skimp killah - Get Rich or Try Dying

Skimp Killah

Get Rich Or Try Dying
self-released; 2014

4.2 out of 5

By Matt Jensen

Ok before we get in the full review of Skmip Killah’s Get Rich or Try Dying it must be said his video for the song “Naked and Pretty” is one of the best videos I have seen this year. It’s funny, ridiculously catchy and the production is so on point. My friend and I watched it about four times before moving on. Skimp Killah is a hybrid rapper, a wild singer and a producer who embraces a white trash aura while simultaneously being hilarious, original and occasionally brilliant.  Skimp Killah’s album is rich when it comes to production and it was very impressive that he played, recorded, wrote and mixed everything on the album. From top to bottom it sounds good. The album has a thick low end and the guitars, vocals and just about everything in the album sounds great in the mix. 

After a quick intro the album gets bumping with “Sarsparilla.” The music has a Mellow Gold era Beck vibe as Killah covers his vocals in distortion and finds a rhythm somewhere between rapping and singing. It’s crisp and slick but also has this lackadaisical vibe that is hard to pinpoint. One of the highlights is the straight up brilliant “Eff Your Weed Shop.” The concept is pretty straightforward. Killah illuminates the listener that Colorado legalizing Marijuana has straight up put him out of business. It has an oddly endearing quality that almost makes feel bad for him. It’s funny but also contains an addictive melody. 

“Miller Highlife Light” treads more towards a down and dirty blues song that combines a whirling combination of delayed vocals while “Heave Ho” contains a knee-slapping southern appeal that made me bust out the moonshine. “Dozen Pub Indigo” is money and is arguably the most upbeat song on the album. The lyrics are borderline offensive but Killah somehow gets away with them by injecting his own sense of humor. “Bloodlust” revisits the lackadaisical vibe I felt in the first but even more so. That being said I enjoyed the gurgling bubbles of white noise and distortion. We finally arrive at “Naked and Pretty,” which is the centerpiece of the album and is one of my favorite songs I have heard this year. The lyrics are overtly sexual but playful and the production reminded me of LCD Soundsystem although slightly less infused with dance. 

Listening to Skimp Killah’s Get Rich or Try Dying is the perfect record to start off your summer. I promise you that this will be in rotation at your next party.

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