Highline Ballroom
431 West 16th St. between Ninth & Tenth Aves.
Sunday, April 24, $14-$16, 8:00
212-414-5994
www.g6d6p6.com
www.highlineballroom.com
On his third album, Useless Eaters (Run for Cover, March 29), white Jersey hip-hopper Matt Miller, better known as GDP, throws down plenty of mad rhymes and F-bombs, rapping about sex, drugs, and bling as well as the government, the environment, and the economy, set to beats by Frozen Gentleman, Aoi, DOS4GW, and the Empty Cup. But GDP is not necessarily celebrating the seedier side of street culture, nor is he preaching against it. In the record’s opener, “Neural Circuitry,” he proclaims, “What kind of future could I possibly hope for / when every pen I write with doubles as a coke straw / and every night’s a close call / when Oxycontin is triple what dope costs? / What kind of person could I possibly become / when my personality is dependent on a drug / usually more than one / because too much of anything is never enough?” The song’s refrain, “Too high to die,” feels all too real. In “Biathanatos” he says, “Looks like freedom / feels like death / It’s something in between, I guess / Jesus saves and the doctor takes the fee / It’s a dog-eat-dog world / Bon apetit, mother&*ker.” The follow-up to 2009’s Realistic Expectations, and 2007’s Involvement, Useless Eaters features guest appearances by Pistol and Young Zee and a diverse series of references, from Willie Nelson, YouTube, Eddie Murphy, and Google Earth to George Carlin, Muddy Waters, Jay-Z, and Umberto’s Clam House on such songs as “Carbon Footprint,” “Holy Grail,” and “Don’t Worry About the Government.” GDP’s aspirations might still surpass his output, but he’s on the right track (as opposed to “the wrong side of the track mark,” as he notes on “Little Boxes”). GDP will be at the Highline Ballroom on April 24 laying it down with Roach Gigz and Andre Nickatina.