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Camu Tao and the King of Hearts

This story is my personal reaction to the late musician Camu Tao and his album "King Of Hearts."

By Frankiesha Published 2 years ago Updated about a year ago 6 min read
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If you watched Adult Swim as I did, you may have come across one of Camu Tao's songs while watching one of Toonami's commercials. In 2007, Adult Swim showed the promo for Blood C which included "Plot a Little" by the late singer. The song was haunting, with abstract vocals that complimented the commercial very well. Today, the song is included in a compliation called "Definitive Swim," which includes songs that were included in promos and bumps on Adult Swim.

After finding out who was behind the song, I came across the album "King of Hearts." I decided to give it a listen and hours later I realized I had the entire album on repeat. I was immediately obsessed.

This article is just an overall review of the album, as well as the works on the album, and the general background on the artist. I hope you enjoy it and please subscribe, and pledge if you're interested in articles like these.

Behind The Singer

Camu Teo (left) taking a photo with rapper Aesop Rock (right)

Tero Smith was born in Colombus Ohio on June 26th, 1977. He was a singer, rapper, and producer who worked alongside rappers such as El-P and Cage. He was signed into the Definitive Jux Label where he would collaborate with underground artists.

He was in a few groups including Weatherman, which was a rap group that consisted of members such as Breeze Brewin, El-P, Aesop Rock and more. The group was based in New York and was well known in the underground rap community. He was also in the groups Mhz Legacy and S.A. Group.

He passed away on May 25th 2008 due to lung cancer. A few years later, his first and only album would be released. Though incompleted, El-P, who was a good friend who worked alongside Tao for a lot of projects, would release it as a dedication to the artist.

Identifying His Musical Style

It's hard to actually pick a favorite track from the album. They all capture the essence of its time, but it gives almost an underground feel to it. Some of the songs are just generally perfect for partying. The sound he presents to his music is very loud and energetic, which I immediately fell in love with.

His voice which ranges from an almost an alternative sound is one of the things that makes his music different from other rappers. I personally believed if he was still alive, his music would be a lot more popular. He was pretty much ahead of his time. He introduced an alternative hip-hop sound that combined with almost a punk-like personality.

Taking A Closer Look Into "King Of Hearts"

Listening to the album, I was able to get a taste of the late producer's sound and was introduced to amazing sounds from the different tracks.

"Be a Big Girl" is the first song on the posthumous album, giving the listener big energy and an underground vibe. It almost sounds like something you would hear in a coming-of-age movie. "Bird Flu" follows right after, politely introducing themselves while screaming with the powerful rhythm.

"Excuse me!

I don't mean to disturb you!

But I am the bird flu!

I am!"

- "Bird Flu"

"Death" is the next track which is one of my favorites. Taking inspiration from The Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me," he makes the theme darker, adding his musical shrills, and sings to Death as if it's a woman he's fallen for, giving an interesting perspective.

The next track is "Fonny Valentine." The song gives a slower feel to the album, still having an intense rhythm and lyrics. It's not one of my favorite tracks, but I think it goes perfectly with the album.

"Acting Like an Ass" immediately hits you with bass and an upbeat rhythm but is sadly a short song on the album, which is kind of a bummer. It has great potential to be a great song, but it wasn't finished, followed by "Get At You" which is is another song I'm personally not really a fan of. It's a song that doesn't get me hyped as much as his other tracks.

"Ind of the Worl" personally redeems the previous track for me, giving an upbeat flow, at first it seems like he's persuading you to have fun since the world already is a mess. But it's can also be the perspective of government officials and how they don't bat an eye when it comes to societal issues such as poverty, racism, and human rights.

"They have a whole lot of fun

You think that its craze

It doesn't really matter

'Cuz the taxes still get paid

And the rich get paid

And the poor get sprayed

In the face with pepper spray

Is a common exchange"

- "Ind of the Worl"

"Intervention" is like a 2nd part to "Ind of the Worl" giving it a more positive feel as he talks about enjoying the fun moments and savoring it. The song is placed perfectly in the tracklist, giving the previous track almost a bittersweet interlude.

"Major Team" hits you with a sinister feel, as Camu Tao flows with the hip-hop rhythm. The background vocals are probably my favorite part of the song. Then the known "Plot A Little" is next, as it takes you on a ride on the Adult Swim train. The energy is consistent until the last track which is labeled "Kill Me."

The track is unfinished, giving it an eerie feel as you hear the artist hum and sing the words. As you hear the background noise of the TV and the dishes, you get a special introduction of how he was creating his last album and gives you a viewpoint of the environment he was in.

The lyrics are very submissive, almost giving a masochist feel, and it's a bit awkward to listen to without any music playing. But I believe the song is a special touch, showing you behind the scenes of the creative process.

Bad reviews of the album

As I was doing my research on some reviews on the album, I came across some very harsh criticism. I personally don't think it's fair, and they should have given the album another chance.

American rapper El-P shares in an interview on Impose Magazine, that the late rapper made a majority of the songs on the album while he was sick.

"We all wanted to get Camu in the studio and get as far as wanted to go with the record. The songs are bare, but then again a lot of them are just what he wanted. A lot of them wouldn't have changed much."

El-P also included Camu Tao's lyrics as a sample in one of his popular songs called "The Full R*tard." You can hear the sample come from Camu Tao's "When You're Going Down." It's a pretty cool idea, as it lets El-P introduce Camu Tao's energy, almost like a revival.

For what it's worth, though incomplete, EL-P presented what he could, and really did a great job releasing the rapper's only album. It's unfinished but it's perfect the way it is. Though we can't get any new music from the artist, we have the chance to listen to his works from his album.

Rest in peace Tero "Camu Tao" Smith.

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About the Creator

Frankiesha

---- Article & Fictional Writer On Vocal. Media ---

☀️ Host of the "A Collaboration of my Emotions” podcast ☀️

--- Frankiesha is my name and Anime is my Game ---

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