D-Sisive Massacres Rhymes on New Album 'Jonestown'

Posted on Dec 1st 2009 1:00PM by Bryce Seefieldt
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On 'Jonestown,' the third D-Sisive album to drop in the last 18 months, the re-energized Toronto MC brings a battle-rap bravado reminiscent of his early days.

The acclaimed indie rapper earned his stripes going head-to-head in Toronto's fledgling hip-hop scene before disappearing from the music world for six years. Since reemerging in 2008 to drop his debut album 'The B.O.O.K.,' he's captivated new listeners, intrigued with his obscure and imaginative storytelling that touches on very personal and very dark themes.

In contrast, his approach to 'Jonestown' is a return to tight flows and knockout punch lines with a lesser focus on the morose. Nonetheless, the implications behind the title 'Jonestown' would indicate his subject matter will continue to venture, if only slightly, into the shadows.

Originally, the concept of the record was designed to exemplify his talent as a ferocious emcee. "I don't wanna sound like one of those bitchy artists that whine about their reviews," he explains, "but I like to read them for the constructive criticism, if any is given. One of the not-so-good reviews was saying '[D-Sisive] tells a great story, but his flow is not that dope and there's no rhyme schemes.'"

This critique inspired him to dust off the battle-rap tactics that took a backseat to his creative catharsis on his previous two albums. He describes his objective on this new record as total annihilation. "My connection to 'Jonestown' was that this is going to be the record that's going to kill everything, it's the f----ing Kool-Aid. It's going end it. But the more I started writing, I started to go in another direction, I wanted to play more with the concept."

So even within traditional punch lines, there is a subtext exploring the darker Jonestown theme. Despite overwhelmingly positive feedback from his fans, others have criticized him for making light of a great tragedy. D maintains his intention to treat the subject with respect while defending his right to explore the topic creatively.

"If someone doesn't like it that's cool, at least I'm creating something that's not disposable -- and by no means am I making something for shock value because that's f---ing lame. But unless people talk about it, what's the point? I could have put out a record called 'D-Sisive's In The House' and had a song called 'Throw Your Hands In The Air," he snarks.

The acclaim for his past two records from such a wide and unexpected group of supporters -- including Juno Award nominations, a Polaris Prize long-list spot and an Echo Songwriting Prize win for 'Nobody With A Notepad' -- has instilled in him a desire to create unconventional hip-hop that evolves from one album to the next.

The artist, who not long ago suffered from a prolonged bout of writers block, is now banging out records at an alarming rate. In fact, he says a new record is already in the works. Driven to give back to his fans and stay fresh in their heads, D-Sisive decided to make the 'Jonestown' album available as a free download.

"Everyone's attention spans are very low, you could be forgotten about in an instant. I was lucky enough to put out two records that received a lot of attention, so I wanted to put out a record for free to still remain relevant and give back to the people who supported me...my goal is to put out a free album a year."

Download 'Jonestown' here