The Southern Demon Nerd

JUDGES' BREAKDOWN

1. LEX the Lexicon Artist

   8.33/10 score · rank #16 of 24
   VOCALS 7

   PRODUCTION 10

   CHALLENGE 8

   Man that production is something else. Taco really pulled out all the stops for this. It's both smooth in true Southern Demon Nerd style, and heavy and dirty. Good vocal engineering too, I can tell you're working with a lot of vocal trax. I personally think 3/4 is a smart way to go about this challenge because it's still relatively easy to rap and compose to. I want to like the vocals but their effectiveness across the track varies wildly. Some moments (like the final verse) are really solid and engaging, but I thought most of the singing fell flat and some of it was not on key. To my understanding, ad-libs are little accentuating words and noises, not just double ups on the main vocals. I took points off the challenge for this. You did achieve the two other dimensions though. You were one of the favorite teams I was introduced to and I cannot wait to hear more music from both of you! Truly a treat to anticipate what you will do for each round and listen to the result. You're one of my favorite reasons to participate in the VPC in any form - to discover very talented artists you didn't know before. Cheers to that!

2. Mark Cooper

   8.67/10 score · rank #9 of 24
   VOCALS 8

   PRODUCTION 8

   CHALLENGE 10

   Love the swing of the beat. Great vibe of a song! vocals are nice just needed to be leveled a little more with the beat. Give it a more presence in the track. They are clear overall but at points they get baried in the track. good lyrics and delivery for the most part, just a little mud issue at the last few bars of the song with the adlibs. Good work overall.

3. Klopfenpop

   7.33/10 score · rank #20 of 24
   VOCALS 7

   PRODUCTION 8

   CHALLENGE 7

   This is 6/8 y'all. Two groups of three with a steadily alternating downbeat and backbeat starting every other group is 6/8. 3/4 is the more waltzy groove where instead of two strong pulses per bar, there is a strong "one two three" like "Dance of Pales (No Sleep)" by Mega Ran. But it also more importantly does not matter because this shit rips. For being a chosen Ad Lib challenge song, these ad libs are not very prominent. They mostly sound like punch ups, which are ad libs. But this doesn't feel like the song that is showcasing your ad lib work. I appreciate where it's more improvisational ad libs, but I wish there was more of that. Xanthi's ad libs feel very nice, but I wish they were mixed a little louder. Okay, your later verse has a couple good melodic ad libs. I don't know if this vibe of song was the best way to showcase ad libs in particular. Some of the melodic work gets a bit pitchy on the passing tones, which can come down to rehearsal time. Round Five is always a little hectic. Y'all made a really solid song.

4. Ben Tarkus

   9.33/10 score · rank #10 of 24
   VOCALS 9

   PRODUCTION 9

   CHALLENGE 10

   This song feels raw. Staying strangers to protect yourself, but the real danger is being vulnerable, and feeling things means both the bad with the good. Is it worth the risk? This one stood out to me among a bulk of the entries this round, just feels more emotional both in the lyrics and the energy of the beat. * All teams receive a '10' in their challenge category from me this round. This has to be one of the most randomized challenges and can seem insurmountable with the wrong pairing. As such, I am thoroughly impressed with everyone's ability to rise to the task.

5. Richie Branson

   9.33/10 score · rank #9 of 24
   VOCALS 9

   PRODUCTION 9

   CHALLENGE 10

   This song is legitimately sexy. What the fuck. The writing on this is GOOD, right up there with shit I hear coming from a lot of major label writing camps. Beat is perfect for the vibes being captured here, and I dig it. The singing is great, in both expression and rhythm. Chris Brown, Summer Walker, etc. all have light pitch correction in their studio vocals, that might be useful here just to touch up the spots where things naturally get pitchy. This is great! Definitely gotta listen to more of y'alls stuff outside of the competition.