Young Goof

ME

          Rap music has gotten a bad "rap," if you will, for being synonymous  -  rightly or wrongly so  -  with its vulgar lyrics and for its negative and violent messages. However, not all rap music has its genesis in the cesspool of the human condition. Rapper Young Goof (a. k. a. Matthew Weiss) is a refreshing sound in the genre that has parents breathing a sigh of relief knowing that their children can listen to music with a positive message. The 18-year-old Chico, CA, native with an ingratiating smile and gregarious personality has self-released his new CD aptly titled ME.

The 14-track album of original lyrics is a musical autobiography of what Young Goof has been through as a former gang member in Sacramento, CA: drugs and alcohol abuse, violence, gang banging, crime, and twisted thinking based on false beliefs, just to mention a few. His message is clear  -  the illusion of such a life leads to nowhere. He cites Christ as the solution to these pervasive issues; and rightly so, since faith in such a Higher Power is really the only viable solution to mend the ills of this broken world. Young Goof so passionately expresses that sentiment in I Believe when he proclaims, "...there has to be more because the world is not enough."

Highlights of this compelling project include WES&N, a tune which talks about the futility of fighting and suggests that to combat such behavior, the community unite as one people toward a common goal by letting love rule; and Party Town, so named after Chico's dubious reputation years ago for its Animal House atmosphere, in which the new surge of youth in "Chico-town" who now serve as "protectors of the crown."

Other notable tracks are Devil's Nectar, a sultry duet with Isaac Garrett, which weaves a tale about lust, tainted love, and the fallibility of the human will, prompting Young Goof to cry out with desperate resolve, "I'm a soldier for Christ but my mind still slips..."; and Growing Pains, a disturbing self-portrayal of a then-13-year-old Young Goof sucked into the brutality of the gang lifestyle.

Keyboardist Jamie Wilhite, known professionally as Jamestown, provides the rhythmic accompaniment throughout the CD.

ME is a reflective tale of a life redeemed while containing a relentless yet infectious groove coupled with imaginative lyrics that instills the good news of hope when such a virtue seems to be waning these days. ME marks a sparkling beginning for Young Goof.

Track selections: I Believe (Intro), The Stage Of Life, Friends fa Life, Homeland, Me, WES&N, Party Town, Rize, Bridge The Gap, Devil's Nectar, Growing Pains (Testimony), What We Do (Freestyle), Big Cities In The North, Looking For My Place.

Recorded in 2009, in Chico, CA.

- Stephen Fratallone/Jazz Connection Magazine

Rating:  ****

Young Goof's Me may be ordered directly from the young rapper via e-mail for $6 at weisswesn22@yahoo.com

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