Constantly on the prowl, Cuban-born Senen Reyes, aka SEN DOG, has survived in the hip-hop world for nearly two decades and had enjoyed Top 10 singles (“How I Could Just Kill A Man”, “Insane In The Brain” and “Rock Superstar”), 1 albums on the Billboard Charts (Black Sunday) and countless platinum and gold plaques (over 17 million albums sold worldwide). He was also one of the first Latino hip-hop superstars and instrumental in helping to break down the door for Latin hip-hop. He is still breaking the barriers with extensive projects outside the Hill as well, such as the rocking SX-10 and sibling rap duo The Reyes Brothers. Nearly two decades in the making… the Dog has broken out of the cage for a singular attack on hip-hop’s jugular! Drawing from a treasure-trove of personal and professional experiences – the good, bad and ugly of it all – Sen Dog’s bark is louder than ever on his debut solo album - Diary of a Mad Dog. “When I first came up with that title, I was going through some things in my personal life and it was really chaotic,” Sen Dog shares of life-changing inspirations, which included a heart attack, “Where I was mentally and spiritually in life was really dramatic. There were things just out of control and I couldn’t fight it any longer.” Taking matters of money, faith and family to the music, Sen Dog set out to unleash personal dramas in a no-holds-barred symposium of introspection and external experiences. Therapeutic for the rabid emcee, but totally accessible to a ravenous audience eager for solid Sen Dog assault. Diary of a Mad Dog marks an untethered opportunity for the Dog to again gnaw away at genre lines and conventionalism – on his own terms. Sen speaks of contrasts between projects -“We’ve done the whole dark, morbid thing. The rock n’ roll crossover; just a lot of things. I’m not going to have an agenda on this; I’m going to jam and record whatever is fun to me.” Though joined by some of the brightest newcomers, and few iconic pals, Diary of a Mad Dog will not be an exercise in name-dropping. Sen Dog opted to carry the lyrical weight of his first full-throttle solo record. “I’m not coming out the pocket with superstar rap stars, or who’s hot now,” he states defiantly. “I’m basically going with the guys I hang around with.” A few of the Cali pals found on Diary of a Mad Dog include Tangled Thoughts, DJ Ace, and even his Cypress Hill partner B-Real. Coloring outside the lines of any genre-specific formula, Sen Dog’s fangs have ravaged a plethora of musical styles and topical issues for this record. From gangsta raps of tracks like “Capo” to socio-political observations throughout “Biggy Bang”, plus the heavy-drive of “Hell and Back” and a groovy funk vibe carrying “Graceful”, the album encompasses a collage of visual imagery, tempo and subject matter. Kottonmouth Kings own Johnny Richter joins Sen Dog’s ferocious rhymes on “Don’t Sleep in the Streets” – a metaphorical title rife with vivid realisms and stark warnings for anyone “hustling” to make it in life. “Me being in a rut, once having it all and then have nothing. That’s when you drop the ball and try to get it back and that’s how life is,” denoting the brutally honest track “Fumble” he adds, “I went out of my shell on that one, and it’s rap, it’s rock, techno, house. Everything in one song!” The September 30th, 2008 release of Diary of a Mad Dog also marks Sen Dog’s debut on California powerhouse of independent labels – Suburban Noize – also home of rap/metal hybrid hed pe, punk rockers Unwritten Law, and the Royalty of Rip-Hop – Kottonmouth Kings. |
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