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Torae - Daily ConversationAlbum Review by:
John Burnett
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
 Let’s dead the talk about Hip Hop flat-lining in New York City. It’s mad exaggerated. Albeit, the mainstream attention and sales have shifted to below the Mason Dixon Line, that still does not negate the fact that there are some pretty ill emcees who are native to the Big Apple. And quiet as kept, there’s a new breed of them who take to heart the art of emceeing; carefully fitting each word together to produce that moment where your face wrinkles up with disbelief. Brooklyn bred, Torae, is apart of this class and on his debut Daily Conversation, he’s ready to push aside all of the gimmicky ring-tone rap and bring it back to the real.
“Callin’ Me” taps into Torae’s raw passion. On the track, Torae parallels his addiction to rhyming to that of a fiend who’s compulsively chasing their next high. He uses terms like “relapse” and “rehab” to make the connection more palpable. He rhymes aggressively over a bellowing sample responding to claims that Hip Hop and New York are over saying that the above claims are embellished. He also relates his frustration with the drop-off in skills in rap music lately, but remains firm in declaring that despite his frustrations he can’t quit because he’s a junkie to the microphone. Torae’s flow isn’t laced with mad vocal inflection shifts or gaudy wordplay—although he does use some. It’s more a direct attack on the beat which can been seen on the Preemo-produced “Click” featuring Skyzoo where he rattles off “I read every blog/every article printed/I heard every bar, every rhyme they was penning/I felt all the hate and the love/you niggas faker than fuck/you want my spot, nigga take it in blood.” In an attempt to respond to the bloggers, “Switch” has Torae addressing those who wonder why he doesn’t switch his delivery up. Over the beat provided by Black Milk, every few bars he switches his cadence—amidst a voice yelling switch—to show his versatility, a creative concept and a dope way to address the nonbelievers.
Disappointingly though, there is the obligatory “I’m a rapper but still a street guy” track in “Think About It” where Torae feels the need to stress don’t get it twisted “I’ll still fuck you up.” Also, there’s the underwhelming collabo with Tash “Da Nigguz is Comin’. And although a dope crew cut is a plus, the three on here take away from the personal feel that an album is supposed to have. Torae shines more when going in dolo relating his personal experiences like on the chronicle of his time in the game on “Journey Pt. 1” or his touching tribute to his daughter, “Tayler Made.”
Like I said earlier, Torae isn’t a flashy type of rapper. There’s definitely no YouTube moves attached to any of the tracks on Daily Conversation. His approach more so mirrors that of a blue collar worker; steady and consistent. And that type of approach doesn’t appeal to the average Hip Hop fan. The avid heads will appreciate this solid debut effort especially considering the beat selection is impeccable (Khrysis, 9th Wonder, DJ Premier, Black Milk and Marco Polo). Despite some minor flaws, Daily Conversation is a sturdy showing from a promising rookie…well vet according to him.
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