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A natural sonic connection exists between hip-hop in SoCal and the Pac NW. We do share a coast, after all. Producer BeanOne finds the familial link in 808 kicks and classic vocal samples for this GOODS exclusive by Dyme Def. The joint’s free and dedicated to this equally fresh drop from the venerable SEA establishment.
Click photo to D/L.
I have never owned a pair of Jordans in my life. There, I said it. As a 33 year-old man who grew into adolescence addicted to baseball cards and pick-up basketball games in the summer, admitting to having never owned a pair of the most famous sneakers in the history of footwear still makes me oddly uncomfortable. Maybe because my lack of ownership means I never achieved that rep, that place in the awkward hierarchy of teenage boys reserved not necessarily for the ones with the most athletic prowess on the court, but the ones whose parents possessed the greatest financial means for supply, or the ones whose skills at manipulation or work hustle outpaced that of kids like me who valued the taste-making sneakers just as much as the next dude but lacked the necessary enterprise it took to obtain them.
Odd that in 2011, after over three decades of life on this planet and armed with a value system that allows me to put material things like Air Jordans into proper perspective, I still feel a twinge of unworthiness over never having owned a pair — the power of consumerism in this country doing what it was built to do. A few weeks ago, for old time’s sake, I tried some on. The IV’s, in a fresh gray colorway. And, as much as I wanted to buy them — to finally fill that void that had remained empty since I was a teenager — I didn’t do it. Something felt wrong. Out of place. Like the time had come and gone and it would never feel right to have them on my feet again, regardless of how many approving glances I might receive.
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ epic track “Wings” perfectly captures the folklore associated with Air Jordans. This song dropped about four months ago (#LatePass) and I only recently realized I hadn’t featured it on a post. So here it is: a compelling ballad to lost innocence. And a perfect reminder of the false power material objects hold over people. Even ones like me who never tasted that sweet possession in the first place.
(Read about the making of the “Wings” music video at director Zia Mohajerjasbi’s website, here.)
Press Play to listen to “Wings” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
It’s rare that a hip-hop song is emotionally resonant without being corny. M.anifest’s latest track, “Suffer,” gets there. Budo’s in-the-wind composition and the MC’s ability to smile through the pain provide the levity for a song that is ultimately about redemption. An uplifting track for your Thursday.
Click photo to download "The Celestine Prophecy."
Here’s one that didn’t make it into The Celestine Prophecy‘s full clip. Check how those sirens are interpolated into the melody. Grime much.
Press Play to hear “P’s And Q’s” by Brainstorm. Click here to get it.
Click image to D/L the track.
“John Delorean,” or, “Blue Scholars on Time Travel.” What do the homies use Doc Brown’s souped-up DMC for? Not to gain betting advantages for the next twenty Superbowls, if that’s what you’re thinking. More along the lines of stopping at pivotal moments in time to right societal injustices. Psssh. Typical.
Press Play to listen to “John DeLorean.” Click here to download.
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Tacoma’s Rockwell Powers is an MC who knows how to posture in a different way than most rappers. In a genre where ninety percent of lyrical content is based on finding creative ways to self-aggrandize, and astute critical analysis of artists is fundamentally rooted in their ability to convince listeners of an often false legend, an MC who finds comfortable space in admission of uncertainty is a rare and welcome participant in the game.
Kids in the Back 2, the second full-length offering from South Sound duo Rockwell Powers and producer Ill Pill, is a fierce sixteen track declaration of independence. One of the biggest steps toward true self-realization is the ability to admit the existence of the unknown; Rockwell spends a lot of time doing just that on tracks like the soulful “Life” (featuring Sol) and Jazz-inflected “Doubt” (featuring live instrumentation from the MC’s side project, 10th & Commerce). Powers raises substantive questions about love, religion, art, and life’s purpose. To his poetic credit, for such heavy-handed subject matter his raps rarely sound preach-y or holier-than-thou, a testament to lyrics that have an explorative, conversational tone.
While this is an MC clearly feeling his way through life’s uncertainties, it’s not to suggest dude lacks confidence in his music. On the contrary, of all the things in his life, microphone prowess seems to be the one he has most figured out. “I Got This” is straight-up battle rap, an assertion of dopeness with grand percussion and horn licks suitable for nobility. Rockwell keeps his flow steady and even, for the most part, but he sounds more emotive than in the past. Likewise, Ill Pill’s well-conceived production is further advanced than on the duo’s first album, 2009’s Kids in the Back. While that LP emphasized more traditional straight-forward boom-bap, KITB 2’s compositions feature greater complexity in both rhythm and melody. The thick, expertly sampled thump of “These Songs” and the industrial beauty of “Head Up” are highlights of 2011 Pacific Northwest hip-hop.
Experienced listeners of rap music know that aggression and amiability in lyrics are not mutually exclusive. The best artists allow those dualities, and others, to be revealed without pretense or apology — those MC’s are by far the most believable because, in the end, we’re all rooted together in a human condition composed of opposite natures and experiences. Kids in the Back 2 is an album that allows more room for exploring all of that. Some in hip-hop might call that a weakness. The irony is that those who would call it such, don’t understand what it takes to be strong.
South Sound rhymer and fellow Korean American, Mike Kim (known in the Twitterverse as @phantastikorean) put this up on the Youtube machine yesterday. Dope tribute.
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