“Unknown Therapist of Dantalion” is the newest album from Oklahoma City rapper Steven Gaines. I first covered his work back in 2020 with his project “Gain the Emcee”, and I was introduced to Steven’s intentionally erratic rhyme schemes, stream-of-consciousness-like wordplay and highly memorable hooks (my mind still goes back to the one for “Binya Binya”). 2021’s “La-Bas (The Damned)” saw him taking a few bold, calculated risks with his music, whether it’s performing alongside rappers both in and out of his creative circle like Bryan MacKK, Goosy, Boo, Nook and Sabelo Cyprian or incorporating French (like the album title) into his songwriting.

But with “Unknown Therapist of Dantalion”, Steven raises his creative standards a few notches higher, resulting in arguably his most challenging and forward-thinking project so far. Like “Gain the Emcee” and to an extent “La-Bas”, Steven takes the MF DOOM (RIP) route and adopts a new personality, the Unknown Therapist. “So let it be known”, says Steven in the liner notes available on his Bandcamp page, “that I am an Unknown Philosopher, and silence is my nature. The therapist only represents my life, and Dantalion my witness as he does not specialize in music”.

The Googler in me, of course, sought out the name ‘Dantalion’ and discovered the following: “The Demon Dantalion is a Fallen Angel and 71st of the 72 spirits of Solomon. He appears in the form of a man with many faces of men and women, carrying a book in his hand. He knows human thoughts and can change them at will. He makes people fall in love and can show visions of people anywhere to others. He teaches all arts and sciences. He governs 36 Legions of Demons”. Going into this record for the first time with that info in mind, I will admit (and I imagine it’ll be the same for other listeners) that was a LOT to take in! However, with the more listens I gave it, the more I picked up on a concept of sorts interwoven into the album’s ten tracks and relatively short runtime. Of course, I could be wrong in my interpretation but then again, art….and this is indeed ART…. is designed to be interpreted anyway!

On the ominous album opener “A Beautiful Hop”, we’re introduced to the character of the Unknown Therapist. He both worships and represents Dantalion, the “Grand Architect of the Universe”, who in turn confides in him. Being a fallen angel and assuming the faces of many men and women, Dantalion has seen his fair share of darkness, misery and despair in the world through his varying human personas. A female personality of his, played by the album’s sole vocalist, sums this up by singing “This is hell on Earth” in the song’s closing moments. Client confidentiality isn’t completely thrown out the window as on this track and throughout the album, the Therapist relates his own experiences and observations to what Dantalion has already seen and learned during his time on Earth.

And while “A Beautiful Hop” is an effective way to begin the album’s proceedings, I felt that the interlude “Avage Ayer Dantalion On Ca” brings them to a screeching halt. For an almost 3 1/2-minute song centered on what is essentially a mantra, with a rather intriguing beat that reminded me a lot of early Three 6 Mafia production, this easily could’ve played for half that runtime.

Thankfully, the album picks up speed with the following track “Back 2 The Chamber” which old-school boom-bap heads like myself will enjoy thanks to its head nod-inducing production. And while fellow rapper/engineer Bryan MacKK shines on his verse with punchline after punchline, Steven ultimately makes the song his own, staying in character while delivering a slew of quirky, esoteric bars. He even alludes to the fact that he either deserved to be on Earth or in hell itself (“My hands are very dirty… bloody / Oh, did I mention? I belong below!”)

After we hear this vocal snippet from a boxer who describes how his fear dissipates with every step he takes toward to the ring, we’re treated to a bouncy, murky instrumental which Steven uses to get on some entertainingly braggy shit on the next track – and one of the album’s best songs – “Boston to Bangkok”. In addition to bragging about his exploits around the world, he also mentions R. Kelly’s references to his now-exposed abusive relationships with teenage girls in his songs (Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” comes to mind) and even Ye’s (formerly known as Kanye West) controversial “White Lives Matter” T-shirt from last year (“Kanye talking reckless, Yes, y’all lives do matter / Especially in the trap, y’all lives do matter”).

Afterwards, we get a trifecta of tracks featuring the brothers three: Goosy, Nook and Boo. “Dancing Devils (Friend)” finds Goosy teaming up with Steven for a hi-hat-driven strip club anthem. And while that may seem out of place for an album already tackling social, metaphysical and spiritual themes, in a strange way, it works in terms of developing the Therapist’s character even further. On his verse, Goosy adopts this half-drunk, half-high, all-horny mindset as he hilariously tries to hook up with a random stripper (“I just want to be your FRIEND and not your MAN”, “I’m a cowboy, HOWDY HOWDY / You know I got that WOODY WOOD”). Steven’s verse, which I personally felt could’ve ran on a bit longer since Goosy takes up a majority of the track’s duration, is remarkably clever, as he switches from the therapist role to that of the client. But instead of an office, he’s clearly in this VIP room getting a lap dance, and while I won’t ruin how he ‘reacts’ to this moment, I will say his interpolation of the iconic hook for DJ DMD’s “25 Lighters” is a true album highlight!

Up next, we get “Hard” where Nook, Boo and Steven…. you guessed it….. go hard over a spacey, dramatic and altogether DOPE instrumental. The chemistry between the three are felt on this track, from the gruffly, catchy AF hook to Steven’s blunt, replay-worthy verse (I absolutely FUCK with his “All your base belong to us / I said it first……’96” bar at the end, by the way)!

The energy from the previous tracks tapers off on the song “Love (Beast Mob)”. Steven utilizes the track’s hypnotic, bass-heavy production to deliver a short but incredibly dense verse chock-full of nuggets of wisdom. Goosy’s verse starts off strong, but I felt the mastering on the auto-tuned second half needed a bit more refinement. The song itself concludes with Steven asking “Remember the flowers?” which I interpreted as both a motif and an indication of the next step of the Therapist’s growth on the album.

On the flip side of my criticism of “Avage Ayer Dantalion On Ca”, “Skeletor Stance”, the shortest track on the record, would’ve greatly benefited from a longer runtime. Unfortunately, its 1 ¼ minute duration isn’t enough for Steven’s rapidly-delivered thoughts and ideas to fully stick, even over its delightfully moody, slow-paced trap beat. But the next track, “Steven Bangs”, improves on the time-sensitive missteps of “Skeletor Stance” with a jazzy, woodwind-supported instrumental (undoubtedly one of the best beats on this album) and a much clearer theme. In this case, he shares his thoughts on the physical, mental and spiritual burdens brought about by urban violence and gang warfare. On the post-hook, he returns to the flower motif by stating “But remember the flowers, please do”).

And this leads to the final track “The Flower Truck” which, despite the album’s apocalyptic beginning, ends its proceedings on a surprisingly bright and optimistic note. For the final time, he incorporates the flower motif, but in this instance, he uses the image of a flower truck and its driver to help visualize his newfound purpose in life: bring some sort of positive change to the world. Yes, the world still sucks but that doesn’t mean he should add more hopelessness to it. And while he may not have multiple faces or lives, he has his own – in addition to his music which he can use to bring about that change. Silence is still a part of him, but in relation to the ills and contradictions around him, he now has a reason to use his voice to address them.

As a whole, “Unknown Therapist of Dantalion” is yet another solid record from Steven Gaines. Those knowledgeable of Steven’s previous work will acclimatize to the album’s lyrics, themes and overall aesthetic faster than first-time listeners. And though its messages may seem indiscernible even after a few listens, the album’s complex, multi-layered subject matter, consistently atmospheric production and concise runtime are sure to make subsequent listens more rewarding. If you’ve been rocking with Steven Gaines up to this point, or if you’re a fan of provocative abstract or underground hip hop, “Unknown Therapist of Dantalion” is well worth the listen.

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

Now available on Bandcamp, Audiomack, Soundcloud, ReverbNation and YouTube

“La-Bas (The Damned)” is the latest album from Oklahoma City rapper Steven Gaines. Admittedly, I haven’t caught up on Steven’s work since I covered his “Gain the Emcee” record back in April of last year. However, in preparation for “La-Bas”, I listened to his recently-released collection of unreleased tracks entitled “Southpaw: Sessions 2012-2014”, which served as a welcome reminder of Steven’s superb, unconventional (in terms of rhymes and rhyme schemes) rapping capabilities.

With this eleven-track project, Steven steps out of his comfort zone by collaborating with South African artists Sabelo Cyprian (rapper) and Bryan MacKK (rapper, engineer on eight of the album’s tracks) and Algerian rapper Ali. He also grants his rapping partners-in-crime Mista A1, 2Shades, Big Thoughts, Goosy (who appeared on “Northern Lights”, one of the standout cuts from “Gain the Emcee”) and his brothers Gramz, Boo and Nook guest appearances on the album. But the main draw of “La-Bas” is hinted at with the album title. Much to my surprise going in to this record, Steven incorporates a substantial amount of FRENCH into his rhymes, which not only gives the album its own character and flavor, but places Steven in a creative league of his own. Think of the French language as an achievement he unlocked in some random video game and the album itself is the level where he gets to utilize it.

“La-Bas” opens with “Dey Danse”, the first of two collaborative tracks with Sabelo Cyprian, which features a slightly tense piano-driven instrumental with finger snaps and female vocalizing in the background. Sabelo impresses with a solid first verse, followed by Steven who, on this and other tracks on the album, RAPS HIS ASS OFF, without ever sounding like he’s rambling or pulling random words out of thin air (Points for his RIP shout-out to Aaliyah, and his clever reference to two of her classic songs with the line “One in a million, if you knew my age”). An uncredited Mariona, one half of the duo La Emcee, brings the song to a satisfying close with a rapped outro where she compliments Steven and Sabelo – and clearly having fun in the process – without trying to outshine them.

Speaking of La Emcee, they get their own song……kind of. On “La Emcee (La-Bas)”, Divon, the second half of La Emcee, comes through with an entertaining second verse rapped entirely in French. Interestingly, the track’s spacey, 80s synth-pop inspired beat is the exact one used on the “Gain the Emcee” track “Gimme Yours”. 2Shades and Bryan MacKK deliver decent third and fourth verses respectively, although I did come out of the song wishing that Bryan’s verse was a bit longer.

And speaking of “Gain the Emcee”, we also get a reworked version of its final track “Take the Time” on this album. Save for the instrumental which remains untouched, the verses are completely different. In addition, Steven allows 2Shades and Big Thoughts to spit over the first and second verses. And while both artists deliver compelling, personal stories of self-affirmation, Steven steals the show with an incredibly vivid and lyrically grandiose final verse as he raps about his deity-like status as a rapper (“All my songs will be enshrined / I view remotely with Thai Buddhist / Study the ripples and hairs on the Earth / My tongue is a relic / I spoke 3,000 years ago in the mountains with dinosaurs”).

But what makes this album special is that while Steven sticks to his idiosyncratic rapping style (except for one track which I’ll get to in a bit), he constantly finds ways to fit within conventional, less abstract production, lyrics and themes whilst maintaining his artistic individuality. And it’s this outside-the-box approach to his bars which results in some of the album’s most memorable moments.

Take the tracks “Beaucoup” and “Through the Smoke” with Goosy. On the former, which starts with a hilarious “Rick and Morty” soundbite used as a producer tag and segues into a chilly trap beat with slow, ominous piano keys, Steven delivers this dense, well-written verse which starts off with a sticky hook involving some woman who posts a lot of ‘shit’ on social media (who he dubs a “shitposter”) and concludes with a catchy-ass refrain where he spits “Who can beaucoup beaucoup as much as me? Beaucoup beaucoup rapping as much as moi?” Goosy sounds cocky-as-hell on this beat, but I won’t be surprised if he actually freestyled his verse. On “Through the Smoke” which, as the title suggests, is a weed song, he comes through with a short but pretty dope verse, rapping about the joy he gets from getting high – even by himself. The psychedelic instrumental for this track has a West Coast, G-Funk vibe to it, and both rappers keep their verses appropriately lightweight over it, especially Steven who raps about the clarity he attains and memories unearthed whenever he gets blazed.

We also get a trilogy of solid posse cuts, the first being “Ridin’ in Tha Ghost” which is, hands down, my FAVORITE SONG on the album! This track features a dark, haunting, 90s-inspired, boom-bap instrumental with a vocal sample that’s near-impossible to forget the moment the song ends (“RIIIIIDIN’ IN THA GHOST!!!”). With the exception of Boo who handles outro duties, Steven, Goosy, Gramz and Bryan MacKK approach this instrumental like hungry battle rappers, and you can actually picture their performances as part of this cypher where each rapper’s trying to outdo the other. Bryan MacKK walks away with the MVP award on this track, as he completely BODIES his verse with one aggressive bar after the next. But to be fair, Steven drops the phrase “C’est Beavis cleavage” in his verse, which is easily one of the most memorable phrases I’ve heard in a song all year!

The second and third tracks in this posse cut trilogy are “On My Soul” and “You Can Get Fucked Up”. “On My Soul” fans the flames generated from “Ridin’ in Tha Ghost” with its head-nodding, Spanish guitar-led instrumental. Admittedly, Goosy’s hook took a while to click with me (I attribute that to the syncing of his vocals to the beat), but it effectively sets the moody, introspective tone of the song which Steven, Gramz and Boo (who delivers an EXCELLENT verse here) sticks to. “You Can Get Fucked Up” is pretty self-explanatory as, over a hard-hitting instrumental which starts with an upright bass and violin (not something I expected to hear in a “Fuck the club up”-type song), Steven, Goosy, Gramz, Boo and Nook (who ends the track with an incredibly fiery verse) spit aggressive, confrontational bars at their respective haters.

In addition to the aforementioned Goosy collabos and opening track, we get three other rap duets. Over the tense, KingEF-produced instrumental for “Grand Chien”, Steven raps alongside Ali (who delivers an impressive, French-spoken verse) and manages to drop another catchy-ass refrain which involves waking up “bright and early”, “smelling like a birdy”, throwing (oneself) back in a casket and “hoppin’ like a rabbit….savage”. On the final track “Alive” which, from a songwriting perspective, is technically a Mista A1 song featuring Steven, we get a moody, piano-driven trap beat which A1 uses as a means of cathartic emotional release from the pain, loss and regret that held him back in life. In a wise, admirable move, Steven approaches his verse from a mental and spiritual perspective, finding the light inside of him to overcome external and internal darkness.

But it’s the second Sabelo Cyprian collaborative track “Watch Your Mouth” – set to a menacing, trunk-rattling beat – where, for the first and only time on the album, Steven breaks away from his esoteric rap style and delivers these concise, cold-blooded lyrical shots at his detractors. Along with showcasing Steven’s versatility as a rapper, this moment highlights his ability to adapt to the appropriate vibe and tone of an instrumental.

Overall, “La-Bas (The Damned)” was a really entertaining and enjoyable record. Though it tightropes back and forth between alternative hip hop sounds and concepts and trendier, more conventional lyrics and themes, I can imagine the most casual of hip-hop fans enjoying this album nonetheless. Steven made the most of his incorporation of French on this record, in addition to getting some great collaborations out of the artists included on it. Will we hear more French – or another language – on Steven’s next album? Time will tell. But regardless of whether you can speak French or not (I know little to none of it, in case you were wondering), “La-Bas (The Damned)” is certainly worth checking out.

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

Now available on Apple Music, Spotify, Bandcamp and Deezer

“Gain the Emcee” is the newest project from Oklahoma City rapper Steven Gaines. With production from Genycis, Conscious, 7th Galaxy, Lu B and Anno Domini, this 9-track LP is a spacey, quirky and remarkably unique examination of Steven’s persona “Gain”, a man who constantly seeks and gains knowledge from his own life experiences.

 This seasoned intelligence permeates Steven’s unconventional, stream-of-consciousness raps; whether it’s on the bouncy, electronica-based opening track “Binya Binya” (with an impressive verse from guest rapper Kid Craze and a very clever “Gullah Gullah Island” reference on the hook) or the dark, grimy track “Northern Lights” (which features a dope hook and verse from Steven and the project’s second and final guest rapper Goosy respectively). The moody, oftentimes atmospheric, production perfectly compliments Steven’s poetic lyricism, like Lu B’s blues rock-evoking beat on the catchy-as-hell track “Know Us” and Genycis’ nocturnal, synth-laden instrumental for “Rain Guards”.

 Admittedly, the bars presented on “Gain the Emcee” may come off as esoteric or cryptic for the average listener, but I would argue that Steven’s dense, decipherable lyricism, coupled with some impressively diverse production, add greatly to this project’s overall replay value. If you’re a fan of alternative hip hop (like I am), then this LP is well worth checking out. Be careful, however, that you don’t tune out the rhymes in favour of the music. As a wise (intelligent – points for the Poor Righteous Teachers reference in the final track “Take the Time”, by the way) man once said, “If you listen, you may learn something new”.

 OVERALL RATING: Light 4 out of 5 stars.

 BESS TRACKS: Binya Binya, Bright, I’ll Be There, Know Us, Northern Lights, Rain Guards, Take the   Time

 LEAST BESS TRACKS: Gimme Yours, I’m Nice