Starranko

Starranko

The Manhattan Project
self-released; 2013

4.1 out of 5

By Ethan Skelton
The rhymes, the beats, the samples – where to begin? Starranko has indefinitely established himself as a success story in the making on The Manhattan Project. The rap world could use a guy like this, with conscious material and real talent at spitting and weaving poetry into his mic skills. He has fresh musical elements and everything has a touch of “from scratch” to it, nothing overly polished or catered toward a certain audience, especially not the roll over easy formula for club jams. Think Macklemore had he been more prominently inspired by the early ‘90s brand of hip-hop.

There’s plenty of tastes to his sound ranging from instrumentation driven def jam raps, to simplified synth hook grinders and even some classy use of obscure and appropriate sampling. That technique never gets old for me. You can’t resist the lovely juxtaposition of hard-hitting rhymes and sunshine melodies voiced with vintage appeal and dipped in the peaceful waters of ‘60s trends.

Such is the case on “Gucci” with that chopped and manipulated little hook line over the top of Starranko’s flow. It has a great mix of light and grit that makes it perfect for a wide range of listeners. I could bang this in my car for almost all my friends and they would nod their heads. Solid track. The opener “Halleluajah” has an older quality a la Beastie Boys with lyrical arrangements like Three Six Mafia. “Halle Berry, Hallelujah” doesn’t exactly make resonant sense to me but I dig it hard. That’s some clever writing and it leaves an impression.

I heard some Kanye West styling on “Peacemaker,” which worked nicely through slightly sung passages and wavering intonation at syllabic breaks for emphasis. It’s hard not to subconsciously borrow sounds from a guy who has reinvented the game.

“Real Love” is a tight club track that has the right amount of edge to get people a little freaky. I wasn’t as impressed with “Howard Hughes” only due to the fact that I recognized all the GarageBand loops used. Not that that is inherently bad, but it was so obvious and not constructed in any unique way separate from the original. The track still bumps and the loops used are great choices, so most people won’t have an issue with it. The Manhattan Project is some of the best underground work I’ve heard and deserves some attention. Don’t think twice and dive in. - The Even Ground

Starranko’s “The Manhattan Project” offers up a wide variety that all falls under the hip hop umbrella. “Hallelujah” name drops a lot, but all in all “screams it out like Kendrick” while “Real Love” continues to use others name — Kelly Rowland for example. There is a big difference here though. This one goes harder in the beat. “Gucci” lightens it up in both the subject manner and the beat. “Hands Up” speeds it up like the “Fast and Furious” franchise, just as “Just Us” slows it down in the best way possible. The truth about Starranko is that he can bring it in any way shape or form — so long as it falls into the hip hop category. He can go hard, but soften it up in an instant. It’s all good with Starranko, so if you like variety from artists check “The Manhattan Project” out now. (https://soundcloud.com/starranko/sets/the-manhattan-project) - Da Hip-Hop Place

Starranko recognizes that every genre of music has its own strengths and has taken to combining the best of rap, rock and EDM. The East coast artist has taken time to speak with Progressive Man about the release of his debut album, “The Manhattan Project” and how he manages to blend his varied influences into a unique and distinctive hip-hop style. - Progressive Man