Anyone who knows Theophilus London knows that this is somewhat of an achievement for the young Brooklyn MC. True, it’s a short track, and although both verses are well-constructed, they are short remarkable. Why then is “Life Lover” an achievement for London? For the simple reason that it is unlike everything else we’ve heard from him up to this point. London is a young artist who has yet to release a full LP (of course, these days, you could be fifty and still releasing internet mixtapes), and his first single, “Humdrum Town,” while awesome, felt gimicky. The sound was clearly not sustainable, and yet as I listened to the rest of London’s tape, I feared that he was going to try to ride that sound all the way to the nearest Urban. Luckily Theophilus, or someone near him, realized that if he wanted to be taken seriously, he needed to diversify his offerings, and quite frankly, be wary of “rave-rap.” All of that being said, I really dig this artist, and hope to hear much more like this in the near future. Bring in the horns!
