ALBUM REVIEW: PENPALS & Dezmatic - Shitty Wizards
*This review originally appeared in our December 2024 issue*
Photos and artwork provided by PENPALS & Dezmatic
“Know what I’m sayin’?”
“I say ‘know what I’m sayin’ a lot, because a lot of the time I just want to know if you actually know what I’m sayin’…” is the line that kicks off Shitty Wizards, the latest from Albany-based emcee Dezmatic who joins NYC's PENPALS for this album which dropped on November 27th. One thing became entirely certain by the time this track was over: I definitely did know what he was saying because I was hanging on every word. The way that the lyrics not only fit together in a perfect rhyme and unique flow, but how they painted such a complete picture without weighing the verse down with extraneous words, was wholly captivating.
Case and point, if the line “Ain’t the before times, it’s the end of days / Next space hippy mention Mercury and retrograde is gonna catch the fade for interrupting death parade…” doesn’t make you think, then maybe you aren't listening close enough.
Tight hip-hop beats and rapier-sharp lyrics are present throughout, but what really caught my attention was the use of piano, and even some strings being interwoven to create a truly unique underscore. The use of samples, while certainly a hip-hop staple, also stood out. Not just in their use, but in the selection of samples used as well. Within the first minute of the track “Another Day at the Office,” we hear not only the sound of Mario grabbing a gold coin from Super Mario Bros., but also John Goodman as Walter Sobchek declaring, “I can get you a toe.”
“They are clever, unexpected and very well placed within the song.
Just when I thought I was figuring this record out, they hit me with “Metro North Dub," a reggae/dub tune that threw me for a very pleasant loop. The beat is definitely the star on this track, but the classic dub keyboard is close behind, fighting to take the lead.
I’ll admit that most of my hip-hop knowledge is stuck back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but I could not help compare the track “Never Trust the Living” to be the perfect marriage of A Tribe Called Quest and Wu-Tang Clan. It starts with some cinematic samples and a smooth, jazzy bassline before filling the space behind the lyrics with subtle hi-hats, bells, and keys. The glide of this track, and my inability to keep my head from nodding to the groove, may make this my pick for the stand-out track, even if it comes in just shy of two-minutes in length.
As previously stated, my knowledge of hip-hop may be limited, but I know for sure when I like something, and Shitty Wizards had me from the first few seconds and didn’t let go until the last note. The beats had my attention on every song, and the lyrics are so sharp, it’s as if they were just run over a whetstone. The more hip-hop albums that come across my desk to review, the more I am convinced that 518 hip-hop is definitely doing its part to keep the artform alive.
With features from Moses Rockwell, elsphinx, K-Cromozone and more, this one is sure to be mentioned amongst the classics for years to come.
Know what I’m sayin’?
Shitty Wizards is out now on all major streaming platforms and can be purchased on Bandcamp. For updates on PENPALS, visit their Instagram @penpalsnyc
