Guilty Simpson & Dixon Hill - Actus Reus [2019]

Guilty Simpson is one of those rare artists that actually make me upset aren’t more well known than they are. For someone who has been in the game for over a decade, comes from Detroit, and has collaborated with some of the most well-known names in the underground, the respect leveled towards this man is simply not enough for me. With all of that being said, I don’t think he has a solid solo effort that people can hold on too, which I can understand being a point of disconnect for some people. Everyone from Detroit should know this man’s name, but if you were to ask people outside of the D they might point you to Dice Game, his stellar album with co-native Apollo Brown, or even OJ Simpson with the legendary Madlib. But a larger appeal to those two albums are their producer counterparts, which often means Guilty’s pen game is overlooked by the instrumentals. Random Axe should be another name people know, but, again, Guilty seems to be overlooked again in favor of Sean Price, who’s popularity understandably exploded after his untimely death (RIP RUCK). Since his early major collaborations, Guilty Simpson has stuck to shorter, more obscure collaborations, usually EP’s of varying qualities. If I’m being straight, I haven’t loved a project of his for many years, and that’s mostly due to the poor partners he chooses for production. His tape with Reckognize Real from last year was boring as hell, and his tape with MED from a few months ago didn’t show the necessary chemistry. But I think Mr. Simpson might have found a near-perfect pairing in Dixon Hill, who, as far as I can gather, is an unknown in the industry (I can’t even find where this dude is from), together releasing Actus Reus.

I felt Guilty Simpson was punching under his weight on Child of the Jungle, and his chemistry with MED was almost non-existent

Simpson isn’t changing up his style much here: he’s still coming at you with his unchecked aggression in his reserved flow, he still makes space for his wisdom and deep feelings, and his voice somehow remains exactly the same as when he came on the scene. He has a vocal quality that I would compare to someone like Ice Cube, with a deep, raw venom in his voice that soaks all of his words in intimidation. However, his capacity for profound words will surprise you on Actus Reus, for a lot of what Guilty Simpson speaks on is the impact of his and others actions in his neighborhood/town/ghetto. The term Actus Reus is a legal term, which in practice is used to describe one of two parts of a crime: physically carrying it out. The tracks My Word & Tap Jaws demonstrate this concept, with Guilty doing what he always does in committing crimes. But he shows balance in demonstrating the other part of crime, the Mens Rea, which is intent in action, by describing the attributes of his life and his experiences that have led him to physically lashing out. He describes his home as a literal warzone in Bat’leth, laments on the shortness of life on So True, explains the relationship between the black community and the police on Gravamen, and tells the tale of one of his homies coming home from being locked up on Welcome. It shows true human compassion to be able to separate these two concepts, and rap about them so succinctly as he does; that he’s able to do this across seven tracks and less than twenty minutes is a major feat.

Dice Game is a high watermark in Guilty Simpson’s career, proving that what he needs more than anything is the appropriate producer pairing

Guilty’s wide topical range is only half of the genius of Actus Reus, with Dixon Hill bringing instrumentals that perfectly back up the topics at hand through apt sampling. I wish I knew more about this guy, because he has skills that have obviously taken years to master and would love to dig into more of his production. Without getting into the instrumentals, the various courtroom and law clips punctuate this album with gravity and weight, and subtly explain the nature of the loose theme. There is a specific clip on Bat’leth that sound like a war documentary describing a city as a warzone that gives me chills every time I hear it; it just fits so well and adds so much context to the track. Dixon’s drums and dusty and distinctly boom-bap, but the tracks Bat’leth and So True are two standouts that are just raw sample, instrumental and drums, drawn out to bleed with soul. The title track and Gravamen are slightly mysterious cuts, with the former feeling like a wandering celestial discovering with its winds, and the latter evoking a sort of murder-mystery with it’s quick plucky notes. So True steals this show entirely dominated by sample rich with warm drum cracks, sublime horns, and expertly placed vocals that rear up out of the soul instrumental; it’s the most prominent vocal sampling on the record, but it also fits the track topically like all of Dixon’s other work on Actus Reus. Welcome is the perfect send off, sounding like a religious hymn celebrating the return of one from jail with its choir vocals. Across the record, the warmth that comes from his vinyl scratching and sampling method is simply beautiful.

Whenever a veteran enters the latter stages of his/her career, especially ones that grew on the backs of sample-based production, the expectation to produce thoughtful content inherently attaches itself. Some people rise to the challenge to push their thoughts and sound further; Guilty Simpson is one of those artists. He may not always find the right running mate, but on Actus Reus he has struck gold in Dixon Hill, who I hope continues to grow in the industry. Guilty is given an impeccable spread of beats to spit his poetry, and doesn’t miss on a single track. The only criticism I can possibly give the project is that it is CRIMINALLY short at 19 minutes/7 tracks, and these two deserve an albums worth or material at a bare minimum.

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