Audio Push hit a hard patch on 'The Stone Junction' EP
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By Alex Dionisio
Is there really another project out already from Inland Empire, California boys Audio Push? Yes, but it's another EP, not an LP. February's Inside The Vibe EP quickly came and went, and now we have The Stone Junction (April 8), the EP that Price and Oktane promised well before Vibe. Hoping to build more momentum and seemingly careless to the fact that this Stone Junction release feels like a hasty move by the duo, A.P. have paid a hefty price for hedging their bets on such a tricky move as rushing to put out this short album of little substance, to the point where all it has going for it is some of the guys' sharp wordplay. Mega business entity Interscope Records probably played a large role in its expedited creation and quick dispersal, even if it's ubiquitously labeled as a Good Vibe Tribe release. In other words, don't be fooled by tags.
The mixtape-matic rappers from the West don't have a lot to show on this release and not just because it's only seven tracks long. Aside from a few decent short spots, The Stone Junction is sadly a typical, mainstream rap album. A.P. open in "BBQ Spot" with good wordplay, knocking on the police and the Fed, even blaming them for the San Bernardino shootings, though even that is only halfway accurate. What happened in San Bernardino was a murderous rampage by outraged retaliation-hungry ISIS sympathizers responding to the crimes of American foreign policy in the Middle East. Ordinary Americans suffered the negative consequences that should have been inflicted on the guilty policy makers in Washington in collusion with the sick business leaders in charge of the military industrial complex, so that incident was the fault of the corrupt U.S. government AND the mentally ill financial elite, with whom they are in cooperation for domination of Mid East resources.
Moving on, "BBQ Spot" is the first of the two good moments on the EP. The other occurs at the end, in "Same," around talk of putting guns down and taking the higher road in the industry, but some typical Audio Push braggadocio is there as elsewhere. Stuffed between the opener and closer are five tracks of our two shrewd hoodsters rapping on money, sex and weed like two young wild rich partiers. This is a very deceptive, very blatant sacrifice of substance in favor of style. Trap beats and drill are recurring sounds briefly and infrequently benched for elegant musical sounds like the soft piano, harp and strings of "Hard" and the smooth warped chords at the end of "Vibed Up Shawty."
The Stone Junction features state of the art production and some good guest work by BMac The Queen, Kap G, Trae Tha Truth and Jace of Two-9, but Price and Oktane say little that is important all throughout. Together they've whipped up another new age street rap confection that isn't healthy for anybody and is so unlike their previous records of good vibes. They would have benefitted more from taking their time to make something smart, but that wasn't what they've done and that probably wasn't permitted in their record contracts nor encouraged in their business meetings with Interscope. Knowing who they're signed to, how quickly they've followed up Inside The Vibe with this, and how substantial a difference there is between the EPs, it's very likely that Audio Push were under some higher "artistic" direction from the label: 'get something out fast, make it gimmicky but not overwhelmingly so, stay in the public eye, and make MONEY.' The Stone Junction is not a result of noble A.P. pursuits.
