Very few rappers can switch from rapping about comic books to putting out mixtapes about Parks and Recreation, but Adam WarRock can.
LISTEN: ‘616 (Saturday Morning Remix)’ by Adam WarRock
His upcoming album, You Dare Call That Thing Human?!?, is packed with comic book references, and the first single — “616” — might be the comic-geekiest. It’s named for Marvel Comics’ multiverse Earth-616 and, thanks to WarRock himself, Wired has an exclusive remix of the track (listen to “616” at left and download it below).
“‘616’ took comic book concepts and turned them into a neighborhood-repping kind of aggressive rap song,” WarRock said in an e-mail to Wired. “With this exclusive remix … me and producer Vince Vandal wanted to do something a bit more fun. So we focused on old Saturday morning cartoons and the old Spider-Man cartoon theme song, while still getting a positive message across.”
The record’s deep focus on comics — WarRock also samples actor Andrew Garfield’s impassioned Spidey speech from last year’s Comic-Con International — is fantastic. But You Dare Call That Thing Human?!?, due Feb. 13, goes beyond comic book retconning, with WarRock writing about what’s considered “normal” and having a sensitive side. It’s like what would happen if the X-Men formed their own Wu-Tang Clan and WarRock was their Method Man (because Meth is such a huge comic book nerd).
Full of deep-groove bass, plinking piano and walls of synths, the album is a solid nerdcore offering, complete with features from rappers like MC Lars and Beefy. The rapper, a resident of the 901 area code near Memphis, Tennessee, has put out a solid hip-hop album. Period.
Check out the “Saturday Morning Remix” of “616” above and then download it here (free MP3; right-click and “Save As”). Head over to WarRock’s site to preorder his album, and while you’re there be sure to grab a free download of his internet-famous three-song mixtape tribute to Parks and Recreation.[#iframe: https://www.adamwarrock.com/616Sat.mp3?_=1]
