You cannot listen to MC iPod and not compare him to MC Lars. It’s impossible. And to be fair to the Norwich, UK artist, he recognises that very fact in his first song ‘Intro to iPod’. This white-boy MC-ing business has opened up a little niche in the market, with Ian Perry the latest at having a go. And at times it’s not all that bad, using the English humour and perspective is when this record is at its best. iPod’s rhymes certainly aren’t the best and the beats and samples are, at times, very weak. But his lyrics do make up for it in places, so at least this is a record that is palatable in small doses.
‘I Wanna Be A Pro Wrestler’ is one of the better songs, making use of the samples well. And while this record is intentionally silly – there’s surely no way you could perform these tracks with a straight face? – the joke ends up being on MC iPod more than it is the listener. ‘Heroin: Nature’s Passtime’ is just dull, while at times the lyrical delivery is just a little too English – at times there’s a real lack of confidence in his delivery, making the flow awkward and difficult. Still, it takes guts to put yourself on the line and do something society probably tells you isn’t the norm – even if your cover of the Avril Lavigne ‘classic’ ‘Complicated’ is more dodgy than the curry I ate last night. Full marks for effort, but a bit less than half for the actual release.