Carnage – “Sense of Sound”
For such an established presence within Twin Cities hip hop, it’s surprising that Carnage only released his first solo full-length this summer. The wait, however, for Sense of Sound (Hecatomb) has been well worth it.
Originally from Chicago, Carnage (real name Terrell Woods) originally came to Minneapolis in 1978. Growing up in a series of group homes around the Twin Cities, he formed The Overlords in 1992 with DJ X-Caliber, which then morphed into NEMNOCH and later, after the addition of two more MCs, Pagne and Concentrate, into the futuristic group S.W.E.E.P.S. (Sub-Terrestrial Wordsmiths Exhibiting Extraordinary Poetic Structure). Following in the footsteps of Rhymesayers, he started his own crew and record label, Hecatomb in 2004, as well as developing a mutually influential relationship with Eyedea (who recorded, mixed, and mastered Sense of Sound). He sold 3000 copies of a solo EP entitled The Carnology Vol. 0.5 (2004) single-handedly out of his backpack, and has gained much exposure by beatboxing with Desdamona as Ill Chemistry.
Carnage is probably best known for his beatboxing skills and his amazingly fast lyric delivery; the latter is especially showcased on Sense of Sound, as he utilizes hyper-quick changes in vocal inflection and rhythmic syncopation. Yet those who have only heard Carnage as part of Ill Chemistry might be surprised by The Sense of Sound. The lyrics, and especially Carnage’s delivery of them, give the album an extremely aggressive character, as well as an overtly masculine character in line with so much hip hop. Many of the songs begin with little to no introduction, and end just as suddenly, giving the roughly 45-minute album an extremely urgent feeling.
While many of the songs are battle songs designed to showcase Carnage’s undeniable abilities, he often infuses the “rapping about rapping” style with ideas and metaphors outside of mainstream hip hop subjects. On “Unleashed” and “Maximum Carnage,” he combines his autobiography with monster narratives. (If MF Doom channels The Fantastic Four’s nemesis Dr. Doom for his identity, then Carnage is the Incredible Hulk.) Afro-centrism is invoked over a thick funk beat on “Bring the Soul Back,” a graphic description of a very different kind of carnage, the violence of the African slave trade.
The album’s aggression, however, is balanced with humor. On “The Stank,” he invokes the dual ideas of “funk,” its association not only with the sense of sound but the sense of smell, as he imagines giving rival MCs a swirlie. (At the end of the song, which features Desdamona, Ill Chemistry makes a brief appearance, a teaser of the planned Ill Chemistry album somewhere in the future.) The album also approaches a level of abstraction with “Negative Space,” with an angular, displaced piano line, as Carnage spits “even when I say nothing it’s a beautiful use of negative space.”
On an album in which Carnage rightly boasts so much of his abilities, he is also humble when it comes to the people who helped make Sense of Sound. Producer Booka B’s name is equal in size to Carnage’s on the CD spine and Carnage gives props on the album’s title track to both his producer and Jimmy2Times, whose scratches are heard throughout Sense of Sound. Carnage’s mixture of confidence and humility, as well as Sense of Sound is refreshing, a different sound than normally associated with Twin Cities hip hop.
