Heavens to Murk-A-Troid

Crash DDZ has been a staple in the Louisville hip-hop scene for more years than he’d probably like to admit. From the 502Headz to The DareDevilz, the guy’s CV is Teflon. That rap is a game for the young is undeniable; just don’t tell Crash that. He continues to shred every microphone within 100 feet of him like an MC half his age. Murk-A-Troid is his latest incarnation, a collaboration with Hippiedigger producer Richard Herrell. That the disc is put out via the Grimey Rhyme Regime crew is appropriate, as “grimey” is the album’s most fitting descriptor. Both music and lyrics are a smoke-filled room with towels sealing windows and doors, the album a 5-inch circular humidor. Herrell’s sound is dark, and Crash is a bit more subdued than his earlier catalog and live show prepare the listener for. A cheap comparison would be to the better solo work of Def Jux’s El-P, but I don’t think El-P has ever exposed himself in the way Crash does in “Can We Talk,” one of the better relationship songs I’ve heard in rap in years.