Oddisy: Out Of Bounds | 4ZZZ Brisbane 102.1FM

- Has a music scene ever been as undervalued as southern hip-hop, and in particular, Memphis Rap? Probably, but the east coast boom bap and west coast g-funk styles of hip-hop commanded the airwaves in the late eighties and nineties and remain the most celebrated scenes. Yet, the trap music which dominates commercial hip-hop today is unashamedly the product of sounds that began emerging in Memphis in the mid-90s.

A lack of commercial interest in southern hip-hop resulted in rappers dropping projects independently and experimenting more than their northern counterparts. Accordingly, despite boasting some of the hardest gangster rap ever, the production from the likes of DJ Paul (of Triple Six Mafia fame), and cult heroes like DJ Zirk, Blackout, and Tommy Wright III, is where the endless appeal truly lies. Repetitive, albeit creative 808s, hi-hat rolls, and gritty, lo-fi, and low budget production values met bars that Tommy Wright called “reality rap” due to their no-bullshit authenticity, and countless cult classics ensued.

The subgenre’s influence extends far beyond trap too, with crunk, cloud rap, and vaporwave all taking cues from it. Ironically and tragically, its popularity has largely been usurped by those many sounds it inspired and that is why it’s so refreshing to hear a great Memphis rap tape in 2020.

Not only is Out of Bounds -the solo debut from producer Odissy- a great Memphis tape, but it’s a love letter to the entire scene. In fact, that seems to be the whole idea of THA INNER DEPTHZ, the label which Odissy belongs to.

The side a intro recycles verses that sound like surrealist postmodern misogyny through their spotlighted absurdity. Cuts Fuck Ya Claim, Around Town, Payin’ Me, and Takin’ No Shit feature the typically sinister Memphis beats that suggest you’re about to get murked. Meanwhile Tha Trunk and Dabs Till I Get Numb highlight Memphis’ influence on cloud rap and associated subgenres.

This tape doesn’t just wear its influences on its sleeve, it celebrates them. Oddisy borrows from Blackout and Tommy Wright, just like Memphis rap producers borrowed from each other, due to the grinding nature of the underground. Then there’s a Tommy Wright namecheck to end side a, foreshadowing a repurposing of the chorus from TW’s track Fuck All Y’all on the intro of side b.

Instrumental track Danked Out is stylistically more of a laidback g-funk cut but it retains its Memphis aesthetic. Deadly Thoughts embraces another Memphis trope of taking inspiration from horror movie scores, pitching up and distorting the Halloween theme for the core of a beat, over which emcee and TID-affiliate Two-One blurs the line between Memphis and mumble rap. The performances from all the TID rappers on this tape are more than competent, although undoubtedly aided by the inspired, murderous production.

The eerie wailing siren that track A.P.B. is built upon effectively captures the plight of the OG Memphis rappers, seemingly never far away from crime whether or not they were involved. 2nd Degree and Ride 2 Dizzz follow more conventional, catchy structures, and Stand Yo Ground provides the horrorcore banger of an outro that this project deserves.

Out of Bounds is a truly commendable release for how well it not only pays tribute to a largely unheralded, yet pioneering subgenre of music, but also how well it puts its own spin on it. Oddisy’s influences are obvious, but this project really does hold up against the Memphis cult classics. It’s a fantastic tape, but it’s in the spirit of those that its paying tribute to that very few people will ever hear it. With new releases like this and all the other buried classics to unearth, as well as all of the sounds it inspired, Memphis rap really is the gift that keeps on giving.

- Jack Jones.
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