B’ce n Tha Bloody Money Street Dreamz II: The Futher Adventures of Queen B’ce cassette
I ponder all of the arguments about what punk is or isn’t—the unresolvable conflict, always dead before it even starts. It’s maybe a more productive exercise in our formative years, and then when you find yourself to be an aging white guy you realize you might be out of touch and should just shut the fuck up. Now that I’ve alienated two thirds of you, let’s get to what’s really important, and that is that Toledo’s B’CE is back with four new cuts that have me throwing all of those arguments about punk into the “who gives a fuck” bin. “Too Many Times” is unmistakably a hip hop track about B’CE’s experiences being harassed by police, for simply existing. The beat has a very ’80s vibe and the song fucking rips. The fact that the chorus gets stuck in my head for days is not irony. The other three are raucous, raw and loud hardcore punk songs, captured as urgently as possible. One or two mics in the middle of the room style. “What do you know about these police? / What do you know about these streets? / What do you know about these street dreams? / What do you know about dumpster diving?” There is a song called “Punk,” which I can’t even do justice explaining how awesome it is. “This is lit man talking shit / Bloody Money that’s my click / Punks get rich, now punk is in / Punk is out now, punk is in / Punk greatness this is it / Punk greatness we the shit!” I like how all of the songs are strung together with candid quips, like they just let the tape roll so you get the whole experience. So what is punk? Well it should be liberating and subjective and this tape is affirming in so many ways that I’m going to urge you to write the band (2040 Alvin St., Toledo OH 43607) for a copy, and check out the music video for “Street Dreamz/Too Many Times.” You know where to look for that. Thank you B’CE and friends.