Winnipeg Free Press - Pip Skid
Pip Skid
Skid Row (Foultone/Marathon of Dope)
Nobody can claim Brandon born MC Pip Skid (Pat Skene) is getting soft in his old age. Angry, frustrated and unsure about the future, Skene’s self-deprecating take on life as a disenfranchised 30-something doesn’t pull any punches.
Backed by the rock-solid beats of DJ Kutdown (Michael Arnone), that at times could pass for Big Black outtakes on cuts like Skid Row, I Can’t Sleep (featuring Greg MacPherson) and Can You Do It (with Yy), Skene attacks the mike with a brutal honesty and an unrestrained passion. On I Never Knew, the fiery MC proclaims, “I never knew it would be so tough,” over a chopped up re-edited ’90s style grunge riff, while on Done with Me he cautions that “everything I touch turns bad.” As hard as Skene is on the world around him on, he’s always more critical of himself.
Considering Skid Row is the former Farm Fresh member’s best album yet, it makes you wonder how much longer Skene is going to be Canada’s most underrated MC? Check him out tonight when he releases the album at the West End Cultural Centre.
4 stars
Anthony Augustine
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 13, 2010 C4
