This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Rappers aren’t exactly realistic role models — especially not for kids living here in the Great White North. After all, what sort of life lessons can a Winnipeg teen learn from listening to the exploits of a crack-dealing gangster with prison tattoos and a limp from his rap rival’s latest drive-by assassination attempt?
Thankfully, kids have local alternatives — chief among them MC Satchel Paige of the Your Brother in My Back Pack crew. On his debut solo joint Guy, I’m From Here!, Paige admits “being young and culturally isolated sucks.” But instead of trying to escape it by spinning fanciful tales of floss and bling-bling, the rapper — who takes his name from the African-American baseball legend — spends his 40 minutes of disc time trying to educate and inspire his listeners. Titling these 11 tracks after personal heroes from high school basketballer Denham Brown to singer Amel Larrieux, Paige uses his lightly gritty pipes and smooth flow to deliver laid-back tales of unity and community, set to subtly textured, casually grooving soundscapes. Compared to the overload of most major-label rap, Paige’s reality-based rhymes are refreshingly honest and solidly grounded. If he keeps this up, he could end up being a role model himself.
