Dan-E-O

As a featured artist on Beat Factory’s 1996 Rap Essentials Vol. I compilation, Dan-E-O’s impassioned contribution, “Dear Hip Hop,” held its own amongst a stellar pack. Along with his deep crew Monolith, which includes 13 MCs, Dan-E-O released The Long Awaited EP last year, confirming his clique’s formidable presence. As part of Monolith’s recent splinter releases from group members on their own One Rock imprint, his latest triple twelve-inch serves as an appetiser that raises serious anticipation for his The Book of Daniel full-length slated to appear early next year. Dan-E-O’s distinctively relentless flow, packed with tight vocabulary, sharp wit and thought-provoking nuggets, hits with such force you are compelled to take notice. Although it has a quirky intro, “Corrida De Toros” gets down to serious business once Dan-E-O grabs the mic. Taking a cue from the title’s Spanish translation of bullfight, he mercilessly deconstructs and speaks out on issues that irk him, vowing to fight the bull over appropriately urgent horns. Even though “Margerine” is markedly slower in pace, Dan-E-O doesn’t let up, taking the opportunity to flex lyrical flows ranging in from double-time to half-speed. Yet he keeps the focus on objecting to materialism for its own sake, reaffirming his own dedication to MCing. The dirty funk of “Revenge” serves as a skills showcase (“To demonstrate how I penetrate your mental state/I facilitate with bitter slates/Hyper then ventilate/Obliterate what you reiterate”), nixing any notions of filler on this action-packed release.