Stik Figa

Stik Figa as Himself

From the Top Music

Looks can be deceiving. Glancing at the cover of Topeka-bred MC Stik Figa’s latest, Stik Figa as Himself, you might expect the record to be depressing. The sepia-toned shot of a shirtless Stik sitting on a raggedy-looking porch in a bathrobe eating Honey Bunches of Oats from a metal mixing bowl doesn’t scream “feel-good hit of the summer.”

Fortunately that’s a pretty good synopsis of As Himself.

Over the 10 tracks, Stik delivers brilliant hip hop. He has an uncanny way of bragging and being hilariously self-effacing at the same time. He also has a keen sense for keeping things real but positive.

From the opening track, “The Skinny,” through the closer, “End Credits,” Stik Figa’s songs address life’s everyday trials with a sense of humor and refreshing matter-of-factness. His intelligent lyrics and gift for hooks permeate the record, and the choruses are almost impossible to keep from singing along with. The production is top-notch, and the backup tracks are as well-developed and catchy as Stik’s lyrics.

Whether he’s giving some love to a “Corner Store” in Topeka, the only place he knows “where you can get a burger, some blunt wraps, and bootleg CDs,” or wooing a lady in a sweetly un-macho way, as in “Susan B,” Stik comes across as a guy who revels in life.

Not to say he ignores the harsh realities. “Everyday” is an uplifting shout-out to the struggle of the daily grind, and “Medicine” is an unflinching look at the state of his surroundings. Even when Stik raps about the difficulties of life, he does so with a positive outlook that tells the listener everything will be all right with hard work, faith in oneself, and more than a little humor.

He closes the record with the laid-back “End Credits,” which sums up the record in its repeated sample, “my mind is dwelling on the good things in life, to Hell with the bad.”

Listening to Stik Figa as Himself, you’ll find yourself bobbing your head along, singing, laughing or remembering some clever line. It’s not often you hear a record that’s so crafty, smart and uplifting. More records should be this much fun.

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infobox-hr-separator /> infobox-head>Find it
Snag a copy of Stik Figa as Himself at his CD-release party Sept. 10 at the Eighth Street Taproom, 801 New Hampshire St. in Lawrence.

See him Catch Stik Figa at 10 p.m. Thursday at the Eighth Street Taproom.