, but this time with YUNGMORPHEUS providing idyllic production and a verse to boot. MORPHEUS and looms. drop gems with transcendental flows, so they deserve their praise, but I want to finish on Obi’s verse, specifically, his opening lines.

“Afro-Caribbean, Scandinavian, pagan prince, Amerindian Arawak, bones like a Marowak, bow and arrow in the anorak, ample racks, tabernacle, Bamboo Shack”

Firstly, Obi always puts on for The Bahamas. In this lyric, we find the term “tabernacle” again, but this time juxtaposing “Bamboo Shack”, a chain of Bahamian restaurants that originally started in Nassau, founded by Elaine Pinder in 1990. But it doesn’t stop there, as he identifies himself as an “Amerindian Arawak”, someone indigenous to the Caribbean, showing a great pride and love of country that is nothing but beautiful. Secondly, Obi always puts on for Scandinavia, specifically Iceland, and of course, “slang” has its etymology in Old Norse, bringing it to the forefront again as he then goes onto use terms like “racks” and “bones”, showing why Obi is more than deserving of the name MR. SLANGTASTIC.

If you have not heard this project, then you cannot say you are a hip-hop head: SLANG CASINO is that good. Obijuan is only in competition with himself, and we should be infinitely grateful that he teaches us of his culture and history. Support the art by copping the vinyl through Bad Taste.