AMG Review of Bad Influence

Jason Thurston
All Music Guide

There's very little original in Lil Wyte's horror-rap grab bag, he's essentially Eminem without a sense of humor, but, like a good B-movie schlockfest, the Memphis rapper brings the gloom and gore effectively and it can be wickedly entertaining at times. After almost a decade of hard work, it's clear that he's more than a bit bitter about being underrated by some, but he channels that aggression into his music for his fourth record, The Bad Influence, one of his strongest to date. Opening track and single "Some Other S***" opens on a traditionally brutal crunk beat with the requisite repetitive tagline, and it's a simple, profane one, but it's catchy and hypnotically delivered, and it washes smoothly into his acrobatic lyrics. While most of the terror comes from his own life and from the wake left by his own swaggering fierceness, Lil Wyte can also bring the straight-up slasher story. On "Get Gone," he tells a tale from the zombie's perspective, as his "hero" unleashes his undead fury on the community around him, all backed by a sinister Halloween-esque soundtrack. Lil Wyte does have a point if he feels a bit cheated, he is truly one of best players in both the crunk and horror worlds, and The Bad Influence should only strengthen his long-building reputation.