What’s good people?!
I’m a big, big fan of HipHop and I’m
always looking for that next act that will show me she’s still alive! Almost everyone
with a voice has been proclaiming the death of this culture for a hot minute
now. Unless you really don’t pay attention there’s a pretty solid argument for
her untimely & equally premature expiration…
I get it too. Radio and subsequently
video killing the quality of the music. The lack of the five (not four) elements
being at the heart of the majority of most of the music out there. Lack of
originality, intelligence, integrity & skill on display does make you
wonder how long it can continue…
Tau & Pelt, two heads who have the
same kinda love & appreciation for HipHop & just good music in general are
my go to guys for these debates. They so happened to be part of what I consider
to be my CSI HipHop month! While researching some new Kano/Mikey J joints I stumbled across some new Crusada joints. Some good
stuff from Lowkey about the riots. New verses from Jay Elec via The Bullitts.
Some new Common, some banging Talib that I never even knew about although he’s
one of my favourite emcees. Then I found Chima Anya with his old school/new
school vibe. Soweto ripping the guest spot too!
The incomparable LyricL also dropped
her long awaited debut album and whilst being a fan as well as a friend, I couldn’t
be more proud of the work! Launch party was off the chain & we enjoyed every second! The mighty Pharoahe Monch followed about a week later & that
was probably one of the best shows I’ve been to (Check my review of both shows on Bravestar.tv).
The icing on this cake came this
weekend just gone when I was introduced to Shad via YouTube. I’m quite a music
snob & hyper-critical about most emcees in general but after hearing this
dude’s tune ‘Yaa I Get It’ I was speechless! HipHop unadulterated! The vibe was
tight, the beats bananas (Big up Oddisee for the remix) & the video is so
simple but effective. I only realised how good it was after I gave up counting
the punchlines! An extensive journey into his back catalogue was the
most refreshing thing I’ve had in HipHop since I first heard Respiration by
BlackStar…
Basically what I’m trying to say is
that HipHop’s post mortem might be a little bit premature. She is out there
& just judging by the living legends still showing the hunger in the live
shows… the relatively unknown/new dudes who’s artistic integrity is borne out of
a complete body of work devoid of ‘swaggar’ , with England & the rest of Europe still keeping it as real
as they do we don’t need to worry too much.
But we DO need to support it. We DO need to share it. More importantly, we need to let these new artists & the
ones still flying the flag for this culture that it’s appreciated.
So start sharing this shit!
Peace / Love / Guidance – Log!c
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