From Iceland — Emmsjé Gauti: Bara ég

Published November 18, 2011

Emmsjé Gauti’s long overdue and highly anticipated debut album, ‘Bara ég (“Just Me”) does not disappoint, and with production from Iceland’s finest, such as Introbeats, Redd Lights and Gnúsi Yones, this album was bound to be a hit. In fact, I’m going to go as far as saying that it is one of my favourite hip hop albums of the year.
The majority of the songs are party related, with rhymes about fine looking women, smoking, drinking and overall partying. But Gauti gets personal on some occasions and two of the personal songs gave me goosebumps (‘Blikk blikk’ and ‘Kæra Ester’), and when a song gives you goosebumps you know you’re on to something good.
For me the highlights of the album are the two previously mentioned tracks, along with ‘Steinstjarna’ and ‘Dusta rykið’. These four songs show how versatile Emmsjé Gauti and the production team can be, ranging from the ‘80s stylings of ‘Dusta Rykið’ to the Dirty South influenced ‘Steinstjarna’.
However, I do have some negative things to say about the album. Two tracks are missing from the album, and there is one song that I really can’t stand. Why? Mainly because RnB isn’t my cup of tea. As for the ‘missing tracks,’ I recommend curious readers visit YouTube and type in ‘Kveikjum í Reykjavik’ and ‘Eitt glas enn’ to hear why their omission is so troubling.
Emmsjé Gauti might not be inventing the wheel with this album but whether you’re driving a car, going out for a walk or just need something to boogie with in your party, this is the shit.