Paris - Safe Space Invader (2020)

I somehow missed the memo about Paris and have spent the last three decades looking in the other direction, which I guess is what happens when you don't listen to music radio, read music papers - or whatever they have now instead of music papers - or go to clubs. My first encounter was therefore his guest verse on ABK's Ghetto Neighbor - for which I should probably apologise but won't - and I was immediately gripped by his unique delivery, a sort of funky machine gun deal which worms its way into your subconscious even before you've noticed the uncompromising power of his testimony.

Anyway, I'm catching up now, and Safe Space Invaders is the one which has thus far made the biggest impact, which is nice because it's only a couple of years old suggesting this is a man whose powers have grown over time, contrary to the usual trajectory. If he started off with the influence of Chuck D fairly easy to spot, Paris quickly developed his own style - arguably more militant than Public Enemy, significantly more lyrical, and thus more personal, more nuanced - like it's a human being delivering the goods rather than a series of slogans, and someone with too much to say to waste time on taking contemporaries to task - as the backpackers tend to do; and the great volume of that which he has to say is possibly due to the fact that he never gave a shit about whether or not any of it makes you feel uncomfortable - as it honestly should if you're talking civil rights and the black power movement. Paris makes no concessions to being radio friendly or sparing anyone's feelings, and none of this shit is made up - no sidetracks into conspiracy theory here - which is why he's been ignored by many of those who should have helped elevate his work. Above all though, he's entertaining as fuck, because the expansion of knowledge with righteous truths should be entertaining. Baby Man Hands, in which our boy expresses his reservations regarding the Trump presidency, in particular manages to be both terrifying and funny.

Musically, Paris continues to cut his own furrow just as he does with the lyrical side of things - bringing p-funk into the twenty-first century in combination with old school touches, new school, even an African influence on Return of the Vanguard, and - again - without really sounding like anyone else.

I have a lot of catching up to do.