Walk on Water
Label: Self-released
Rated: NONE
Release Date: 2007-11-29
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Walk on Water
Everything there is to know about Winter Park’s Demic is laid out in the closing verse of “Requiem,” a jazzy cautionary tale. Borrowing a line from 50 Cent’s swagger classic, “Wanksta,” Demic chastises an underachieving friend, not for slackin’ on his pimpin’, but for still living with his parents and Peter Pan–ing his way through life. “That ain’t cool, that ain’t the plan, homie. What the hell happened to them? They was the man, homie.” It’s a mature twist on 50’s empty rap censure, and there’s more where that came from. On Water, Demic has managed to weave Dickensian yarns of hopelessness into a sophisticated hip-hop backdrop, transplanting Mean Streets’ gritty urban depiction into our own backyard. From the subtle R&B of guests Asya and Kia, who resist the Mary J. urge to muscle in, to imaginative production (also by Demic), Water’s bootstrapping through-line seems so destined for a tragic ending that when he spits over a militaristic boom-bap, “These niggas can’t defend me, so they send me to the line,” it’s actually a relief he’s only referring to basketball.
This article appears in Nov 28 – Dec 4, 2007.