As rap names go, “MARQUISE! F.K.A OG SWAGGERDICK” is an entire feature film. There is a lot of backstory communicated in one single stroke there. As song titles go, “BAOW!” is highly accurate labeling. As Grubby Pawz beats go, this was a surprisingly MF DOOM throwback, some choice broken soul.
This video was objectively terrible but I still found it charming. “Minimalism” would be the polite term for all this. The artist formerly known as capital oh gee space swagger dick all one word is awkward on camera, but in an interesting way. The same is true of his performance on the mic. At first I thought he had severe Fetal Alcohol Syndrome because of his mannerisms and enunciation, but I’ve come to believe he’s simply drunk & smoked out.
I don’t believe it’s a bit, though. So many rappers are just doing an act, like Drake or Tupac. M.f.k.a.O.G.S. has chosen another religion altogether, and an older one, too. That ODB energy will eventually kill you, but it’s also a reliable path to authentic art. I have to give the cat credit for living the lie with such conviction. Like Macklemore, I may find the results corny but I do respect their commitment. Lil’ Benjamin truly does just want to hang out with Obama and do photo ops with cops. Let that man live his dream, right?
So even the fact that the “hook” here is basically dude having a huddle chant with himself isn’t a problem for me. That squares up with every other detail here. “BAOW!” is a work of studied cool, a rapper so detached from actually rapping he sounds like he is about to fall asleep, or perhaps burst out laughing. That’s a popular wave these days. When it works (Kaicrewsade) it’s charming, but when it doesn’t (TRAPMAT SAVIOR) it’s almost insulting.
Ex-Swaggerdong here exists somewhere in the center of that spectrum. His goofy charm doesn’t always translate to his actual bars, which are often downright boring & formulaic. There is a very marginal amount of extra effort that would yield huge dividends here, but this guy has been fucking off on the mic for over a decade now, so I’m not expecting any last minute artistic growth. That said, in case old boy reads this: you should make your rhymes at least as funny as you inherently are.
Then again, that’s me, missing the point. The rap itself has always been secondary to the jokes, the pranks, the persona. The man is an entertainer, and I suppose I was duly entertained. Peace to MARQUISE! F.K.A OG SWAGGERDICK. I’m not sold, but I do wish him luck. This should have been far worse than it was, but it was saved thanks to his weirdo charisma. I hope he really does make a hundred grand before the summer ends. Three Dickies.
