BOB’S SON: ALBUM REVIEW

Any dedication, whether in a book, at a funeral, or at a wedding is naturally extremely personal. A dedication comes with a weight to it and an acknowledgment of love and the influence of an individual. Listening to someone’s dedication can feel like listening in on their thoughts. That’s exactly what R.A.P. Ferreira and Scallops Hotel’s newest project, Bob’s Son, feels like. The incredible tribute to the late, great, beat poet, Bob Kaufmann takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. This album is a testament to Kaufmann’s greatness, and at every point is indebted to his legacy.

Produced by Scallops hotel, Ferreira’s producer pseudonym, R.A.P. Ferreira creates instrumentals just as poetic as the lyrics that pour over them. Before diving into the project it’s worth checking out some of Kaufmann’s work to put you into the right headspace. His poetry has often been described as improvisational and that spirit can be tangibly felt throughout this project. The quote, “We want poetry that we can take out of classrooms” pops up toward the middle of the album and it perfectly exemplifies what Ferreira pushes the listener to understand. R.A.P. Ferreira has always blended spoken word with hip-hop, but more recently he has been pushing listeners to see them as inherently interconnected.

Bob’s Son begins with a song of invocation. The spirit of the poet is invoked as R.A.P. Ferreira says “Activate Bob’s Son, Do Bob’s Son, Show me Bob’s Son.” Often on the project, he talks of the return of Kaufmann, suggesting that the music itself can bring him back, and over time we learn that Ferrera is in fact “The Last Cough Bomber,” a play on Kaufmann’s name. When the spirit of Kaufmann is invoked, he changes the entire tempo of the music around him. Every track shifts under Ferreira, the beats are playful and improvisational. Once Kaufmann is brought to life, he never leaves.

Bob’s Son is full of bars about poetry and poets. It references and quotes both Kaufmann and other poets while constantly reflecting on what it means to make art. While reflecting on what a poet is, he concludes over and over that poetry is a way of life. You cannot live as a poet on occasion because for any poet the act of living is poetry. In fact, poetry is the only way to survive for most poets, and it’s clear that R.A.P. Ferreira is no exception.

In places on Bob’s Son, R.A.P. Ferreira pushes the art form to new limits. Specifically, on the song “Listening,” he perfectly exemplifies the spontaneity of Kaufmann’s poetry to such a great extent that it becomes entirely impossible to guess the direction the song will take. The beat is constantly morphing and evolving with a piano melody dancing around everything that Ferreira says. “High Rise In Newark” is one of the lyrical highlights of Ferreira’s entire career. The second verse darts through so many different topics, including spiders flying, that you just have to sit back and admire the craft.

Bob’s Son is a rewarding and enriching listen that shows Ferreira’s lyrical prowess only growing. It was the perfect way to begin the year and sets a high bar already for hip-hop in 2021.