Job goes hip-hop is sly, fast, funny

Shout out to my peeps that da boyz be back and the 411 on their new groove is dat it's da bomb.

Or to put it in more typical critical jargon: It's my pleasant duty to report to all of you that Eli Batalion and Jerome Saibil have returned to town with their hip-hop saga of Job.

It's fast, it's funny, it's hot, it's cool. It has something to say, but it doesn't take itself too seriously saying it.

Recall the story of Job from the Bible? He was one of God's most faithful servants, and so the Almighty decided to test his loyalty. He took everything away that Job held dear — his family, his riches, and his health. But in the end, after some near moments, the man stood true.

Okay, but what are two nice Jewish boys doing retelling this story in a record company setting in hip-hop style? Maybe they should call themselves Vanilla Oys?

The music by Batalion, Saibil and Paul Bercovitch has the structure down, but they allow themselves some sly in-jokes like sampling Mozart and the Beatles as part of their tracks.

The lyrics are mile-a-minute fast and can't-stop-laughing funny. If Stephen Sondheim had grown up in the 'hood, he might have written like this. It's not every day you find this genre rhyming "dig you later" with "defibrillator" and — my personal favourite — "Schopenhauer's" with "grope in showers".

But Batalion and Saibil the authors also owe a debt to Batalion and Saibil the performers. They walk the walk, they talk the talk, they got the moves, they got the grooves. Batalion has the smirk, Saibil favours the leer.

Their rapid-fire gifts of Uzi-styled delivery are only matched by their Cote St. Luc dance breaks. They work hard but they never show the strain and together, they create magic.

It's tight, it's fly; check it out.
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The above notice is compiled from the original reviews of Job I and Job II, now being presented together in one evening.

— Richard Ouzounian