If I didn't know better, I'd think this Rjd2 kid had a Charles Bronson-sized death wish. He showed up on the cover of last year's Deadringer with his skull busted open and bleeding all over his Sunday school clothes, and he's taking The Horror even more literally, with a photo of himself face-down in a pool of blood, next to somebody's stash of pop-top Schlitz cans. I could throw out all kinds of scenarios that might lead to such an unfortunate demise, but it's probably best left for people to resolve with their own imaginations while I break down what's really important-- the music.

As has become Def Jux protocol, The Horror is a post-blockbuster collection of odds-and-ends designed to either shed new light on its predecessor or lure in suckas who slept on the original. But where anyone else attempting such a dubious marketing scheme would be immediately called out for straight-up pirates, the Def Jukies have once again done an impressive job offering up baubles that satisfy both conditions. Like Deadringer, The Horror begins with what's become Rj's signature cut, "The Horror", repeated verbatim with its punk-ass bassline and triumphant horn samples. From there, the EP takes off on a compilation of B-sides and remixes that's dizzying enough to confuse the fuck out of anyone trying to play spot-the-differences, not to mention utterly betray the five kids who still collect Def Jux twelve-inches.

To be fair, there is one entirely new cut ("Sell the World"), but it's nowhere near revelatory. Other than a Kurt Weill-ian bridge detour, the track isn't much more than standard downtempo-- pleasant enough, but far from on par with Deadringer's best. The previously unreleased remixes fare much better, especially the new take on "Final Frontier" that finds Vast Aire, Aesop Rock and Murs kickin' it along with Blueprint to the tune of a Def Jux posse cut that finally gets it right after a handful of misfires. There's also an instrumental mix of "Final Frontier" that holds up well on its own thanks to that claustrophobic shuffle of a beat, and a superior version of "F.H.H." that breathes easier in the absence of Jakki Motormouth's run-of-the-mill mic check.

In regards to the B-side material, The Horror admirably corrals some fantastic cuts that have only been heard by the most obsessive of Def Jukies. "Bus Stop Bitties" (originally found on the "Let the Good Times Roll" twelve-inch) captures Rj on some more of his "thinking man's Moby" shit, with its repeated sample of "Cornbread/ And lima beans/ Candied yams/ Collard greens" inciting equal amounts of ass-shaking and face-stuffing; one can only guess what might've happened had he run into those other bitties over at the BK lounge. Similarly, the white-label-only "part one" of "Good Times Roll" grafts the same "Mannish Boy" verse over a significantly harder beat, even taking a Black Ark worthy dub detour in the middle. I wish I could say the same for the "June" remix (from the twelve-inch for the original track) but, like the previously unreleased "Ghostwriter" mix, it's rather underwhelming, offering only shades of disparity from its original version.

Like El-P's FanDam Plus before it, Rj's EP comes with a second disc of multimedia material to presumably sweeten the deal. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely a couple of redeeming factors-- like the surreal animation short for "The Horror" or the "Making of 'The Horror' music video" clip, shot on-location at the same abandoned mental hospital where Jacob's Ladder was filmed-- that make disc two more than collector-bait. But beyond the few people who've always wanted to know that he's stolen beats from Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials ("as long as it's hott" indeed!) or never seen Rj and El-P do their Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick routine at the end of "Squeegee Man Shooting" on tour, it's a mere novelty and not much more.

Since I'm positive that no one over at Def Jux central is losing sleep over these questionable-at-best marketing tactics, I'll let them off the hook once again-- because The Horror is still a solid reiteration of Rj's remarkable talent. And if he wants to keep using the bleeding head wound fixation to disguise his music from the uplifting force it truly is, I won't begrudge him that one simple pleasure-- even if his records betray him every cut of the way.

-Scott Hreha, May 6th, 2003