Hallelujah, the filth is back. The Richmond-based rapper G-Mo Skee hit his “Filthianity” followers with the “Wombo Combo” when dropping his filthiest EP to date — The Android FiLFTEEN EP. Those who keep tabs on the underground hip-hop, rap, or Horrorcore music scene may have heard G-Mo on a handful of TeamBackPack Cyphers. There’s an even greater chance you heard him in the Funk Volume Contest in which he placed 3rd place. For those who are just finding him, if Jedi Mind Tricks, Swollen Members or Tech N9ne are gracing your music library, then know there are some similarities you might enjoy.
Interconnecting these similarities is C-Lance (Craig Lanciani) who produced six of the thirteen tracks on The Android FiLFTEEN EP. C-Lance is one of the up-and-coming producers for Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks, but is also credited for producing beats for Mad Child of Swollen Members, and of course now G-Mo Skee. C-Lance switched lanes multiple times on The Android FiLFTEEN EP by changing up on different sample types which produced a wide variety of different sounds and some of the top songs on the EP. Instrumentals ranged from a whimsical Sesame Street inspired track “Friendly Neighborhood G-Mo” to a thunderous and rowdy track “Sabotage”. Violence is met with force by G-Mo’s passionate lyrical skills complimenting those C-Lance instrumentals throughout the EP.
The introductory song samples Dragonball Z with Trunks saying “If they set that Android free, it will be the end of us all!” along with some more sampling followed by G-Mo saying he’s “Android FiLFTEEN”. It’s a simple intro, but the message is clear, G-Mo is out for blood with this EP.
G-Mo slices his way through the rest of The Android FiLFTEEN EP with similar malice. There’s enough of anger, threats, and hate to be spread around to all. There’s even some decent wordplay scattered about. Nearing the end, track 11’s “Ignant” is worthy of comparison to some of Eminem’s early work with equal levels of aggression, sexual innuendos, and most importantly the onomatopoeia’s. Followed by track “Represent”, this is the only track to have other artists featured; these artists include Jae Harmony, Nobe, and Crowda. It surely wouldn’t have hurt to have a small handful of other artists on other songs to bring more to the table. At least with varying producers, and diversified samples, there’s enough variation to never become too monotonous at any point.
Arguably, one of the greatest issues with The Android FiLFTEEN EP as a whole is that the outro track is simply non-existent to compliment the intro in the same manner we were brought in. While it’s an EP and doesn’t necessarily need to be confined to having an album experience, it would have made for absolute completion. Instead, G-Mo Skee decided to stop on the track “Sabotage”. Although, both the intro and “Sabotage” convey similar messages of hatred, it’s not a clear-cut outro. I’ll admit it’s a fantastic track and within my top 3 on the extended play but the choice ultimately detracts from the experience in general.
The Android FiLFTEEN EP is a great example of underground rap & hip-hop with all out aggression behind it; something G-Mo Skee has self-labeled the genre of “FiLTH”, but more commonly referred to as Horrorcore. The EP has a few slight downfalls, but all-in-all is a great listen. If you like the heavier and darker side of Tech N9ne, Eminem, Swollen Members, or Jedi Mind Tricks, then you’ll want to give this an ear. G-Mo Skee and INF Gang are more than willing to take it!
