The power of hip hop amazes me. People keep writing if off thinking that it will eventually go away or that they will out grow it. I cant tell you how many people say to me that they love hip hop but once they get older and have kids they'll stop listening to it. But as our fat middled aged friend shows us, that's simply not the case. Just go to any country dance club and watch the rednecks. Yes, a few people line dance when country is on but its like 4 or 5 couples at most. But once Biggie or Ludacris comes on they RUN to the dance floor and start dropping it like it's hot!! This is also one of the reasons why tonight I will be the only black guy at the show, because hip hop is everywhere and people with money scoop up these tickets with the quickness!!
So I really didnt know much about El-P but I kept hearing his name come up. Then my friend in LA turned me onto his track The Full Retard. The name alone had me down but once I heard the beat it instantly reminded me of some old school Beastie or EPMD jams. But I was still skeptical because he's a white rapper and unless it's the Beasties or Third Base, it's probably gimmick rap. But El-P holds his own. He has a nice flow and his beats are a nice mix of the old school and a progressive new sound. This isnt like some indie rap that will get old in 2 years, as evident by the fact he's been around for over a decade, but I think this is something that will catch on and inspire hip hop to actually be creative and fun again. It helps that his dad is a musician and that he constantly does things to challenge himself. Such as making a a pseudo jazz album in 2004's High Water. Check his new album and Im sure you'll be pumping this shit like they do in the future, as he says on his Retard track. I give El-P a rating a kind of FRESH!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZptOs8Gu9k
Next up is Killer Mike. Now I have been down with him from the very start. Most people know him from Outkast's song "The Whole World" but his debut album Monster dropped in 2003. While he has the look of a dirty south rapper he has always been a little different. He can get dirty with the best of them but he can also drop a little knowledge in his rhymes. He does his best to break down walls like he literally does in his video for Akshun. You wont get the typical party jams or songs about possesions from him. Instead he has no problem dedicating an enitre song to calling Ronald Reagan the devil or calling out cops for using government initiatives to randomly harass people that look like him. But at the same time it doesnt come off preachy because he has, on these tracks anyway, some pretty fly beats. That however is the reason why he hasnt blown up. He doesnt have enough fly beats on his most of his albums and in hip hop you cant have one without the other. So that's why it was critical that he teamed up with El-P on his latest album RAP Music. Once you combine El-P's knack for fresh beats with his style you cant help but listen to his album all the way through and get introduced to the weird world of Killer Mike. Do yourself a favor and scoop his latest album up. Because of his skill alone, I give him a rating of FRESH!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXZxJGrYlKw&feature=related
I've previewwd Mr Muthafukin Exquire here already. Check it out.
http://onlyfreshness.blogspot.com/2012/04/drop-it-like-its-hot.html
So I would suggest going to the show once these guys pop in your city if you have the chance. Should be a good show!
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