There isn\u2019t much out there about the rapper known as RIP Lux. He\u2019s been described as an Eastern Europe-based hip-hop artist who combines politically-charged boom-bap with cyberpunk themes. His 2024 album, \u201cThe Quezon City Broadcast\u201d, was laced with such themes. To add to the mystery of RIP Lux, this album wasn\u2019t widely distributed either: There\u2019s a Bandcamp page for it with no individual links and the album is only available on YouTube and, even then, in its entirety all on one full video. Though this may have been deliberate, there was much static added to the production to make it sound like a radio mix, with the songs being an uneven mixture of both snippets and full songs just shy of a 31-minute combined length:<\/p>\n
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Starting with an ominous intro, the first official song \u201cEdgeRunnerz\u201d then takes the center stage. There\u2019s also a telephone sample with a voice on the other end stating, \u201cWe\u2019re sorry, the future you\u2019ve selected has just been canceled.\u201d The lyrics are certainly dystopian, making references to H.P. Lovecraft on \u201cSilver Medal\u201d while Lux exalts himself as a future entity that the rest of the world has yet to catch up to. \u201cShadows In Vienna\u201d is of sufficient length and structure to be a single: It has a gloss to its production that the previous tracks don\u2019t, the vocals sound cleaner, and has scratched in dialogue samples from HBO\u2019s \u201cTrue Detective\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cStupid Human Suit\u201d has dark lo-fi piano keys driving the beat and the lyrics are both braggadocious and stream-of-consciousness, comparing the human body to a wearable suit. \u201cCordyceps\u201d begins with a Nas vocal sample and the production is \u201890s boom-bap from the basement. \u201cCrimson Tide\u201d is a gloomy snippet and could\u2019ve benefitted from having an additional thirty seconds. \u201cYellow Parenti\u201d has a clear trap influence, with its production being somewhat reminiscent of Bone Crusher\u2019s \u201cNever Scared\u201d.<\/p>\n
On \u201cWhen The Empire Falls\u201d, Lux declared that \u201cthe revolution will not be incentivized\u201d. The production has a RZA-influence to it: Looping a vintage sample with some dusty snares over it. From the title, \u201cOne Day The Day Won\u2019t Come\u201d has a certain pessimism about it. Once the piano keys and the lyrics drop, it becomes clear that this is a loose crime narrative. There are female vocals on the hook, but the singer is unidentified. \u201cMaradona\u201d sounds like something better suited for an emcee like CRIMEAPPLE given the lyrical topic and the song title. On \u201cHit 1 To Teach 100\u201d is eerie, to say the least, as though something menacing from it is inevitable.<\/p>\n
The final fourth of the album begins with \u201cMasquerade\u201d, where Lux waxes about the lengths that people go to for the sake of concealment. \u201cMy Work Is Not Yet Done\u201d has an unidentified rapper helming the entire verse, not Lux. On \u201cPublic Enemy\u201d, Lux goes on for exactly a minute railing against his \u201ctoxic metropolis\u201d and on \u201cA Crumb\u201d, he boasts that the last album he bought was the \u201cThe Carter II\u201d. On MF DOOM\u2019s \u201cVaudeville Villain\u201d, the concept of future visitor was clear. \u201cThe Quezon City Broadcast\u201d follows something similar, but it\u2019s incomplete. Also, there\u2019s no press release, no album credits for listeners to identify the guest features or even who manned the production. The album\u2019s cover appears to depict Sonny from \u201cI, Robot\u201d being crucified, adding to its depiction of an unpleasant future. If RIP Lux felt compelled to aim higher with this album, he\u2019d have scored higher.<\/p>\n
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