Puppit - Write or Die EP (Review)

If there's anything that 26-year-old, Richmond, Kentucky native, Puppit (neé Jonathan Mason) knows, it's that trials and tribulations are a necessary part of the grand show we call life. In his short time here on Earth, the 14-year veteran emcee has surmounted his share of woes. From coping with the murder of his mother at the tender age of 17 to drug addiction; from battling to escape drowning in the suicidal waters of mental illness to the co-dependency of toxic relationships that only those who suffer can truly understand... All of this, while holding firm his aspirations of becoming a noted name in the state most known for its bifocaled Colonel's hermetic blend of herbs and spices. Over a neatly packed (21m 42s), and predominantly acoustic backed set, Mr. Mason puts 6 months worth of reflective penning into this self-recorded mic & psych session entitled, Write or Die.

The project opens with the intro track, "An Honest Attempt At Growth", which finds Puppit detailing an incident from his childhood that would, although unknown at the time, serve as the palette from which he'd paint himself into unseen corners throughout his life. His storytelling ability shines here as he wipes an almost staccato flow over producer, Omgsora's ambient strummings. The hookless introduction (as most intros are) deals with anti-social behavior in its proper definition, which is such a breath of fresh air for the much misnomered word. In just under 3 minutes, a beginning, middle, end, and reflection are binded together beautifully as the set up for what's to come in the life and times of a puppet who refuses to move against the strings of a life predicted. This is probably the weakest moment of the project, as from this point on, we get a different animal of an emcee. The DAGA produced follow-up track, "Fuck Your Feelings" features a braggadocious Puppit proving his lyrical mettle over the aforementioned's slapping bass and piano instrumentation. The flow and bars here are "smooth like a muh'fuckin bald spot" with its rudebwoy delivered rhymes, and hommage to the dangerous Turpin and Ballard neighborhood of his hometown, where robberies, dice games, and lime-assisted bottles of "Bump" go hand-in-hand with good times. Although only 1 verse long, its wedge between a gritty and barking hook of "Tell that bitch\said 'fuck your feelings'\how I feel about it\ HEY!!", makes it a thing of replay-value wet dreams. After childhood musings and neighborhood naughties, it's Write or Die's third cut, "Old Ghost (City's Only Sleeping)" that finds Puppit baring a deeper piece of his soul over the acoustic styling of Ryini Beats, who appears twice more during the project. On this ode to his own suicidal ideations, and all that fuels them, Puppit displays a penchant for self-reflection that could easily be placed against Joe Budden's hailed Mood Muzik series. Citing death as an only friend during the times of his metaphorical (and real life) mire, the hook holds together verses that bleed the helplessness and hoplessness of a man too tired of fighting against his life's vicissitudes to fight forward where he no longer sees the point in fighting at all. Here, it is not Puppit who houses depression, but rather the latter that houses him. After listening to the EP's wayward protagonist invite a knocking Grim Reaper into this home, the door swings open in the form of a segue into Write or Die's fourth, and most lyrically dense moment; "R.E.D (Reticent Emotional Distress)". Where "Old Ghost..." found Puppit embracing the opportunity to drink from death's goblet, it's here on the Yusei produced "R.E.D..." that he displays the reluctance to swallow its toxins. While the hookless, "R.E.D..." comes off less like a stand-alone track than an epilogue to its preceding song; the pensive poetry offered here is gorgeously constructed. With his rapid yet rhythmic delivering of what feels like one's life flashing before the eyes, in verse; we get to see a different facet of Puppit's ability as not only a lyricist, but also a technician of rhyme structure. An anti-suicide note better experienced than written about, "R.E.D..." embodies why a project like Write or Die is even in existence. Next on the tracklist is "The Luxury of Subtlety", where Puppit and Ryini Beats synergize to deliver what easily feels like the hit single of the EP. With its raw, live-feeling acoustics "...Luxury..." is MTV\VH1's Unplugged, executed as perfectly as could be on a recorded project. Singing (and impressively so) of a love now gone, and the feelings involved with its demise and acceptance of said relationship status, Puppit proves here that his pen knows no bounds. "...Luxury..." contains so much emotion in both the lyrics and vocal tones utilized that it's easy to get lost in the two-verse lamentation, with its über catchy hook, guitar slaps, and well composed pop-structure. After finally taking "...Luxury..." off repeat, Write or Die scribbles into its sixth offering, the Retnik Beats produced, "Murder In the Owlery". On "Murder..." we get another helping of the Puppit that appeared near the open of the project on "Fuck Your Feelings". Heavy bass beat, hard hook, and enough bars and punches to warrant an I.D. check at the listening. "Murder..." is also a welcome break from an EP which until its time is pretty weighty on subject matter. Closing the project out is the last of Puppit and Ryini Beats's collaborative efforts, "The Motions". On "The Motions" we get another relationship record, but done differently than previously heard on "The Luxury of Subtlety"...This Puppit is three verses of great rhyming about a toxic relationship in all its inglorious luster. From appreciation at its finding, understanding of what\why it is, and the acceptance of its ending, "The Motions" is a penultimate of sorts where the "love" song is concerned. It's staunch honesty with lines like "amazed I stood beside you\then hit my knees to praise a golden idol\a girl who hates herself as much as I do\to find you in the reeds\ I searched not high, but low\and sank to depths that previously I declined to go..." makes it a sad occasion that the EP ends here, and really causes wonder of how an emcee of such an open caliber has gone unnoticed by the masses, thus far.