Music for Misfits

Bryan Mahoney, aka Big B, has been very appropriate for the Suburban Noize roster. He's a white rapper with a strong rock influence, he has an obvious West Coast flavor, and he tends to appeal to listeners who grew up holding rock and hip-hop in equally high regard. In other words, Big B is the quintessential Suburban Noize artist — and Music for Misfits, a best-of collection that Suburban Noize assembled in 2011, underscores the type of crossover appeal that he has favored. The influence of alternative rock is all over this 60-minute CD, which has a major reggae influence as well. And crossover is definitely the watchword on West Coast-sounding tracks such as "Good Times" from 2010's Good Times & Bad Advice, "Sinner" and "Criminal" from 2009's American Underdog, "Rock Star" from 2005's White Trash Renegade, and "Hooligan" from 2004's High Class White Trash. Much of Music for Misfits is devoted to rowdy, feel-good party music, but there are serious-minded tracks as well; for example, "Before I Leave This Place" (which features Everlast) touches on topics that include war, carjacking, and prostitution. And it's good to see that song (which was released as a single in 2010) included because it's important to demonstrate that even though hedonistic fun is Big B's specialty, he can deliver social commentary as well. Unfortunately, Big B's albums haven't always been consistent, but it's good to see some of the more memorable tracks from different albums united on the same CD. Music for Misfits isn't recommended to those who consider themselves hip-hop purists, although listeners who like their hip-hop laced with big doses of rock (and reggae as well) will find that this is an appropriate place to begin exploring Big B's Suburban Noize output.