Posted on 08/19/2009
Emcees try to be a lot of things, but hopefully this album proves that ‘refreshing’ needs to move up on the list. Fresh Daily is the Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion is a return to that 90’s aesthetic where individuality reigned supreme and fun was still allowed. Granted, Fresh Daily’s ever-present hipster garb and streetwear modeling career hardly allow this flashback to arrive unannounced. In fact, his gear might have you expecting to hear something more along the lines of faux-90’s roll-players, The Cool Kids. That’s not the case. Despite his fashion driven image, Fresh Daily’s brand of nostalgia is far less superficial. His musical throwback is all about spirit, and channels yesterday by borrowing its set of values, not just its sound and some obscure references. As a result, this album projects a current vibe yet bravely offers an array of quirkiness, fun, and personality seldom seen since the beloved nineties.

Fresh Daily is the Gorgeous Killer in Crimes of Passion benefits greatly from a well chosen pack of producers and guest emcees. The gentlemen known as Tanya Morgan appear on “Me First,” a playful display of competition where the four emcees openly spar for the track’s best verse. I’ve been partial to Von Pea since Soundclick, but the ribbon here goes to Ilyas. This isn’t the first time that Tanya Morgan has crossed paths with the AOK Collective, the NYC crew formed by Fresh Daily. Von Pea appeared on the 2 Hungry Bros’ rare groove mixtape My Crew’s All Thinner (a serious must for all you crate diggers). Von was also brave enough to appear next to Homeboy Sandman on P.CASSO’s mighty “Best in Show” from 2008’s For Your Consideration. Speaking of P.CASSO, he can be found on Gorgeous Killer, meticulously riding 88 Keys’ “Trust.” I guess you can only get caught murdering tracks for so long until you have to change your name: its P.SO now.

Fresh Daily keeps the AOK Collective love continuing with “SupaSpectacular!”—a standout track produced by Deep and Ben Boogz of the 2 Hungry Bros—and of course “Starter Pistol,” which features DJ Spinna on the boards and Homeboy Sandman on the mic. Once again, Sandman appears peerless. Who else can drop word play by the blizzard while maintaining such a rapid fire, off-kilter flow? No one does what Sandman is doing, and he is doing it with the ease of a master. His name is no excuse to sleep. Speaking of not sleeping, Fresh discusses his childhood vice on “Video Gamin’.” If you’re like me, you’ll have a soft spot for this Biggie Smalls guided ode to “Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis.” Fresh and Exile cover another soft spot on “Two In The Shirt.” I’ll let those of you keen on acronyms figure that one out. Other notable appearances include Illmind, Oh No, and (speaking of the nineties!) Skibeatz.

- M. Steve Hammer