The Run-Off Groove = #152: What's More Offensive, Words Or Skin Tones? (Or Akon Ringtones...) =

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The Run-Off = Groove #152:=20 What's More Offensive, Words Or Skin Tones? (Or Akon Ringtones...) =

By da bookman = on April=20 30, 2007 - 11:20pm.

Aloha, 152, 152, this is Book, a/k/a Book, occasional bukbuk, = b/k/a=20 John Book = with a=20 brand new edition of The Run-Off Groove. Forget clever = intros,=20 let's start things right off the top.

Canto=20 I (Canto-Eye) are a duo consisting of two brothers from = Reno,=20 Nevada who want to share their true love of the music and the = community=20 that is hip-hop. I know, everyone and their grandma does that = these days=20 for the sake of saying so, but it's rare to hear that statement = coming=20 from anyone and then actually hear it in their music. Canto I say = the are=20 about "No gimmicks. No fancy clothes. No gold grillz. Just good = old=20 fashioned boom bap hip-hop." If you're going to go back to the old = boom=20 bap, you best do it right. Right? They have been making music = since the=20 beginning of the century, each CD doing fairly well locally. With = Entry=20 Level - Elements (self-released), it not only serves as an = initiation=20 to the next level of their career, but it's also acknowledgment of = their=20 influences, and the artistry involved, for they are now = contributors of=20 that artistry.

A lot of people talk about the "golden era" of hip-hop, one = that older=20 fans cherish because it's what they/we grew up with, what inspired = them to=20 get involved in music, and a part of our past. Within that golden = era was=20 a period of a few years where it felt as if experimentation was as = important as "keeping it real", the time before the Wu-Tang = Clan=20 hit the scene and broke big. When you hear the groove of the = opening=20 track, "Entry Level", in your mind you want to walk outside, walk = down the=20 sidewalk and commit to the strut. Yeah, that strut with the = attitude that,=20 no matter what clothes you wore, it let people know that you were = a=20 hip-hop fan. Even if no one knew or cared, you felt confidence in = the=20 music that felt like it meant everything to you, and you walked, = step by=20 step, feeling like the world was yours. Effect and Joe = Fury=20 are guys who are comfortable with the way they rhyme, very clear = and=20 accurate with phrasing, and also aware of timing. I'm not talking = about=20 the fear of being off-tempo, but like a comedian, one has to have = a feel=20 for how to move their words and lines across the beats, and be = able to not=20 only make them sound good, but to make it sound effective. "The = Shining"=20 has the feel of The Pharcyde and Souls Of Mischief = with the=20 beat serving as the pulse, and the lyrics and samples becoming the = blood=20 flow. You feel it instantly, and you anticipate these guys as they = about=20 to deliver their words to the microphone, and as soon as you hear = it, you=20 know. One doesn't even have to explain it, you just know. There's = no=20 stupidity, no foolishness, Canto I are a group you can become a = fan of=20 with pride and honor, without worry, as it seems everything is a = perfect=20 fit.

I say this because I feel it's true, it moves me. It moves me = to want=20 to let people know about it. Effect and Joe Fury are helped out = with=20 producers who are very much into the craft, the fine art of = production,=20 knowing their music and knowing how to find the right samples, = with most=20 of the tracks being done by a guy people should seriously look out = for,=20 Jape. The = album=20 also features productions from Pacemaker, Steez, and = The = Foundation=20 Unit. Together, they make an album that features solid = lyrics and=20 instrumentals, where you want to put this on repeat over and over. = What I=20 also like is that the album seems very progressive, and while I = want to=20 hesitate in saying this, it's a bit like prog rock in that songs = come one=20 after the other non-stop, while some tracks will switch tempos and = styles=20 a few times within the same song. Fans who aren't used to that may = feel=20 the approach is not exactly "true" to what the music is about, but = the=20 music is about the freedom to do what you want, and it's a feel = that is a=20 throw back to the spontaneous, anything goes approach of the = Beastie=20 Boys and Jungle Brothers, or Siah & Yeshua Dapo = Ed.=20 The one song that moved me was "Burning Bridges", as each of them = offer=20 one verse each in the first half. In the second half, they say = You got=20 a minute? (Why?) There's a bridge I need to cross
There's a = missile=20 seeking launch, I'mma help you lift it off, and by helping, = they are=20 assisting each other in the passing of the mic, bouncing off each = other in=20 a manner that makes this song a soon-to-be classic. It has the = essence of=20 the old school but the presence of the now, and done without ego. = One is=20 easily reminded of Smooth Da Hustler and Trigger Tha = Gambla,=20 Q-Tip and Phife, Lateef The Truth Speaker and = Lyrics Born, and Nice & Smooth, to the point = where it=20 feels like you're hearing two distinct voices from one being. Odd? = Nah,=20 just something that hasn't been heard in this manner in a long = time.

It's progressive hip-hop without going over people's heads, = complex=20 without being heady, and in your face without constant reminders = of how=20 hard they're hitting you. This is definitely one of 2007's = brightest=20 moments in rap music.

(Entry Level - Elements is available through CDBaby.)

= What is=20 The Missing Link? When it applies to hip-hop, Bella = believes=20 she knows what it is, and perhaps she could very well be a part of = what's=20 missing. Her self-released, 11-track album is one of those that = should be=20 getting a lot of attention on lyrical merit alone, but the year = isn't over=20 so there's time. What I like is that during the choruses, it = sounds=20 typical of a lot of today's hip-hop, where hooks and catchiness is = often=20 more important than anything else. However, Bella is about = "anything=20 else", as one can hear in "Flows Up", "What U Lookin' At?", and = "Girl=20 Stunt". She puts herself up to the test by initializing contact = with the=20 listening in "My Own 2":

What you know about being a mama with three = sons
Homicidal=20 ex-husband walking with guns
This ain't no bootleg flick, real = chick on=20 the mic
Hip-hop version of Mary, this is "My Life"
I been = through it=20 all, but I refuse to fall
And it's more to me than big tits and = my=20 sugar walls
Look deeper, come close to the speaker
Daily = getting=20 stronger, working out to live longer

She calls herself a "natural born diva", one who refuses to = stop going=20 for what is hers, and fans who may like Eve, Mystic, = Medusa, or pre-bling Fat Joe will find her work to = be=20 exceptional.

(The Missing Link is available through CDBaby.)

I don't remember how I heard of this guy before, I = may have=20 seen him on Beefy's MySpace page and decided to check out = this guy=20 with the name of MC=20 Frontalot. With a name like that, I couldn't help but = listen to=20 it. Frontalot considers himself to be the creator and leader of = the=20 "nerdcore" movement. Granted, there have been a lot of nerds in = hip-hop's=20 recorded history, but the best leaders to follow are those who set = their=20 own rules and standards. Frontalot has different guidelines that = no one=20 knows but him, and by following them he is able to establish his = own=20 following without pressure from others who want him to fit in with = any=20 specific pigeonhole or hyperbole. What? Yeah!

Secrets From The Future (Level Up Records & Tapes) = has him=20 traveling into the future looking for information that may provide = some=20 kind of guidance for what's to come, whatever it may be. According = to=20 Frontalot, the internet will be dated and the language will be = much more=20 complex than it is now. In time, he goes on to tell the listening = "I Hate=20 Your Blog", "You Got Asperger's", and trying to find the mystery = behind a=20 "Bizarro Genius Baby". Frontalot may come off as a comedian, and = perhaps=20 it's appropriate since a lot of his songs are funny. There are = jokes, but=20 Frontalot isn't, and there's a point to everything, which he does = through=20 over-the-head words and rhymes, but not anything that will give = you=20 flashbacks of Sir Menelik.

One may look and hear these elements and go "oh, that's that = backpacker=20 shit" but if you get rid of the stereotypes that exists with that = phrase,=20 one tends to find a guy who celebrates his geek club membership = without=20 fear. He likes to pop in and out of character, and by doing that = it's hard=20 to tell which is the persona and which is the real him, and that's = probably why it works so well. Take some of the best elements of=20 Beck's hip-hop tracks with the confidence of Slug = and the=20 attitude of Edan, and you have hints of what Frontalot = sounds like.=20 He is his own man, and yet is he a front? Well, there's a real = person=20 behind the persona, so perhaps it's more about how ahead he is of = his=20 front.

(Secrets From The Future is available through CDBaby.)

There's a lot of people in New York saying that New = York=20 hip-hop is back. It's an answer to the dominance of hip-hop from = other=20 U.S. regions in the last 15 years, namely the Dirty South. Ask = someone to=20 pick sides, and it gets as ugly as getting into a discussion about = the=20 Mason-Dixon line. Ain't Nothing Greater, or A.N.G., is the = name=20 this Brooklyn MC goes after, and true to the MC that he is, there = could be=20 a number of meanings to his name. Taking on the bravado and pride = of=20 Muhammad Ali, A.N.G. could be saying that there is no other = greater=20 MC than him. Yet if one looks into the history of the music, and = the=20 importance of Brooklyn and New York City to hip-hop as a whole, he = could=20 be easily proclaiming that there ain't nothing greater than NYC. = The cover=20 shot has him holding "The Rap Bible" and a microphone as a torch, = an=20 updated interpretation of the Statue Of Liberty, but suggesting = that when=20 it comes to representing the huddled and frustrated masses in the=20 boroughs, it may very well be that guy around the corner with a = notebook=20 and hot mic ready to strike.

Lighter Fluid (Explode) continues the = traditions of New York hip-hop by tapping into the strength of = such=20 artists as Juelz Santana, M.O.P., and Mos = Def, and=20 coming across as a rapper with knowledge of what it takes to me a = quality=20 rapper and lyricist. A.N.G. isn't new to the scene, he had been = involved=20 with a group or two in the late 80's before finding a bit more = stability=20 as a solo artist. A few years in jail for first degree assault = forced him=20 to take a time out from his surroundings and his life, to rethink = things=20 and perhaps re-establish things once he got out. Much of those = thoughts=20 were put to paper, some of which are presented on this album.

If one were to ask what does New York hip-hop sound like today, = one=20 could easily suggest this CD without hesitation, as it contains = the=20 roughness of the artists who are out there, mixes the uncontrolled = frustration of the streets while reaching out for a bit of pop=20 accessibility ("Mount Up" could easily be mistaken as a song from = the=20 D-12 camp), and showing a bit of Jamaican flavor along the = way as a=20 bit of dancehall stylee pops up every now and then. "Some" could = easily be=20 turned into a hit single as is, with his tales of the hustlers and = gamblers who have to always be ahead of the game, but by saying so = he is=20 telling people below him that they need to step up a bit in order = to see=20 him eye to eye.

You will hear references to the bling and the women, but it's = not the=20 emphasis of the songs or his music. The tales of living the good = life is=20 one of the themes, but it's not exactly a good life with the = reality of=20 the world we live in. A.N.G. tells stories of his experiences from = the=20 past and present, knows what the struggle can lead to, offers a = toast to=20 those who still have to fight the good fight, but finds inner = strength=20 through family and friends. It's not the umpteenth variation of=20 Scarface. it's the life of someone who is able to present = his music=20 and his story his way. A fine accomplishment.

(Lighter Fluid is available through CDBaby.)

NOW, WE LOOK AT AN ALBUM THAT IS DEFINITELY OUTSIDE OF THE = HIP-HOP=20 REALM (albeit slightly)...

A = man=20 enjoying getting fucked up the ass by a donkey, because the donkey = loves=20 it? Man, I don't even want to know how in the hell David Wang = found the=20 sample for that, but it's one of many elements that makes Girls = =E2=99=A5=20 Breakcore (Daly = City)=20 one of the most bizarre, twisted, outrageous, exciting, and = beautiful=20 electronic-based albums I've heard in awhile. Wang performs under = name=20 Mochipet, and he calls his style of music breakcore, which = of=20 course inspired the album title. Mochipet combines any and every = element=20 he can find, from funk to rock, speed metal to disco, then turns = up=20 everything by 500 percent and makes it pulsate until your sack = comes out=20 of your nose. Imagine Anthrax's first album cover, Fistful Of=20 Metal, but mix it in with sour li hing mui Gummi bears with = just a=20 gentle dusting of crystal meth. That's what the album is pretty = much=20 about, and the end result is amazing. It's not going to be for = everyone,=20 especially for those who prefer their electronic music (regardless = of=20 tempo) to be stylized. Oh, Mochipet has style, but his approach is = more=20 along the lines of free jazz, as if The Boredoms hung out = with=20 The Chemical Brothers on 78rpm.

The song titles are fairly simple: "Tumbacore", "Botan = Ricecore",=20 "Clarinetcore", "Hyphycore", and "Donkeycore" (along with the = tender=20 "Justin Timberlakecore"), but sonically this music is anything but = simple.=20 Anything and everything that is considered "wrong" in = electronic-based=20 recording (or recording in general), he'll turn up the volume=20 considerably, point at it, and have everyone laugh at it, then = record the=20 laughter and slow it down by 47 percent for atmosphere. You hear = hints of=20 techno, jungle, IDM, and all of those sub-genres URB = readers know=20 and love, but if there's any consistently in Mochipet's art of = paranoid=20 noise, it's that he does things with a sense of humor, and that=20 distribution is equal to all that he makes fun of. It's not unlike = what=20 Kid Koala does with records and turntables, but this guy's = music=20 feels as if it's on a major sugar rush that never slows down. This = is=20 easily one of the best albums of the year thus far.

(Girls =E2=99=A5 Breakcore is available on vinyl and CD, = and is=20 available directly from Daly City=20 Records.)

That's it for this week's Run-Off Groove. I currently = have 18=20 different reviews on standby ready to go, with another 18 on the = way. I=20 haven't done a jam-packed column, so come back next time. There = will be no=20 excuse for you not to discover something new, and no excuse for = you to not=20 have any music this summer, whether you're heading for vacation, = keeping=20 to the books, or going to local parks looking for discarded = aluminum=20 cans.

If you have any music that you'd like for me to review, = contact me and=20 I'll send along my contact information. I go through each CD I = receive,=20 one by one, from start to finish, and everything sent into me will = be=20 reviewed. From hip-hop to electronica, country to blues, Americana = to=20 jazz, the next column will feature something for everyone, so all = that I=20 ask is for you to return and see/read what new music is out = there.

In closing, as the old Hawaiian song says, "May Day is Lei Day = in=20 Hawai'i". Mahalo nui, and I'll be back with #153.

da bookman's=20 blog

=20

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