Relative to the music that was soon to come from Oddjobs, the Fun Boy bootleg will seem -- to put it bluntly -- a shade on the shallow side. The EP first began circulating throughout the rap underground at roughly the same time that the group's first recording of consequence, Absorbing Playtime,... [+] Expand

Relative to the music that was soon to come from Oddjobs, the Fun Boy bootleg will seem -- to put it bluntly -- a shade on the shallow side. The EP first began circulating throughout the rap underground at roughly the same time that the group's first recording of consequence, Absorbing Playtime, was released, but the pair of albums don't really have a lot in common otherwise. Then again, who says shallow need be a pejorative. Fun Boy is, if nothing else, a buoyant, whimsical listen, just as the title suggests. There is a reason, after all, that it has been so vigorously bootlegged. It has a loose, even sloppy, energy, and plays at times like a slapdash party mix or a messy, spirited live show. Such dopey pastiches as "The Sex Rapper" (a hip-hop take on the classic Jaggerz single) and "Principal's Office" (though it boasts an ingenious juke piano loop), while entertaining enough, openly betray the tender ages of the four members, not to mention the narrowness of their life experiences at the time. Of the EP's seven songs, only "Amish Woodshed" rises to the same lofty level of artistic excellence as Oddjobs' finest work, although there are certainly hints of the rich, moody ambience of the combo's mature recordings in the smooth, communal interplay between Advizer and Crescent Moon on "B96" and the tough, variegated productions of "BBQ Wings and a Prayer" and "Yeah, You Bad!" Fun Boy is probably a requisite listen for fans of Oddjobs, if only because it shows the seams of the genealogy of the group's influences. But the EP should certainly appeal to a majority of fans of indie rap as well, particularly if they approach it without preconceived notions. And if, of course, they can find it. ~ Stanton Swihart, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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