rap

FYF Fest/Big Freedia (9/6/2010)

brittany — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 06:00:00 +0000

Los Angeles, California

In 2008 I attended what was then known as Fuck Yeah Fest and despite confusing and complicated scheduling, it was obvious that the festival’s mastermind, a very young Sean Carlson, was on to something special. Fast-forward two years and the fest has a new name (FYF Fest), a more centralized location (Los Angeles State Historic Park), and a killer lineup (The Mountain Goats, The Rapture, and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, among thirty-four others). I thought this would be Carlson’s year, but I’m sorry to report that the fest was a bust. I appreciate Carlson’s enthusiasm and obvious passion for independent music and I especially love the many affordable shows he throws all over town, but there were many problems I can’t look past.

Fans paid $30 for twelve hours of entertainment, which was quite extraordinary, though it was hot, dirty, and dusty. Security guards stripped concert-goers of their water bottles and food upon entering the park. This was fucked up because a.) Lines to get food were well over an hour long, b.) Water bottles, no matter what vendor you visited, were four dollars, and c.) The food was grossly overpriced. All of this was incredibly upsetting, but I was going to stick it out until 10:30 p.m. so that I could witness the magic that is my latest obsession: New Orleans sissy rapper, Big Freedia.

I caught amazing sets by The Mountain Goats, Dead Man’s Bones—which features an awesome children’s choir who dress up as various historical figures—and Man Man, but my enthusiasm was dwindling. I was sick and dehydrated and after purchasing one $4 water bottle, I couldn’t bring myself to buy another. Earlier in the day I heard that Big Freedia was playing an after show at La Cita, a popular Mexican bar in the heart of downtown L.A. So, just after three hours of FYF Fest, my two friends and I walked over to Chinatown and sat down for some much needed food and drink. I feel compelled to report that the only other patron at the restaurant was Keith Morris, founding member of seminal Los Angeles punk band The Circle Jerks.

Bounce music is a type of rap that was born in New Orleans. Despite being around for nearly twenty years, it took a group of “sissy” (gay) rappers like Big Freedia to breathe life into the scene and get it recognized on a national level. Sissy bounce, as it’s now known, deals with slightly different themes than bounce music, like men who are on the down low. Freedia’s song “Hit Me on My Next” is about creeping in the different wards of New Orleans with straight men. “I’m full of gin; I’m going to do that boy again. He’s full of that Jack; so why don’t you hit me from the back,” is pretty classic Freedia.

By the time of her show at La Cita, I’d been listening to her album Queen Diva non-stop for months. Never a huge fan of rap, I was quickly drawn in by the back story of sissy bounce and Freedia’s infectious beats and clever rhymes. A few months ago I interviewed Freedia for a piece I was writing on sissy bounce and she told me her show would essentially, blow my face off. I was skeptical and nervous for her. How well would New Orleans bounce translate and more importantly, would jaded L.A. hipsters get it?

When Freedia showed up on stage my heart soared with joy. Her two back up dancers wore nothing but small tank tops and booty shorts and it immediately became clear that their only job was to shake their shit or do what Freedia refers to as “pussy popping.” They were awesome, but Freedia commanded the stage. She was both masculine and feminine; intimidating with a deep voice and lanky frame well over six feet tall, but oh so lovely in dangly heart-shaped earrings and a massive, glittery necklace.

One of the tenants of bounce music is engaging the audience and when Freedia wasn’t having us chant back “Big Freedia the Dick Eata,” we were yelling the classic New Orleans chant “Who dat.” She went through her most popular songs, like “Gin In My System,” “Azz Everywhere,” “Y’all Get Back Now,” and “Rock Around The Clock.”

Simply put, it was the best show I’ve ever been to and the only show I’ve ever danced at. I am notorious for being stoic and boring; no matter how many Crown and Cokes I consume, my feet always stay firmly planted. No one at La Cita could resist Freedia; her music was that good; she was that engaging; her charisma that infectious. We were all sweating with Freedia, dancing, laughing, and having the time of our lives. At one point I looked around the bar and noticed that everyone was having a blast. Los Angeles did get it and what’s not to get? Big Freedia gives her audience all she’s got and she lacks the smug, pretentious attitude that so many artists in the rap community seem to have. Big Freedia’s currently on a West Coast tour and I highly recommend you catch one of her shows; it will quite literally blow your face off and you will be all the better for it.

Photos by Ramiro Rubio

Written by: Tina Vasquez, September 27th 2010

Fabriclive.33

admin — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 23:11:00 +0000

By Spank Rock

Fabric Records

Plenty of famous (and not so famous) DJs have contributed to the FabricLive series: James Lavelle, Jacques Lu Cont, Diplo and even the late John Peel. So Baltimore “dirty rap” superstars Spank Rock had a lot to live up to with their mix, the thirty-third in the series. And while other albums may have been better mixed, or contain more unknown tracks, there is almost no competition when it comes to plain old danceability.

Spank Rock are, by their own admission, all about the debauchery that comes with partying, so they know what they’re doing with a mix CD. The bring ultra-hip new electro and rap together with some of their own remixes and idols to make something really fresh. From more straightforward tracks like Daft Punk’s “Technologic” and Miss Kittin & The Hacker’s “Stock Exchange” to more oddball picks like Yes’ “Owner of a Lonely Heart” (you read that right) to some of their own remixes of bands like Best Fwends and Brazilian bangers Cansei de ser Sexy and Bonde Do Role, this album is pretty much a party in a cardboard sleeve. So if you’re looking for a dance mix that’s less Euro-house and more debaucherous and nasty (in the best way possible), check out Spank Rock’s FabricLive effort. It’ll make your booty shake, or you don’t have a pulse.

Written by: Dana Reinoos, June 2nd 2007

Moments in Movement

admin — Mon, 14 May 2007 17:50:00 +0000

By Macromantics

Kill Rock Stars

Formerly Romy Hoffman, Australian rapper Macromantics has released a debut hip-hop album that will keep her listeners guessing from track to track. After discovering hip-hop on a 1995 American tour with her pop punk band Noise Addict, Miss Macro spent the next few years fine-tuning her solid rhymes and traditional beats. It’s when she veers from the traditional path, however, that the album is at its best. From the time-honored intro touting her abilities as an emcee to "Locksmith," on which she and Sage Francis intersperse rap with a collection of robotic-sounding voice recordings, to the ethereal "Love Thyself," Miss Macro keeps each tune fresh and unique.

The album’s overall feel is dark and eerie, keeping in step with the grimier hip-hop coming out of many parts of the world, most notably England. Pop culture fans will particularly appreciate the references that weave their way through the album; some obvious, some inferred. Name drops include Susan Faludi and Corey Haim, to name a few, and "Apple Crumble" is so infused with a nostalgic roller rink sound that it would tempt any listener to strap on a pair of roller skates.

Written by: Becky Ramsey, May 14th 2007

k-os: Live at the 9:30 Club (2/21/2007)

admin — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 18:51:00 +0000

9:30 Club

If hip-hop is now comparable to a staid night of champagne swilling, high profiling, platinum-plated debauchery, then k-os is as refreshing as the hazy Sunday morning brunch spread invitingly along an island shore. Following in the tracks laid by former underground artists, Talib Kweli and Common, k-os is a creative contained energy wielding a socially conscious, reggae splashed mandate.

On February 21st, Washington D.C. welcomed the Canadian MC, born Kevin Brereton, to the hub of alternative music. Hundreds of hipsters and surburban b-boys lined V Street in anticipation of “Kheaven’s Original Sound” and the Daryl Hall for President Tour '07, which features acclaimed hip-hop artists Gym Class Heroes, P.O.S. and progressive, ska-punkers RX Bandits.

As k-os took the stage, in a pair of fresh kicks and worn hoodie, I felt that we had all been personally invited to chill on an all-encompassing collegiate futon while he tried to wax poetically over a groove infected live band. However, when his lyrics failed to scale clever peaks, k-os’ Trinidadian lilt, reminiscent of Wyclef Jean, carried us through the lull.

Playing his way through his third and latest album, Atlantis: Hymns for Disco, k-os certainly seemed to possess knowledge of himself… perhaps a tad too much. While it was refreshing not to have to bare witness to another slick, over processed, strobe-infused performance, I would have preferred to see less of the MC’s back. I would encourage him to toy with and play off of the energy the young crowd was so ready to give him. Yet, while I find k-os the performer a bit lackluster, k-os the musician is certainly a breath of hope-filled air.

When rap heavyweights claim that hip hop is dead, perhaps shot point blank by misogynistic dirty South bullets, I am charmed by k-os. In an industry that is prone with carbon copy chameleon heirs, k-os strives to bring some integrity back to the beat of the urban street. Unfortunatately, his 9:30 Club performance seemed somewhat locked onto the promise of securing the highly coveted MTV rotation currently being conquered by the main act.

I long for the golden era of old school hip-hop, and I think k-os is fervently trying to usher in some sort of renaissance, but this precarious position between artistic merit and mainstream success prevents him from blazing a well-known trail. Perhaps his position in this current tour will ignite a following, a cause and a re-birth of a creative hip-hop nation.

Written by: Pamela Wiley, April 6th 2007

Lovers and Crypts

admin — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 13:51:00 +0000

By Bunny Rabbit

Voodoo-Eros

Straight outta Brooklyn, New York, Bunny Rabbit is a sound that is to be forgotten, at best. The music is drab and the beats predictable. Vocally, this is a woman who portrays herself as a sex object, who believes her only value is in being used for sex and nothing more. Where she is unable to actually write viable lyrics, she chose to fill in the empty space with obscenities that perpetuate the stereotype that women have nothing of power to offer but bitchiness and easy sexual conquest. Instead of choosing to uplift women in the rap/dance/electronica genré, she chooses to feed into the lowest common denominator and screams “my pussy” as often as the monotonous and mundane beats will allow. She downplays other women and steals their personal power in order to justify her lack of true talent and love for her fellow feminists and women in the business.

In the song, “Saddle Up,” she tries desperately to emulate a baby girl voice that she, in her complete step out of reality, assumes that men and women both find cute and sexy. The lyrics are obscene and have no value whatsoever. Even the beats behind lend no credibility to a song that, even with professional help, could never be a hit in the most remote dance clubs anywhere other than North Brooklyn.

Instead of trying to showcase any measure of talent and propriety, she chooses to become more and more insulting and gutter-mouthed to other females, whom she feels are not "up to her standard." Truthfully, the women she is insulting wouldn’t cast a second glance at her personally or professionally. She is, once again, perpetuating the myth of sexual domination in her simply grotesque song "Pussy Queen."

This Bunny Rabbit should be shot and put out of her misery, and ours. I would sooner listen to the KKK Christmas Carol Bonanza. Ladies, this is NOT an example we want for our youthful upcoming generation. If you are looking for music to really dance to and enjoy, look past this one. You will be glad you did.

Written by: Karen Morris, March 31st 2007

Atlantis: Hymns for Disco

admin — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 13:33:00 +0000

By k-os

Virgin Records

This is an impressive record. k-os is a rapper from Trinidad, who was raised in Toronto. His name stands for “Knowledge of Self.” The songs on this album steer clear of typical commercial hip-hop posturing. There is no talk of guns, gang violence or misogyny. In fact, on "The Rain," he openly reveals his pain over lost love.

k-os' honesty and workmanship shine through on every number. One of my favorites is "Sunday Morning." Here, k-os deals with the lonely quiet that is often the aftermath of a Saturday night at the club. His rhymes are clever, original and versatile. k-os is currently touring the United States after selling several platinum records in Canada.

I hope Atlantis: Hymns for Disco will give him the commercial and critical success he deserves. I will be interested to see how popular k-os becomes in the States. His refusal to make a quick buck pandering to hip-hop stereotypes is admirable. Overall, Atlantis: Hymns for Disco is a sign of change in the hip-hop game.

Written by: Steve Watson, March 26th 2007

Mo’ Mega

admin — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 13:05:00 +0000

By Mr. Lif

Definitive Jux

At first listen Mo’ Mega’s bellicose sound seems somewhat uninviting. I thought it so heavy handed that it lost intricacy. I was wrong. Everything is intentional, from aggressive baselines to biting political criticism to the frustrated laments of a hardworking emcee. Lif’s lyrics aren’t afraid to get dirty, whether by treading on the Bush administration or describing the sexual exploits of a much-anticipated rendezvous. He isn’t sugarcoating anything, but then again has Lif ever? Mo’ Mega hosts a few guests, namely Aesop Rock, Blueprint, and Murs, with 8 tracks produced by El-P. Overall, El-P is effective to say the least. He splices gritty industrial sound with rock accents and heavy, driving beats. However, though his sound is unique, it becomes somewhat uniform from track to track. Where he really shines is on "Brothaz" and "The Fries." Decidedly, the most interesting song on the album, "Brothaz" combines searing accusations concerning the social conditioning of young black males and an absolutely ridiculous beat. Often times loaded lyrics are reserved for more minimal tracks, but these rhymes could cut glass. You’re gonna hear ‘em whether they’re spit over Beethoven’s 5th or a jack in the box. Lif once again asserts himself as one of the most informed and talented emcees out there. "The Fries" dictates the deterioration of our fast food nation, gruesomely dramatizing our cardiological plight. Watch out for the break about two minutes in, it bangs so hard you may experience a little cardiological plight of your own.

Written by: Kristen Zwicker, November 21st 2006