Cex: Being Ridden : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Indie rapper Cex is schizophrenic in an appealing way: part braggart MC, part solipsistic producer; part gawky hip-hop interloper, part brave explorer; part cuckold, part cad. "Sexual hangups are out," he deadpan-raps on "Earth-shaking Event," "Sexual phone-ringing off the hook/That's what it's about." The lanky white Baltimorean delivers his raps with a smirk, but the message - eager and sometimes naive -- is more important than the medium. And his sonics -- an odd, compelling hybrid of snappy drum loops, digital atmospherics and indie-rock woodshedding -- are deeply felt, especially when he taps Shudder to Think's Craig Wedren to warble a few notes fraught with sadness.

JON CARAMANICA
(RS 925, June 26, 2003)