Darko Super, also known as Doc Heller the maniacal emcee/producer from Morrisville Pennsylvania dropped a project titled “Buck Naked The Movie God Vs. Buddy Jesus & The Keanu Reeves Statue” not too long ago, and shot it to me and it took me some time to actually digest it. I still am decoding and discovering different things about Darko as time moves on, which is why I decided to review this project. I had a pleasure choppin’ it up with Darko and asked him what the meaning behind the album’s name and this is what he had to say.

“Buck Naked is George Constanza’s porn star name, it’s a joke on Seinfeld. Movie God is a term from Fight Club. We all grown up believing we could do anything, then realized that wasn’t exactly so anymore. Buddy Jesus is from Dogma, it represented how cool Catholicism could be. The Keanu Reeves Statue was the gift the angels gave Kenny in South Park for defeating hell’s hordes of demons. So all together the title is a play on Good Vs. Evil. Porn Vs. Religion. Realism Vs. Optimism. The name Darko The Super asks the question “Hero vs. Villain” it’s about an inner struggle. And that’s what it was like making this album”

So that peaked my interest and helped me begin my journey. You get 22 tracks on this album, so it is a lengthy project with several producers to challenge Darko’s cadence, and it was a pretty back and forth battle. On certain tracks I was really vibing and enjoying the vibe like “Fred Farkle”, “Woe is me” ,and “Pam Grier”, just to name a few. I became kind of bored with others like “Puff Daddy”, and “Blender” mainly because of the beats. Im all about experimenting and stepping out of your usual realm to have fun or try something different because other wise we wouldn’t know what we’re good at. However, I would have not been able to hold my peace if I were involved in the process of this project in anyway. I would have either advised using different beats, or to actually rhyme without the signature persona on these two joints in particular just to maintain the cohesiveness of the album’s sound. Howie Wonder is one producer who’s production continuously appears on this project and actually in my opinion meshes the beats with Darko besides his own. You also get other producers who play a part in this collage like Majestic Borage, BlkrKrt, Gloam, H1987, Akira Gautama, Starchild, Javis Faux, Kubes, TooNorth, Eagle Powers, Kahshun, Dr. Danduff, and The Super himself. Sadly Darko’s alter ego Doc Heller only produced one track on his own project. That is something i was hoping to see being a fan of his work prior to this release. Granted Darko has a pretty left field and difficult to grasp style but to say he is not a lyricist is simply not paying attention. He opens with this on track 15 “Zed” “Kill the oppressor, hang em in the street, guns banging to the beat, we some negative creeps, just trying to eat, flipping the weed sacks, chill with your feedback,” This actually goes with his description of the album that i spoke on before, good vs evil. He just wants to do what he loves without the restrictions but time, trial and tribulation is the cause of how he feels toward oppression from critiques.

If you are a fan of the normal formulas and would rather stay in your own comfort zone of Hip-Hop then this project is not for you, I’ll be completely honest. Myself personally I couldn’t listen to this joint with the homies in the car while we are on the move. Its unorthodox structure and symbolism raises too many eyebrows and should be digested with a consumer’s undivided attention. I cannot say I like every track on this album, nor do I understand every lyric but thats what keeps me interested. If Darko did not provide lyrics on soundcloud or take the time to break down some of his bars to me I probably would not have wrote this review out of respect for his work. A 22 track album takes a bold artist in today’s community because of how short the attention span is of our audience, as a consumer if i like the artist I would always love more like I said in my last review for Stanley Ipkuss, but sometimes you may want to trim the fat, or maybe have some features to give the listener a break from you for a minute. Its like a restaurant, you got your chicken, beef, and pork entrees but you got different ways to cook em to keep people coming back. Sometimes I need it well done rather than rare Darko. Although Darko seems to be a loner, I’m sure he has someone around just as interesting and dope as he is to ride shotgun on some of these tracks. I do respect and appreciate how bold The Super is though, his persona may come off as a gimmick but if he were to present in a normal tone of voice with a cadence that we are familiar with it wouldn’t be unique. It would honestly sound like another rapper trying to be rebellious and an activist, so it works for him and actually keeps me entertained throughout this album. Darko is definitely in a class of his own, I hear influential styles that he has grabbed and let mold him as an artist like El-P, Mr Muthafu*kin Exquire, Flatbush Zombies, Vordul Mega, MF Doom, and Cage, all east coast underground artist who have been around for enough time to leave a mark.

I said a lot to say this, Darko got his point across with this project regardless if you realize it or not. He caused me to actually debate with myself about if I really enjoyed this or was just more interested to see how he approaches his work. After listening to it a few times i can say i enjoy his approach and actually like it because of how truthful homie is. If i were to rate this project out of 5 i would give it a 3.5 out of 5 because of how long it is without any features at all. I wanted to hear a few features here and there to get a break from the star of the show, certain beats that i mentioned before, and his style can come across overbearing at times. Maybe if this album had opportunities to breathe with interludes, skits, or even just beats from Darko himself, it would have gotten the point across a bit better. All in all I walk away from this project with new questions each time I press play. If you are a fan of art with an edge this is for you, it is also based on preference. If you love certain types of beats or hooks, and would rather not think while you listen then you should have stopped reading a while ago. The album is available now so show love and support. Until we meet again world, peace.