Happy 15th Anniversary to Esoteric’s fourth solo studio album Saving Seamus Ryan, originally released September 22, 2009.
Losing a pet isn’t easy. Maintaining a relationship isn’t easy. Being an independent rapper isn’t easy. Releasing an album isn’t easy. And trying to manage all of these situations at the same time, sure as hell isn’t easy.
Now, imagine weaving all these threads together as a cohesive plot and mixing in a crime story and heaps of movie dialogue. Now you can appreciate what a harrowing undertaking creating an album like Saving Seamus Ryan could be. But Seamus “MC Esoteric” Ryan was up to the task, and in doing so, crafted one of the best albums across his expansive discography.
I’ve always believed that Esoteric has had one of the most underappreciated careers in hip-hop history. The Boston native first debuted with DJ/producer 7L, and has released at least six projects as a part of that duo. He’s released another five projects as one half of Czarface, his team-up with Inspectah Deck of the Wu-Tang Clan, including albums with Ghostface Killah and MF DOOM. He has also appeared on many albums as a member of the Army of the Pharoahs, the Demigodz, and the East Coast Avengers collectives. Over the last two-and-a-half decades, he’s put out a new project nearly every year, the vast majority of which have been dope.
I personally find the period of his career between 2007 and 2011 the most interesting, when he was releasing a solo effort essentially each year. He handled most of the production on these releases, and built many of them around unique concepts. There was Pterodactyl Tubeway (2007) where he rapped exclusively over samples of Gary Numan (and Tubeway Army) records. The beats on Esoteric Vs. Japan: Pterodactyl Takes Tokyo (2008) were sampled exclusively from Japanese releases, while Esoteric’s rhymes were littered with references to 1970s and ’80s era anime.
Arguably the best and certainly the most ambitious of Esoteric’s solo albums is Saving Seamus Ryan. Released fifteen years ago, it was intended to be his first album, but ended up being his fourth. It’s a concept/narrative project where Esoteric portrays a fictionalized version of himself in nearly dire straits.
The story is about, well, lots of things. Struggling with the recent death of his dog, Esoteric tries to put together a new album with the help of his new producer and manager Indie Solo (who sounds suspiciously like Harrison Ford). At the same time, he wrestles with the fact that his musical career is at a crossroads, his girlfriend wants him to settle down, and he doesn’t seem to have the time or the inclination to find a way to balance both.
While Esoteric grapples with these issues, events swirl around him. He buys an engagement ring, but he gets robbed and shot almost immediately afterwards by a crew of hoodlums led by Benny Macko (as portrayed by rapper Blacastan). Surviving the gunshot wound, he finds himself in a creative rut, arguing with Indie Solo, who wants him to spend big money to get guest emcees to appear on the album and record more material “for the kids.” He’s forced to sell his comic book collection in order to get the album done, but still seeks revenge against Macko and his flunkies. Esoteric is saved by going “Back to the Lab.” Not the studio, but Logan, his Labrador retriever. There’s another “twist” in the story, which most should see coming, but it’s decently executed.
Listen to the Album:
That’s Saving Seamus Ryan in broad strokes, but Esoteric makes the undertaking compelling through creative storytelling and tight construction. All of this is leavened by both sincerity and heavy doses of humor. Esoteric knows that while he is exploring the psychological effects of depression and loss, it’s important to shift gears occasionally and not take himself too seriously. He handles much of the album’s production, but is occasionally assisted by 7L and DC the Midi Alien.
Though the album is built around complex narrative, many of the songs can stand on their own outside the confines of the story. “Goodbye” is heartbreaking, as Esoteric chronicles his last walk in the park with his aged dog Max before he puts him to sleep. I will not front, I shed at least a few tears every time I listen to it. “Bar Thief” is more light-hearted, as it functions as a 2009 version of De La Soul’s “Ego Trippin’ Pt. 2,” in that every line is lifted from another rapper’s song. “King Is the Dog” serves as the counterpoint to “Goodbye,” as Esoteric celebrates his love from Logan, his one-year-old Golden Labrador.
A lot of the entertainment value on Saving Seamus Ryan comes from Esoteric conversing with “fictional” characters. The aforementioned Indie Solo is voiced by samples of various Harrison Ford characters throughout his long film history. Esoteric’s conversations with him are often hilarious. Along the way, he also converses with other “characters,” including Guru, Cam’Ron, Large Professor, and Gary Numan. On “No Features,” Esoteric drives to New York at Indie Solo’s behest to pester the hottest rappers in the game for a guest verse, only to have nearly all of them dismiss him as an annoyance.
Portions of the album that deal with Esoteric struggling to find his place in the world are particularly effective. An ongoing theme throughout the album is his relationship with his girlfriend, and how his life as an emcee can make things…interesting. On the tongue-in-cheek “I Rap Too Much,” Esoteric explores how his almost OCD-like obsession with hip-hop affects his opportunities for physical intimacy. “”Modern Love” starts as a gripe-fest, with Esoteric complaining about the various busy-work he’s forced to do in order to keep his girlfriend happy. However, she, as portrayed by then up-and-coming K.Flay, flips the script on him on the final verse, laying out in intricate detail the purposes for her “nagging.” “Chocolate Popcorn,” his subsequent heartfelt dedication to the love of his life, is a bit cheesy, but absolutely earnest.
“Hold On” is the album’s centerpiece, where Esoteric perfectly expresses the lingering doubts and recriminations of many an independent rapper. Although it’s delivered by the fictionalized version of himself, the lyrics ring true for all artists struggling with creative burnout and facing the reality that the pursuit of your dream might not lead to success or happiness. He raps, “Nothing to show for having such a rugged flow, I’m thinking / Nothing I know will pull me from this undertow, I’m sinking.”
Like many of Esoteric’s other solo projects, Saving Seamus Ryan went largely unheralded outside of his core fanbase. Which is a shame, because there have been few concept albums as imaginative released during the ’00s. There aren’t many albums where a rapper can shift from dealing with crippling depression to musing about his love for Spider-Man comics and have it flow as naturally as it does here. And, if nothing else, everyone should be able to relate to the transcendental power of a dog’s unconditional love. Esoteric may be enjoying the best critical success of his career with the extremely dope albums that he’s released with Czarface, but Saving Seamus Ryan is another integral part of his legacy that warrants revisiting.