‘What Is This?’ Why, It’s A New Album By Jimmy McMillan

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The bass is too damn high!

Tomorrow Jimmy McMillan, the delightful curmudgeon running for governor of New York for the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, will probably not win his election. But it will still be an important day for the activist: his first album, reportedly entitled The Rent Is Too Damn High, will be released on iTunes and other digital platforms.

On leaked tracks from the album, McMillan reveals a soulful Superfly-style croon, harkening back to the era of socially conscious ghetto music in the 1970s. On “What Is This?” he bemoans the living conditions in apartments throughout the heart of the city:

What is this, falling off the ceiling and the wall?
What is this, dropping in all in the hall?
Hear the rats running through the ceiling at night
Mr. Landlord, this ain’t right

The chorus of that song, incidentally, simply goes “The rent’s too high / The rent’s too high.” McMillan is nothing if not a savvy manager of his personal brand.

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The production values on some of the tracks are admittedly wanting; there are times when McMillan’s voice peaks his microphone. Still, he’s got a nice groove going. Head over to the New York Times to hear more. (New York Times via The Awl)