"There are more things in ..."
Yesterday I downloaded some Hip-Hop/Rap tracks. Shocked? "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy" (Hamlet: Act 1, Scene V).
It's not like I didn't have any before then. The picture (which for some strange reason isn't loading, but I'll fix it) shows that hitherto now I had nine tracks.
Okay, my vocabulary is a clear indicator that I'm not a regular patron of the genre. About 50% of the collection (typified in "Wild Wild West" by Will Smith) until yesterday was far from the hardcore that you may hear shaking the environment when certain cars pass near by. The other 50% (typified in "What It's Like" by Everlast) are comparatively more hardcore, but if you've read any of my posts on these tracks you'll recall that they are like modern Aesop's Fables: they leave a moral to think about. The newest tracks are also about morals though lack the coarse language and gritty situations that characterize the second group.
These tracks from KJ-52 are better than the usual Hip-Hop/Rap I hear other people playing. The lyrics are more developed and fairly more clever than ordinary Rap I'm used to hearing, but certainly on par with Eminem. The real appeal is the Christian-themed topics. "Are U Real?" is another of the many "I'm struggling with something and I need help" songs in circulation but relates how finding God makes things better. Some nice Rock breaks are tossed in for variety and to compliment a nice drum line. A non-Rap chorus also makes this tune more mainstream.
More true to Rap style is "Champion." Anyone familiar with the genre knows that Rap battles are popular and this track imagines such a confrontation between Jesus, Satan, and the latter's Homies. These lyrics are tight, rich, and bring the Bible to life in a new way. Of all the tracks this is the one that gets me bobbing my head and moving my body. It's infectious enough to listen to over and over. I listened to samples from the rest of the album, Beatmart Recordings - Best of the Submissions (DJ Morphiziz Mixtape), and I was disappointed. One other track caught my attention but not strongly enough to download it.
"God" is a rip-off. Okay, that doesn't sound right. The track is a cover of Rebecca St. James's song of the same name and features the impressive chorus from her track in the choruses. It's not exactly a remix but it would you remind me of one. Overall it's a good track despite sampling flaws and uneven mixing levels.
Fourth and last for now is "Right Here" with its almost Country-like choruses playing leapfrog with the Rap-style dialogue lyrics. Nicely backed up with guitar work common to most Alternative recordings (and very reminiscent of the Jeremy Camp original), this song is a real blend of styles. That appealed to me along with the message that the "speaker" recounts time's he has relied on the Lord and will continue to do so. Songs like this put the 'praise' in Praise & Worship music. Nicely done, KJ.
My original intent of this post was to compare this music to a track that I've been keeping my eye on for the past few months. Trick Daddy's "Let's Go," with its brilliant sampling of the tease from Ozzy's "Crazy Train" sounds absolutely fabulous. Probably one of the best Hip-Hop/Rap tracks I've ever heard. It builds on that sample with subtle repeats of the same and really tight rapping. These guys are talented. Of the two problems that have kept me from downloading it, one has been resolved and one continues to offend.
In the uncensored version the F-word and the N-word are thrown a dozen times each but they are nicely removed from the "clean" treatment. Great! I'm not afraid of the F-word but no one -- and I mean no one -- needs to use or should use a word as offensive as the N-word. Its ugly and unbearable even as a colloquial between Homies and Bruthas. So problem number one is down if you buy the (Clean) version.
Problem number two is that the whole song is about violence, murder and the thug lifestyle. Not as in the moralistic picture that Everlast or Eminem often paint where the listener gets the idea that engaging in such activities is ultimately self-destructive. No, this is a celebration of thuggery. Consider:
Cuz where I'm from we tote big guns,
And everybody know somebody that
Know somebody that know somethin bout it,
And I want answers now who, what, where,
When and why,
See, a lotta dudes like to act a fool
And all get all loud but that aint my style,
And he who he gonna get and what he gonna do,
Run up on me if he want to,
Out there impressin his homies,
But he stood up in front of his mama,
I mop up the flo wit em,
And I kick in the door and let the .44 get em,
I got fools that'll go get em,
This for him, the crew and the dudes that run wit em.
What a waste of musical excellence. It makes me think of that line that has appeared in most superhero comics, "What would happen if he used his powers for good?" Normally I don't feel ill will toward strangers, but part of me hopes that this is a one-hit wonder for Trick Daddy if they don't pull away from "the Dark Side" and that their career goes down the toilet. Sorry.
Actually, I pray they straighten up and fly right, if only for their own salvation. Adding to that, I pray that whomever is responsible for the music portion of "Let's Go" can harness that genius and use it as a positive tool. The talent comes from God and it is an insult to waste it.
Decide for yourself after you watch the (Clean) video at iTunes. Or if you'd rather, check out these other excellent videos, also at iTunes:
- "When in Rome" Nickel Creek
- "Gimmie That" - The Resource
- "Us" - Soviet Kitsch
- "Just Lose It" - Eminem
- "Jesus Walks" - Kanye West
- "Here with Me" - MercyMe
- "I Can Only Imagine" - MercyMe
- "Go Round'" - Nicholas Payton
- "All At Sea" - Jamie Cullum
