Detroit has become known for the White Rapper Syndrome, but what fans have forgotten is Detroit was once the music Mecca that filled the charts with hits. Since the change of decades, music has evolved leaving Detroit artists in the dusk. Rappers have the choice to either tote back packs, sling heavy loads of cocaine or talk off the wall about their life events. Through this the rise of the Detroit Feel Good Artist seemed to have fallen to the waste side. New comer and feel good artist, R.A.B.S. seems to be just what the doctor ordered. R.A.B.S. was one of the boys growing up on the o... (+) expand

Detroit has become known for the White Rapper Syndrome, but what fans have forgotten is Detroit was once the music Mecca that filled the charts with hits. Since the change of decades, music has evolved leaving Detroit artists in the dusk. Rappers have the choice to either tote back packs, sling heavy loads of cocaine or talk off the wall about their life events. Through this the rise of the Detroit Feel Good Artist seemed to have fallen to the waste side. New comer and feel good artist, R.A.B.S. seems to be just what the doctor ordered. R.A.B.S. was one of the boys growing up on the other side of Eight Mile Road, but that didn't remove him for the hustler's life which resulted in the lost of a best friend and time in confinement. Does that show up in his lyrics though? No; can you tell by talking to him; maybe. But it's not evident in all his songs. From the appearance of his press kit and entourage you would maybe listen but really not pay attention, because everything about him seems straight laced and by the book professional. Then once you listen to the lyrics and his attitude towards the mic, you are convinced that this white boy was a product of his Motown roots. From the intro of his debut album he rants about how the industry needs to change. He doesn't just end his change of action at the intro, each song is tapped into what he is trying to enforce upon the music industry. R.A.B.S. first single to hit airways, Let's Slide featuring Merci and produced by Primo is the club banger that can be played from college campuses to overcrowded cabarets. Bounce Dat featuring Sean Dalon is a strip club anthem that makes it okay to be a stripper in the club bouncing dat ass and making cash. His self-reflecting joint, The Truth featuring Bobby Nelson, makes a person look in the mirror and want to re-evaluate their life with the same intensity that Black Girl Lost possessed.

R.A.B.S. debut album Let It Be Known, is just that his proclamation that it needs to be known that Detroit's Enimen is not the only white rapper producing diverse hits. R.A.B.S. doesn't try to be anything that what he is and that's a talented lyricist with a mark in music history to be made. This release is solid and while delivering social commentary and advice to Detroit youth, R.A.B.S. doesn't come off preachy or egotistical.-------------------------------------------------------------------------Areina Jerran (-) collapse