Now that all the Xmas CDs are back in their sleeves and asleep till next December, I want some new music to clear out the cobwebs and start the year with a bang.
It happens that Hip-Hop is what’s catching my ear right now.
I’ve been pulling out the Dilated Peoples CDs and some old Tribe Called Quest but what really excites me is the new Underground in Rap. I could care less about bling rap made for the club with autotuned rappers who simply lack MC skills.
Instead I have found myself fascinated by groups that simply don’t care about the traditional signs of being cool in rap: no lambos, no Hennesey Black , no gats and no pretense. Artists like Odd Future, Das Rascist, Danny Brown, Main Attrakionz, Yelawolf, Clams Casino, G-Side, Cities Aviv , and Araabmuzik are doing things their way often on a small budget.
Check out Das Rascist , two East Indian dudes and a mixed race Hispanic from Brooklyn. Mostly known for their hit “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell” which had that phrase repeated throughout the song (frankly an astute comment on American culture). Their first full length Album “Relax” dropped in September and it proves these guys are for real yet still funny as hell.
Odd Future is a collective out of Los Angeles that is full of crazy creativity and the ability to make you feel like you are listening to rap for the first time or at least when you were young enough to really care. Tyler the Creator is the figurehead for this group and his video for “Yonkers” is disturbing , exciting and the sign that something fresh is happening.
Your favourite music is always around the corner so keep your ears open.
Then come back and let me know what artist or song needs to be heard.
Be well.