A few weeks ago I used this column to go off on rappers who are all over the radio airwaves, basically saying a whole lotta nothing.
Well, there were several (OK, two) responses from people wondering why I didn't devote equal time to writing about rap performers who were actually worthwhile. You know, the ones who weren't screaming their names over and over again in one song, mistaking that for lyricism. The ones who aren't making the state of rap music look, well, awful.
There is good hip-hop, but you have to search for it. So I've spent the past few weeks scouring hip-hop blogs and websites for hip-hop artists that are worth my listening time.
As always, you have to find the newest mixtapes to see who's bringing it on the mic lately. Despite the name, many mixtapes these days aren't so much compilations of song snippets and previously released tracks woven together by some hot-shot DJ, but instead full-length albums artists are releasing by themselves (for free!) online.
I was quite pleased to see that D.C. rapper Wale just released a mixtape. No stranger to dropping his own music on the Interwebs, Wale made a name for himself when he released "The Mixtape About Nothing" in 2008, driven by his love for the sitcom "Seinfeld." Along with songs inspired by some of his favorite episodes, he included memorable snippets from the show.
Wale's new mixtape is a sequel of sorts, called "More About Nothing." The tape includes more "Seinfeld"-influenced songs and snippets, but Wale seems angrier this time around. This may be because his major-label debut album, 2009's "Attention Deficit," didn't cause a buzz with audiences when it was released, and he's going underground to voice his frustrations. Bottom line, this all makes for a fascinating release.
I also found some good hip-hop from an unusual source.
Fans of the NBC sitcom "Community" may be surprised to learn that Donald Glover, who plays sensitive jock Troy on the show, is quite a mercilessly honest emo rapper. Rhyming under the name Childish Gambino, he recently dropped his full-length mixtape "Culdesac," and it's actually not bad. (One of my few proud moments this summer was hipping a hip-hop-loving friend to this album.)
The mixtape I've been playing most comes from St. Louis rapper/singer Black Spade. In "Build and Destroy," Spade comes up with clever samples (you should hear what he does with the Beatles' "If I Fell" on "I Swear") and equally cerebral rhymes. And the great thing about a great mixtape is that it introduces you to other MCs you should know more about. "Destroy" includes guest work from Chicago rapper Vic Spencer, who, sure enough, also has a new mixtape out, "We're Just Disappointed."
You just have to look
Truth be told, there is decent hip-hop sprouting up all over the place, especially right here in North Carolina. I was recently introduced to Freebass 808, an experimental, electro-rap pairing consisting of Geechi Suede (one-half of the Bronx hip-hop duo Camp Lo) and Chapel Hill hip-hop producer Apple Juice Kid. They dropped a mixtape recently, "Mick Boogie and Mighty Mi Present 7th Galaxy/Psychic Energy," that's also a must-have.
Freebass 808, among other Triangle rap acts, will be performing at the "Love Is Local" show Wednesday night at the Pour House. Hip-hop critic and journalist Eric Tullis, who curated the show's lineup, hipped me to Freebass and has became one of their biggest supporters.
"When a group like Freebass 808 comes out, Camp Lo and Apple Juice Kid, I get excited, because it's cutting-edge hip-hop," Tullis says. "They're making this electro, fuzz-pop, crazy, drugged-out [stuff] that you can actually form new critiques about."
Much like what I did these past few weeks, Tullis makes it a habit to find good hip-hop.
Unfortunately, we live in a culture where the mediocre is handed to you, while the good is usually something you have to seek out.
"I can't fathom, like, not being able to find something just based off curiosity and typing it in," says Tullis. "It's way too easy. There's no excuse. You don't have that excuse anymore. ... Everything is free. You can go to NahRight.com and download three albums a day, if you want to. You're going to find one good song out of all that. And then, that'll lead you to different avenues of hip-hop."
So, if you're a person who is actually starving for some hip-hop that isn't Waka Flocka Flame-related, it's best that you get to a computer and start Googling.
