Over the years, hip-hop has been known for many different things. These elements include, but aren’t limited to, culture, turntablism, rhythmic beats, and arrogant diss tracks. Adam Calhoun’s newest offering, ‘AmerAcal II‘, chooses to focus largely on the latter.
Only a few months ago, former friends and collaboration partners Ryan Upchurch and Adam Calhoun had a falling out over unspecified reasons. This newborn animosity towards each other has fueled a fire within Calhoun that has been unheard of over his last few albums. His raw bellyache of detestation helps create harder beats, more violent vocals, and an unsettling amount of brutality.
The album gets off to a strong start with the first song, “Gorillas,” featuring the lesser-known artist Brodnax. Here, the two rappers compare themselves to the silverback kings of the jungle.
Rough, tough, and wise, among the animal kingdom. Not quite lions, but still someone you wouldn’t want to mess with.
Of all the animals to collate with, there aren’t many higher. It is easily understood why the artist chose to extract the imagery of King Kong to assert dominance.
“Insane” continues the superiority complex while adding the threat of gun violence. There is no other way to decipher the point-blank lyrics “Out of touch, I’m a little insane, but this thing on my hip goes bang.”
This song goes a long way in reviving the feel of 90s gangster rap, a time when American housewives everywhere spoke out against their teenagers filling their minds and ears with words that invoked such savage ferocity. To this day, the debate remains as to whether this genre of music has a direct impact on society or vice versa.
Next up, “Silver Lining” brings back Calhoun’s singing vocals and a small dose of hope. The artist reminisces here about his grandfather — the man who raised him instead of his real father.
Adam Calhoun’s lyrics tell us that he isn’t optimistic enough to believe that every cloud has a silver lining, but that doesn’t mean he is going to give up because tomorrow is a new day.
Not every day we live seems hopeful. Depression sets in, and aspirations go out the window.
But that doesn’t mean we should give up. Things often look brighter in the morning. Simply holding on can save your life.
Further along, “Who Got Next” attacks the doubters we all run into in life. Not everyone we speak with has our best interests at heart. They talk negatively, thinking their heartless language will discourage us enough that we will walk away completely.
The truth is that they believe that your success is ultimately their failure.
The extreme violence returns with “Pocket Full of Bullets,” featuring the opening lines, “What the fuck you saying? I’ll be standing on the pavement. Pocket full of bullets, I ain’t playing.”
This track doesn’t appear to be about anyone in particular, but that doesn’t make it any less impactful. Calhoun’s words hit like metal slugs denting a bulletproof vest. Honestly, there is no real damage done, but fear is instilled into the heart, and it is understandable why no one wants to get on the artist’s bad side — something Ryan Upchurch should have thought about earlier.
The next diss track, “Holy Water,” is more direct, naming Ryan Upchurch specifically. Aside from the blatant mockery, Calhoun shines with his many talents here, including a handful of lines rapped a cappella. Unfortunately, these skillful bars are undermined by the baby talk delivered in earlier verses.
It’s understandable why the playful verses exist, but just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be. Immaturity dates quickly.
A few songs later, “750 Horses” hits with a huge serving of cockiness. Calhoun brags about his metaphorical engine running top-notch with 750 horsepower. To fully understand his comparison, one must Google the average horsepower of the most commonly used car — the answer is around 180.
While it isn’t necessarily bad to be confident in all you do, arrogance can quickly get you in trouble. Running your mouth to the wrong person at the wrong time can cause a slew of drama you may not be ready to handle.
Lord forgive me, I’m about to put a church in a coffin.
The final clapback song on the album is “Church’s Coffin.” Still about the same subject as before, Calhoun goes in heavy — refusing to give his opponent a chance to stand up after a perfectly timed suckerpunch.
This time, Calhoun keeps things serious, insulting his fellow artist with every word fired. “It must suck to be a shitty rapper and a bad singer.” There is no playing with kid gloves here — it’s just straight-up hatred.
When all is said and done, ‘AmerAcal II’ is a single slice of hatred and conceit. Adam Calhoun focuses all of his negative energy and uses it not only to tear down his opponent but also to build himself up. While not necessarily commendable, at least it is constructive.
Building something with your cynicism is better than letting it continuously intensify inside of you, developing a hole, and allowing it to destroy you. Get it out, exorcise it from your body, and leave it far behind. Hopefully, this is what Adam Calhoun has done here.
What is your favorite track on ‘AmerAcal II?’ Let us know in the comments below.
Listen to ‘AmerAcal II’ here.
Follow us on X and on Instagram!
Like us on Facebook!
Charles E. Henning
Self-proclaimed "entertainment guru" Charles E Henning fills his free time reading books, watching movies, and listening to music. While not always up on the latest trends, he is consistently willing to dissect the themes of pop culture.
