Musab

Musicians are known for toeing the line between two different worlds — drifting between good and evil — or various mind states to become successful. We've all got multiple personalities, so that's not groundbreaking news, but the split between Muslim rapper Musab and Las Vegas-based pimp Minnesota Slicks is hard to explain — mainly because they are the same person, and when those worlds collide on wax, watch out! Thankfully Musab doesn't waste time advocating the street life, nor does he proselytize for Islam. He's just letting listeners experience his world as a self-described Muslim pimp and MC. The beats on Musab's latest release, Slicks Box, are mainly raw and gritty rough drafts that don't do his rhymes much justice, but Musab still has a lot to get off his chest. Most of the songs, like "I Aint Even in the NBA" and "Please Do Not Assume" deal with his proclivity for fine asses and the spoils of pimping women. He brags, boasts, buys $300 T-shirts, and makes you want to vomit. Other cuts, like "I Gots to Get Mine" and "Confessions of MN Slicks," deal with the duality of Islam and living haraam (foul) — he's found his own peace with the situation, and these ditties are much more intriguing. It's not surprising he likes the money he makes, but how he relates it to raising his children is where the real lyrical creativity begins. The album's best song is easily "Hat and Shoes," with its whimsical flute loops and lovable Huggy Bear beat. Overall Slicks Box reeks of honesty and careens along as if Musab were having a staring match with morality and refusing to blink first.