- "Don't Mean to Be Rude" inveighs against "haters," that phantom presence whose appearance on countless recordings has marked—this is not a coincidence—the general flattening of hip-hop over the last few years. By itself that might have turned this track into a who-cares-a-thon, but Spoek Mathambo and Zaki Ibrahim are having too good a time to tune out. Particularly on the chorus, the swooping vocal line and hopping, nagging rhythm make a buoyant pair, as well as a promising starting point for the handful of remixes that follow it on this EP.
The original track's nimble organ groove is flattened out somewhat by the remixes, particularly Toadally Krossed Out's. It emphasizes the congas for the first minute, and flies; then it settles for a weirdly ubiquitous overdetermined party-hearty bounce that evokes trying to dance with a beer in both hands.
Scratcha DVA, on the other hand, is a name to trust. He proves his mettle again here with a stepper's groove that equally emphasizes martial snares and a freewheelingly bulbous low end—bassy scribbles, fizzy synth watercolor and a couple of lines ("But now we got shook") sped up to sound like nonchalant girls and turned into a new chorus, like stumbling upon some spiritual kin of Althea & Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking." It finishes slow and contemplative in a way that seems kin to Sepalcure—that stretching out of the form to see if you can mature into it comfortably. Don Rimini also does sharp work on his remix. It's hooked on "You've got to wake up," another song line, and the track is liquid-percussive, sharp-nerved, electro-tinged house.
Tracklist 01. Don't Mean To Be Rude
02. Don't Mean To Be Rude (Toadally Krossed Out 3ball Remix)
03. Don't Mean To Be Rude (Scratcha DVA Remix)
04. Don't Mean To Be Rude (Don Rimini Doo Doo Remix)
05. Don't Mean To Be Rude (Clean/Radio edit)