Peekaboo…Or Is It Tekaboo? (Summer Grind Issue 2012)

OK, I am admittedly a pretty intelligent guy. So being intelligent I am well versed in many of the old adages that make up our world. “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” is one of those, even if I’m still unsure what it’s supposed to mean. The one that makes the point of what I am trying to say is this one: “Never judge a book by its cover”.

To me that’s always been a slippery slope. If we were talking about actual books I’d say it’s extremely hard not to. Hell, you see the cover first. The same can be said of people. You sometimes look at person and automatically decide in that moment whether you want to associate with them or not.

Such is life.

I am the same way about mixtapes. Take for instance Tekaboo’s mixtape Triple Threat. Just based on the cover I had convinced myself of two things: 1) This mixtape would be garbage and 2) Anything with a cover that bright was bound to piss me off.

So, I was wrong for the most part. Granted, you can tell that Tekaboo is a young artist but she has room for improvement.

The first thing that impressed me here is that she chooses (or was part of the choosing process, maybe) really classic samples for her tracks. “My Adidas” is a reboot of Run DMC’s classic track of the same name. Similarly, “Jump” (thanks to Kris Kross here) and “Summertime” (here you could either thank Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff, or Kool and the Gang). This to me reflects an innate appreciation for the art of hip-hop. As Lil’ Wayne once said: “Respect is in the heart…”   

From there I found myself entertained by the original tracks. “Do Numbers” has the nursery rhyme vibe heavy but given her age I feel like it fits. It’s her niche and she seems so comfortable in it. The same could be said of “Tell Ya Momma”. I really like the disrespectful yet realistic sort of conversation I get from this track.

A favorite would have to be “Turn It Up”, Tekaboo’s track with none other than fellow Atlanta resident Jazze Pha. He also does the production here, too. Her delivery here is reminiscent of Soulja Boy but I like her sound a bit more.

Tekaboo, I apologize for my preconceived notions. This may be the first time that I’m happy to be wrong.


Courtesy of Lucius Black for Royalty Magazine