Heiruspecs A Tiger Dancing By JimmyB on Jan 20, 2008 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

Heiruspecs is a live hip-hop group like the seminal band “the Roots”. The dexterity of their rhythmic ability to flow effortlessly between rhymes is particularly nice. The combination of drums, bass, a Fender Rhodes piano and turntables for instrumentation never gets old or suffers the monotony that most rap records suffer from. The lyrical content is also cleverly executed; name dropping Friedrich Nietzsche and rapping about the Starcraft real-time-strategy videogame.

The track “Two-Fold” name uses the chorus from hardcore rap group Onyx's song Shut Em Down and uses Dianetics as a clever pejorative insult. “5ves” which also happens to be track 5 on the CD is a melancholy track with a memorable chorus with tight rhymes. On “Swearsong” they reference the 1993 movie Demolition Man along with a slew of other things. The whole album is littered with clever quips and biting social commentary. While references to the Power Rangers television show are silly and posting to message boards nerdy, they work. The album is an hour long but it seems to go much faster than that.

The combination of instrumental and lyrical technique and uniqueness is catalyzing. The instrumentation uses lots of different rhythms and melodies. The samples from the turntables are also nicely picked and no one ever is over indulgent in battling for sonic space. Unfortunately what is popular in rap right now is clichéd gangster rap and so-called half-baked “rappers” such as 50 Cent.