ProPER HippETYhop – Vol I
This is something beautiful. For any homosapien with any real appreciation of hiphop. Those who appreciate beats hooked together so smoothly, so cheaply, so perfectly, and lyrics which marry them as the moon marries the tides….I could well launch an offensive, spiteful, mocking volley onto those kendrick and 50 cent ghoul ‘fans’, but I feel like I would be dirtying something pure…so I will instead proceed along the same…what can best be described as lyric and sound combined, as a gorgeous poem…
No doubt I could happily delve deeper into the shadows of yesteryear, a golden era for the art-form, but I feel, there are offerings which meet my needs, to be found closer to the my Now…a little more cannot hurt!
And to bring the rawness and ruggedness and openness and killer beats, slowly closer to our shared Now…
Gangstarr were my introduction to hiphop. I had been a trancey, old skoll rave, house focused teenager, but found my calling in the herbs, and varied crowds of the same proclivities…none more perfect than a dealer in Manchester named Knowles, who had a selection of indica and sativa, happy or heavy, playful or pensive, in various drawers, music playing, his body dancing but his eyes focused, as he proffered his wares…indeed, it was during this period in the late 90s, Manchester, when Gangstarr appeared…
Dj Premier’s work on the beats was consistently staggering and causing my femurs to bounce. Guru’s lyrics were heartfelt, simple and the ying to the yang of the sounds of hiphop eden. I was hooked. And wanted more more more…
Gangstarr represented more than a new sound to my young, eager for everything which moved me ears, they represented a realm of brilliantly delivered self expression I had not found in any other art form. This was and remains classic ART. From Gangstarr, revived after a few years traveling through strange, foreign realms and peoples, I downloaded by phone at 12k per second, all of their sounds. And found Jeru, who was wicked, but tailed off…living with a skater, older hiphop emcee in Brighton, he tried and tried to expose and recruit me to Public Enemy, then the beastie boys, and others no doubt, but it just wouldnt stick…his skater lady gave him Atmosphere’s God LOve Ugly. which he gave to me, the very next day, adding the words…’You have the ears but are kiddy emo, in your own Daniel way…you will like this more than I could pretend to like it’…The first track I listened to was this:>
As much as I was inspired by ATmosphere, I was also following other leads. offered from my housemate, whose ex lover moved in, and he made moves to entangle, which went wrong, and just as it was going wrong, she stormed downstairs and foud me using her scales with several ounzes of greenery around me, and the curtains wide open…Perhaps her pixie wrath, lengthy dressing down, caused me to shake myself away from Rhymesayers and return to the last warm and welcome moment…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuraWZkkgeQ
So much more to share, but…the above is enough, and I am likely, assuredly, skipping more gems in the mega rough. Best leave this as is, focus on the next instalment. With one more Classic shared to send me bouncing to slumber…which remains, absent of decay or mould, after so many years have passed. Still amazing…
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