Moses Rockwell
‘The Unfortunate
Case of Mortis Rocksalt’
Self-released
Heavily influenced
by John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” Rochester rapper Moses Rockwell brings
a sophisticated blend of jazz, R&B, and hip-hop in his beats. Rockwell has
put out ten albums since 2012, including his latest, “The Unfortunate Case
of Mortis Rocksalt,” which was released in May.
Rockwell spits rhymes with intelligent flow and charismatic swagger, throwing out poetic
references like a well-versed librarian. “The Unfortunate Case of Mortis Rocksalt” is a candid reaction to societal issues
through humorous observations of everyday life. You can hear the grin in his
voice as Rockwell recites his inner thoughts on “An Old Yarn” and
“Beak Down,” while his crisp articulation is complemented by
atmospheric electronic textures on “Mostly Harmless” and
“BOB.” “Out to Lunch (Featuring Dezmatic)”
and “Ghost Me (Featuring Gary Lamaar)”
offer a kaleidoscope of words, turning in and out of each other like
interconnected images. Moses Rockwell pulls rhymes from places you didn’t know
existed.
This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2019.
