One Be Lo – “Gray”Download (Right Click and select “Save Link As”)
One Be Lo’s acronymic ’07 release, The R.E.B.I.R.T.H., which stands for “Real Emcees Bring Intelligent Rhymes to Hip-Hop,” says it all: forget hooks, forget fat club beats, forget phony rappers — this is how authentic hip-hop is supposed to sound. (An interesting aside, each of the lyricist’s proper albums boasts complex wordplay: Look up S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. and S.T.I.L.L.B.O.R.N. when you get a chance.)
One Be Lo’s style — clean and clear and under control — screams “conscious independent,” with lyrics to match. In “Keep it Rollin’,” the emcee, cruising through city streets, raps, “Turn the key, let the engine rumble / Make a left, make a right, everywhere I see my people struggle / You can make a decent hustle but you need the muscle / Because in the food chain the strong eat the weak amongst you.” Couple this ability to rhyme with One Be Lo’s acute sense for making beats — or picking producers (there are nine different mix-masters on R.E.B.I.R.T.H.) — and you’ve got an indie artist covering every niche of the hip-hop spectrum. Take the album’s closing track, “Hip-Hop Heaven,” on which the emcee meshes old-school lines about his days as a b-boy with an in-vogue drum-and-bass pattern.
In claiming that all rappers bring smart rhymes, One Be Lo sets a self-imposed high bar — one that he gracefully clears with his classic approach to underground hip-hop.
Move over, Ms. Winehouse — there’s a new badass songstress in town. Well, sort of: Capitol newbie Katy Perry is more of a singing rebel than a badass; more concerned with challenging societal norms than, well, going to rehab. Her “hit” single, “Ur So Gay,” has struck a resounding chord among counter-culture elitists and mainstream hob-nobbers alike, even though the song’s hook — “You’re so gay / And you don’t even like boys” — isn’t exactly radio-friendly. With its contageous chorus and witty lyrics, the tune has launched Perry into YouTube stardom and garnered her the respect of Billboard and Kevin Lyman, who signed the popster onto his ’08 punk roadshow Warped Tour.
What makes Perry such a segue indie artist is her unabashed sincerity. Although a bundle of her lyrics are completely tongue-in-cheek, the songstress manages to marry humor with humility with honesty. Take “Waking Up In Vegas,” which explores the consequences of a not-so-sober night in Sin City: “I lost my fake ID / But you lost the motel key / Spare me the frickin’ / Dirty looks now / Don’t blame me.”
Sure, Katy Perry isn’t singing about AA meetings, but that doesn’t means she’s at all holding out — she’ll just probably be around longer.
Be warned: Genghis Tron is not for you. Hailing from Philly, the trio is part of a fast-growing genre that blends typical metal with electronic-based noises and deathcore — yeah, deathcore — which sounds like complete hell to most, and it is. But if you give the band’s debut album, Dead Mountain Mouth, a couple spins, you’ll find that Genghis Tron is doing things that are completely inconceivable for three people to accomplish — things that would make other “cutting-edge” bands cringe.
The CD’s title track begins with a ripping guitar and drum run, underpinned by wail-er Mookie Singerman thrashing his vocal chords. And if you really pay attention to all the different sounds, and how each fits so well with one another, it’ll give you goose bumps. Not in the season for all that screamin’? Just listen to the instrumentation then, which, on its own, deserve major accolades.
With a killer new album, Board Up The House, due out Feb. 19, Genghis Tron is one of those few much-needed bands that keep the music industry on its toes, honest and innovative.
Rap today is all about the hook. Just look at artists like Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em and will.i.am — neither has anything worthwhile to offer between choruses. (And sometimes even during the choruses.) Socalled, however, has an entire mess of things up his sleeve — all the time. Throughout his second release, Ghettoblaster, the rapper/producer continuously challenges his listener with controversial — and often hysterical — lyrics, as well as musical combinations that no mix-master would, in his or her right mind, ever attempt.
“These Are the Good Old Days,” the first single off his newest album, begins with the controversial line, “My god’s going to kick your god’s ass,” followed by short, spoken prose from emcee Subtitle about text messaging and contraceptives. These, according to the L.A. rapper, are among the great innovations of world history, much like what the “Egyptians reached when they had, like, magical building and secret things.” These quick, witty lyrics set the stage for an album that ignores — and even defies — mainstream hip-hop norms.
But Socalled’s scandalous writing takes a backseat to his brilliant blend of oft-obscure genres. From hardcore rap to accordion riffs and Middle Eastern, uh, noise, the Canadian rapper is truly out of his mind — and thank god for it. As radio-rap now seems to follow some club-conscious formula, Socalled represents an underground movement that bends — no, breaks — those rules.
If any of the guys from The Plastic Constellations invite themselves over to your place for a drink, do not oblige. The band cites “beer and gin” as its primary influences on its MySpace page, while the “Sounds Like” section reads as follows: “4 dudes drinking your beer and dancing in your living room while you try to sleep because you have to wake up early tomorrow for work or school.” After listening to the Constellations yet-to-be-released album, We Appreciate You — their debut Frenchkiss release drops April 15 — its clear these biographic tid-bits are, well, true. The band is constantly teetering on the edge of implosion, belligerence running rampant among the dueling guitars and vocals.
But much like a “good drunk,” the Constellations never completely lose it: We Appreciate You is riddled with anthemic choruses, making the prospect of them dancing in your living room much more feasible. “Stay That Way” begins with a howling introduction only to be juxtaposed by (relatively) quiet “la la las” midway through the song. And that’s just the first song: The remainder of We Appreciate You boasts winding nonsensical lyrics (noises) that you can’t help but singalong to.
The most brilliant aspect of the Constellations, however, is that their sound would translate beautifully to any stage with any number of onlookers — the band has enough angst and energy to fill whatever voids may be left over. You know, on second thought, invite these guys over to drink your alcohol next time they’re around — if you’re prepared to lose that precious $60 piece of framed art, you’ll have yourself one hell of a party, albeit a lot less beer.
Editors at The Emory Wheel, Emory University's student newspaper, sound off on their favorite albums and artists of the moment. You can find more info here.
Courtesy of Audible Beats
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Courtesy of Relapse
