Now, it’s time to take a look at the independent/underground releases of 2007. I planned on making this one long entry, but it’s come to my attention that the length could be intimidating. For now, this is part two, with the third entry coming a week or so later. That is, of course, if I don’t let myself get sidetracked.
First, we have the reissue of the legendary
J Dilla’s
Ruff Draft, which was originally released in February 2003. This 10-track, dirty, originally-a-cassette album is a quick listen, only extended by four additional songs and a bonus disc of instrumentals. While it wasn’t his best work, this EP did its job in showing off even more of Dilla’s hypnotizing production. It also displayed his depth. The spacey “Nothing Like This” could be one of his most experimental tracks ever, not to mention one of my favorites. Then there’s the more “typical” Dilla, such as the M.O.P. sampled “Make’em NV” or the sexed-up, fun “Crushin’ (Yeeeeaah!).”
Then, there was the emergence of
Black Milk, who some have both hated on and praised for his Dilla-esque production and sound. Besides being a Detroit-native, BM worked with Slum Village before and others linked to Dilla before making his solo debut,
Sound of the City, Vol. 1 in 2005. After releasing the
Broken Wax EP, BM began working on his sophomore follow-up,
Popular Demand. Although not groundbreaking or revolutionary, BM proved that he was coming into his own. Much better behind the board than on the mic, BM was (understandably) outshined by some of his guests. He and
Guilty Simpson crafted a dirty club banger on “Sound the Alarm” while
One Be Lo further displayed his skills on “Take It There.” This coming year is looking good for BM, who is linked to the aforementioned Guilty Simpson and
Kenn Starr for future releases.
Speaking of Michigan, One Be Lo also released an album last year. Called
The R.E.B.I.R.T.H., the rapper continued his fascination with acronyms and incredible lyricism. This record saw One Be Lo depart from his usual sect of producers, which included himself and Decompoze. This time, he branched out to the likes of Jake One, Vitamin D and D.L. Jones, who helped mold “Gray,” one of the best hip-hop tracks ever; yes, it’s that good. Like most other One Be Lo releases,
The R.E.B.I.R.T.H. also features movie samples. The best of the quotes come from Mr. T’s character in
Rocky III, Clubber Lang. On the rapping side of the album, One Be Lo stuck to his usual braggadocio mixed with some storytelling. As usual, the man is on point. As written, he hits his peak on “Gray.” Other tracks, however, are just as enjoyable, like the should-be-corny “Hip Hop Heaven.” If you have somehow slept on One Be Lo, let this be the time you open your eyes and ears.
Staying in the Midwest, but moving a bit north, we find one of hip-hop’s current best emcees:
Brother Ali. He came on to the scene in 2000 with the cassette-only
Rites of Passage, on which he did a majority of the production. It was not until 2003, when Ali hooked up with Ant, that he would make his emotional and outstanding album
Shadows on the Sun, followed one year by the equally introspective
Champion EP. Then, after three years of touring with the likes of Rakim, Ali dropped
The Undisputed Truth in April 2007. Just as we all expected, the album delivered on all fronts. He was still letting us into his personal life, as heard on “Walking Away” and “Faheem.” He proudly displayed his knack for bravado on “Whatcha Got” and “Truth Is.” Ali also got political and did not hold back at all. “Uncle Sam Goddamn” and “Letter to the Government” are two fiery tracks full of intolerance for a failed government. Ant was again behind the boards and he was no slouch either. The production for the aforementioned tracks, and rest of the album, is better than most of his work as part of Atmosphere. Be on the look out for Ali as he is touring during the next few months and might be stopping by your town or city.
Moving further northwest, you will eventually find yourself in Alaska. While it’s not exactly a hip-hop breeding ground, the state still produced one of the genre’s brightest newcomers. At first listen, it’s hard not to draw conclusions about
Intuition for his distinct voice and solid storytelling. In a way, he’s like a mix of Slug and Aesop Rock, with a hint of Sage Francis. Beyond the obvious comparisons, Intuition is not just another white “indie” rapper. He and producer Equalibrum craft songs reminiscent of the late Golden Age of hip-hop, but these guys are not biters. What they are doing is building upon a solid foundation that could use another level or, at the least, an extra room. If any of this has caught your attention, head to MySpace, find Intuition’s page and listen to “Bye Bye Baby” and “Destiny.” The former is one of his best songs, so far, and the latter is a humorous take on a typical topic. Do yourself a favor after sampling his music and pick up his debut,
Songs About Nothing, one of 2007’s best surprises.
Speaking of surprises, who can forget
Saul Williams’ decision to allow fans to either buy his new album,
The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust for $5 or download it for free. While Radiohead set that trend with
In Rainbows, Williams offered more options. If you happen to be an audiophile, for example, you could buy and download a FLAC version of the record. Mostly produced by Trent Reznor,
Niggy Tardust has been called
Year Zero Pt. 2 by some critics for the album’s resemblance to the last
Nine Inch Nails effort. The similarities are there, but, at the least,
Niggy Tardust shows that Williams is more than just a spoken word artist. He can do more than just recite lines of poetry, as proven by his cover of “Sunday, Bloody Sunday.” For the most part, though, Williams rapped in a singsong approach. This album will not win any awards or even get the recognition it deserves. This album did, however, show artists that there are alternatives to the typical means of releasing a new record. It also displayed Williams’ versatility, a quality not often seen in today’s stale music scene.
When it comes to versatility and overall skill, there are few hip-hop artists in the same league as
El-P. The man, who both raps and produces, can truly do it all. Whether he is going for an industrial sound or getting grimy, El-P succeeds. Those reasons are why it was not a shock to anyone when
I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead dropped. A beast of an album, El-P covered everything from politics and rebellion to relationships and heartbreak. Also, of course, he covered those topics extremely well. There are few songs released last year that can match up with “Up All Night,” “The Overly Dramatic Truth” and “Smithereens.” Speaking of “Up All Night,” that track had some of the best drums I have heard in years. And the pure, raw emotion on “The Overly Dramatic Truth” is something very few rappers are capable of expressing. It was also certainly refreshing to hear that El-P had not become lazy, a trademark characteristic of many veteran producers. Just look at the shelf-life at many of the men behind the boards if you don’t believe me. That’s not to say he didn’t flirt with that notion, though, as many of his beats on Mr. Lif’s
Mo’ Mega sounded a bit too similar. The same, however, cannot be said for
I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. It’s safe to say that this album was one of the best, if not
the best, record of 2007.
Also deserving of a spot in the top three for last year’s best hip-hop albums was fellow Def Jukie
Aesop Rock’s
None Shall Pass. Like his labelmate, Aes produces and raps. Much of the album, however, was crafted by longtime Aesop Rock-collaborator Blockhead. Like any artist whose first two albums are extraordinary, Aes found himself in a rut. He was releasing above-average records, but none of them could match up to
Daylight or
Labor Days. Perhaps that is why so many hip-hop heads were wary of any new output by the monotone emcee. Thankfully, Aes heard those cries and dropped a stellar fifth album. Besides the catchy and just stunning title track,
None Shall Pass found the rapper meandering the line between playful and cynical. Tracks like “Coffee,” which produced an amazing video, and “Gun for the Whole Family” are completely different, yet work together wonderfully. It’s not often that an artist reacquires creativity like this on his or her fifth album, but Aes is anything but typical.
Alrighty, that’s all for this week. Check back in a week or so for the conclusion!
Kenn Starr
Jealousy”