Young & almost ready for ‘Insurrection’

Struggling for progress/Searching for the Success/Those on top are Trying to keep me down with the rest/But until I exhale my last breath/I’m going to represent to the fullest with no regrets.
These may sound like the overly repeated lyrics of countless rap groups, but more precisely, they are the overly repeated lyrics of University of Miami sophomore Burk Hudson. If his words seem predictable, Hudson’s rise to success is less-so. His determination and persistence will surely give suit to a legitimate hip-hop talent.
A Detroit native (via Chicago), this 19 year-old M.C. chose Miami as his place of study and ideal launching pad for his career. After regularly performing in such Chicago venues as the Hot House, Doubledoor, and Metro, Hudson’s beats wafted over the airwaves through such major frequencies as Northwestern University Radio and Chi town’s leading hip-hop station, WGIC 107.5.
The momentum of Hudson’s successes eventually led him to the final round of the Chicago chapter of a national freestyle competition and on various nationally syndicated television shows.
Now a full-time student majoring in business management at UM, Hudson has been working on spreading his words throughout the hip-hop world via South Florida. Since moving to Miami, Hudson has performed at club 5922 as well as the Virgin Megastore and has released a full-length album.
Signed on to student run ‘Cane Records in 2000, Burk has taken advantage of this prestigious opportunity to fine-tune about 40 compositions that make up his eclectic repertoire. In his spring 2001 release, Insurrection, Hudson delivers 13 solid cuts of home made hip-hop lyrical downpour.
Young and idealistic, the morals and themes of most commercial rap in today’s industry seem to be the antipode of what this M.C. is trying to purvey: lyrical ability, indelible integrity, and even inexperienced sexuality. You will not find any “bling-blinging” on this album, nor will you hear shout-outs to cop-killers and gang-bangers, or pimps with long feathers driving Bentleys with 40-ounce cup holders made of leather.
But as far removed from the trite and materialistic muck of mainstream rap as Insurrection is, it does remain immature merely in the sense that Hudson is, simply put, young. The attempts are quite brave, yet somehow, in his young age, Hudson has a tendency to give elementary portraits of sex in Bubble Bath with the cliched orgasmic swooning of a studio recorded babe, or give negative contrast to his truly aptly earned poetic license with the Yeah-Yeah-Uh huhs that permeate the album.
Credit must be given where credit is due, however. Hudson produced and engineered the whole album himself at “Hudson’s Lab,” guided solely by his artistic vision. And in this vision, some could hear the balanced musical intermingling of musical styles in such tracks as Warrior Style, reminiscent of Gangstarr, or the Spanish flavored My Soul featuring Johan Nebb.
At times, the record seems a little sloppy in its production, such as levels sliding askew or uneven choruses that come in too low or leave too late. But in the end, these small imperfections show that this kid is for real. Fans or first-time Hudson listeners will enjoy Insurrection for what its worth, but anticipation should be focused more on Hudson’s future releases, which will, hopefully, with experience, allow him to develop into the true hip-hop talent that he shows so much promise of.