As one-half of
Frank-N-Dank, rapper/producer
Frank Nitt earned his cred just by being in the room with
J. Dilla, but his freaky, punchline rhymes aren't universally appreciated, so don't expect your neighborhood backpackers to be lining up for this conceptual album which, in further alienating convolution, was made to accompany his 48-page mini-memoir about a life in hip-hop. While
Nitt's love of the cutting quip should have given him some
Pimp C-style love years ago, overly skeptical fans, major-label woes, and a frustrating amount of name changes --
Frank Nitt,
Frank Nitty, just
Nitty, etc. -- put him on the "meh" list for most, and yet "So Large," true to its title, busts the album open with "Let me put you up on all the greatness I have done" before offering plenty of fresh examples. "Spotlite" is the first sure one as it flashes its steez and reimagines
Kanye's "Flashing Lights" as a Detroit underground cut, and while "What Am I Supposed to Do and the Hop" is marked "Interlude," it's a wonderfully crooked epic, recalling a time where
Parliament-Funkadelic were the biggest party in town while simultaneously bringing reminders of
Kraftwerk in their mid-period (like "Trans Europe Express," this robot seems steam-powered). "Kick Rocks" is all heritage with Dank and
Dilla's brother,
Illa J, even if the topic is merely crummy girlfriends and other humanoid annoyances, but as the album comes to a close, the music industry becomes paramount as Dank returns for "Glimpse of a Champion" while "Radio" demands its namesake take notice, because
Nitt's going to "bang your head till your ass get the picture." The book itself is much more linear, obvious, and moving, so the album alone does seem a bit insider without the backstory. Still, it's a giant step forward for
Nitt the all-around artist, offering a wide variety of prime tracks from his
Dilla-influenced mixing desk, and with more love put into the lyrics than ever before, it's his grand arrival doubling as a funky, fascinating, and really funny biography. ~ David Jeffries