Spank Rock - Everything is Boring & Everyone is a F---ing Liar

With a moniker like Spank Rock, MC Naeem Juwan conjures images of the sort of bitch-objectifying hip-hop that can be all too brash, absurd and offensive. But Spank Rock’s second album, Everything is Boring & Everyone is a F—-ing Liar, is none of the above. In fact, it’s actually pretty good.

Juwan released his first album, YoYoYoYoYo to an overwhelmingly positive response five years ago. Five years is a curiously long amount of time wait before delivering a follow up, but that’s not to say Juwan hasn’t been keeping busy. Since the debut, he’s lent vocals to Mark Ronson’s killer track The Bike Song, toured with Beck, Bjork and The Beastie Boys and collaborated with everyone from Mos Def to Kylie Minogue. Still, with such a long wait for his second release, it’d be both fair and correct to assume that Juwan would want to come back with a solid effort.

Everything is Boring & Everyone is a F—-ing Liar is more than solid – it’s a great collection of high-energy, impressive dance/hip-hop tunes. The blend of genres proves a surprisingly good combination – if you need convincing of the dance credentials, Boys Noize has the majority of the production credits.

Opening with the slow-tempo, gritty Ta Da, it’s immediately clear that this isn’t a low-brow hip-hop venture. From there, the diverse musical styles the record encompasses gradually emerge: tracks like Nasty showcase the techno influences on the album and the catchy, fast-tongued Car Song features breezy vocals from Santigold. Electro influences are most apparent on tracks like Hot Potato, while Cool Shit is much more rap-heavy. There’s also definite club-potential with tracks like the enlivening The Dance and Mark Ronson-produced, Major Lazer-esque #1 Hit.

The themes of the tracks range: Birfday hints at a political message with lines “I want ice and cream but the government doesn’t hand it out” and Turn it Off is a high-energy call to arms, yelling “turn that fake shit off, fight for something, live for something, stand for something”, but Race Riot less intelligently commands “all you black girls shake it ‘til my dick turns racist”.

The album is let down only by the uninspiring Dtf Dadt, but in light of how much the bulk of the tracks achieve, it’s easy to overlook such a minor sidestep. Juwan closes the record on a standout high with Energy – the first single, and alongside Car Song, easily one of the album’s best tracks.

Everything is Boring & Everyone is a F—-ing Liar is hip-hop done right – fresh, fun and quick-witted. Hopefully, it won’t be another five years before we see the next Spank Rock album.

Everything is Boring & Everyone is a F—-ing Liar is out now on Inertia/Pod.