2). I call suburban rap "underground shit that even I don't listen to isn't sufficiently on that headwraps-n-incense tip" which means "anticon, non-phixion etc..".
For me, not a requirement. I prefer hip-hop that has some redeeming entertainment quality either lyrically, through charisma, musically, or even by use of humor (e.g., The Beatnuts). Usually, suburban rap lacks all of these attributes. It's just blah!!! It just sits there like turds in a toilet bowl.
Suburban like Public Enemy, De La Soul, EPMD, etc. Long Island suburban?
You don't even have to answer that...I'm just trying to poke fun at the suburban generalization.
Scarface grew up in the suburbs of Houston listening to Kiss.
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
For me, not a requirement. I prefer hip-hop that has some redeeming entertainment quality either lyrically, through charisma, musically, or even by use of humor (e.g., The Beatnuts). Usually, suburban rap lacks all of these attributes. It's just blah!!! It just sits there like turds in a toilet bowl.
Suburban like Public Enemy, De La Soul, EPMD, etc. Long Island suburban?
You don't even have to answer that...I'm just trying to poke fun at the suburban generalization.
2). I call suburban rap "underground shit that even I don't listen to isn't sufficiently on that headwraps-n-incense tip" which means "anticon, non-phixion etc..".
For me, not a requirement. I prefer hip-hop that has some redeeming entertainment quality either lyrically, through charisma, musically, or even by use of humor (e.g., The Beatnuts). Usually, suburban rap lacks all of these attributes. It's just blah!!! It just sits there like turds in a toilet bowl.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Oh, I was just getting at Young Phonics a little bit with that one.
I'm no expert but I think "skateboard rap" is probably whatever rap songs are on the new tony hawk game. I think what ya'll are talking about is more "college rap" "College rap" is a big ole category and would include... well shit college kids listen too or litened too. Roots, De La, Tribe, Rawkus, Anticon, Shadow, Common, Heiro, PROJECT BLOWED, Dialated, Atmosphere, Boom-Bip, Little Brother, Sole, Shit dude was taling about over in the "indie/underground" post etc. etc. etc.
I love capone bone! THAT'S MY SHIT. I got doubles of the War Report if you wanna trade Phonics.
also Phonics, yo what's the name of that horrible jam/funk band that was always at the Justice League with that corny ass trumpet player dude? I'm dying over here!
I love capone bone! THAT'S MY SHIT. I got doubles of the War Report if you wanna trade Phonics.
also Phonics, yo what's the name of that horrible jam/funk band that was always at the Justice League with that corny ass trumpet player dude? I'm dying over here!
ROFL! OHHH DUDE I REMEBER THAT GUY! He had this super lame ass dance (shuffling his shoulders and shit)
I'm no expert but I think "skateboard rap" is probably whatever rap songs are on the new tony hawk game. I think what ya'll are talking about is more "college rap" "College rap" is a big ole category and would include... well shit college kids listen too or litened too. Roots, De La, Tribe, Rawkus, Anticon, Shadow, Common, Heiro, PROJECT BLOWED, Dialated, Atmosphere, Boom-Bip, Little Brother, Sole, Shit dude was taling about over in the "indie/underground" post etc. etc. etc.
Yep, lots of college kids get down to "Pistolgrip Pump"...but probably not the college kids you're thinking of.
I'm no expert but I think "skateboard rap" is probably whatever rap songs are on the new tony hawk game. I think what ya'll are talking about is more "college rap" "College rap" is a big ole category and would include... well shit college kids listen too or litened too. Roots, De La, Tribe, Rawkus, Anticon, Shadow, Common, Heiro, PROJECT BLOWED, Dialated, Atmosphere, Boom-Bip, Little Brother, Sole, Shit dude was taling about over in the "indie/underground" post etc. etc. etc.
Yep, lots of college kids get down to "Pistolgrip Pump"...but probably not the college kids you're thinking of.
oh lord, are these the mysterious sect of college kids who don't fit the "hackey sack" mold in Austin?
I mean outside of that song being big with black college dance troupes.....
I love capone bone! THAT'S MY SHIT. I got doubles of the War Report if you wanna trade Phonics.
also Phonics, yo what's the name of that horrible jam/funk band that was always at the Justice League with that corny ass trumpet player dude? I'm dying over here!
ROFL! OHHH DUDE I REMEBER THAT GUY! He had this super lame ass dance (shuffling his shoulders and shit)
white dude in a Grateful Dead shirt with dreadlocks he got at a salon
on this note I would like to say that I firmly beleive that more black folks w/ dreads are of the salon variety than white hippes whose are most likely home made while waiting for Phish shows in some parking lot.
The myth of "leave you hair alone and it will magically form perfect locks" is just that. Point being, there is nothing wrong with having your baby locks twisted up by a professional.
Nope..wrong!
My lock are 8 years and counting and I've never stepped in a salon. I let it grow and they locked. Yep it's that easy. No fashion dreads here. Do the blowed go to salons?
My lock are 8 years and counting and I've never stepped in a salon. I let it grow and they locked. Yep it's that easy. No fashion dreads here. Do the blowed go to salons?
you helped 'em out a little by yourself when you were bored or your girl did though right? Otherwise wouldn't you have some overly gargantuan ones and some thread thin ones?
i dont know how to phrase this right without sounding politically incorrect, but people need to burn mtv so that all kinds of kid cats, all colors included, may be enticed by picking up an instrument and not thinking instruments are for sounding like phucking linkin park, match box 20, limp bizkit, the killers, good charolette and whatever is classified as alternative music these days. Its sad kids are limited to thinking that guitars are only for rock music. i know im retarded, but one of my first casettes was some sucidal tendencies tape i bought because the bass player was black. i even bought bodycount. both lps were phucking horrible, the suicidal tendencies moreso (i still remember the pain of wasting $13.99 on it...lots of dough back then). then i found out more brownies that played guitar and that made me happy.
but i think it was even qbert...or no, someone else, was it dj babu on scratch or somethign that said qbert is like an inspiration for asians everywhere? that shiet is necessary, as speaking for myself, its hard to look up to people when u dont see yourself in them. and the next 10 years are gonna kick way more integration in our society and im hopeful it will transcend into the audio world.
how does this post even relate to the topic at hand?
because (and this may be a generalization) id say 90% of kids pick up instruments to cover and make rock music. i dont think a lot of kids say "man i'd love to play the guitar riff in hypnotize, or the lick in de la's "say no go", and i think they should. and they will. give it time.
i think that the roots will definitely spark interest and inspire some legitimate bands in the future and should be respected for that. as for them taking things to the next level, i agree they really havent, but godamn they put on a live show and a half
one thing i want to point out though, is the stigma of a "live hip hop band". does anyone really go "oh that sounds better because it was done by a live band"? I dont, and i dont give a phuck if its the turntables, instruments or fruit loops that generate the sound, if its makes my ear drums cum, come again!
Look, I like this record as much as anyone. I bought it when it was new, and bumped it for way longer than your average hip-hop flava of the month...but can we not agree that THIS VERY ALBUM is the inspiration for all these garbage hip-hop-jam-bands you guys are railing against?? For that matter, as much as I like this record, it was more the MC's on it (although, okey, Jamalski is not going to get the time of day from me outside of this LP), and the novelty of a dude like Kool G. Rap rhyming in front of a band that made it so hot...I'm not sure what I want to say, except it's funny how many people have held this up in this thread as:
This is it done right.
While holding up artist X[/b] and saying,
"this is garbage" when it's pretty much the same fucking thing, except without Main Source on the mics...
Man I dont know about all the skateboard shit but I'll say that the Roots got kind of boring over time. I have seen them perform pretty much the exact same set like ten times literally, then I gave up on them. I saw em last year with Jean Grae and Skills in a kind of review show where they all switched off and came out at different times, and they had some new folks adding some flavor to the mix and it was a tight show. But for so long when they were just dooo dooo doooo doooo keyboards all day I couldn't take it. Got real boring.
BUT seriously, there's some great things happening in Texas right now with the live hip hop bands. We had a whole showcase of this type of thing at SXSW this year and I will say Mojoe out of San Antonio is killing it. Not formulaic at all, definitely on their own shiot. Down south live band shit with skilled MC's who are different from the typical Texas sound but not too far out there.
Then Bavu Blakes has that dude D-Madness, blind guy who plays drums bass and keys at the same time. Also plays violin and more. Fucking brilliant man. Add like 9 more pieces to that and Bavu is fucking killin em.
And as for the Scarface live band, it's pretty amazing. 12 pieces. It's like one of the most jammin live shows I have ever seen. Of course I am a huge Face fan, but shit those guys get it going. None of the above are nag champa craving hacky sack hippies at all. I have seen a few of those bands and yes they are annoying as shit.
There's one in every city... possibly three or four. They all sound exactly the same... whether in NYC or Portland or Kansas City. They'll never blow up on a largescale level but they continue to pop up everywhere. Tonight as I sit here pondering, I ask you all...
WHAT IS THE FUCKING DEAL WITH LIVE INSTRUMENT HIP HOP GROUPS?!?!?
Here's what I've gathered...
They all have the same lineup: drummer, bassist, keyboard (usually Fender Rhodes), rapper
The musicians are all obviously talented, but can never come up with music more exciting or unique than a 4-chord loop with a dull bassline (always that ??berclean, undistorted jazz bass sound) and a smooooth keyboard progression.
They are formed from the ashes of (or are sideprojects of still-active) jam bands.
They always kick "positive" or "conscious" rhymes.
They have names like Groove Assembly.
They can probably never be reviewed or written about without The Roots being mentioned.
People in every city, especially college kids, LOVE these groups.
Can someone shed some light on what the fuck is going on here?
The Chicago Drop hopes to fuse raw energy, hip-hop pulse
June 27, 2005
BY DAVID JAKUBIAK Advertisement
Think of hip-hop and you likely think of programmed beats and electronic backing tracks. But live instrumentation has been a subtle force in hip-hop for more than a decade, from the acid-jazz movement of the early 1990s, to the emergence of the Roots and the more recent trend of artists such as Snoop Dogg and Big Boi of OutKast taking bands with them on the road. Now, a group of Chicago musicians wants to make these sounds synonymous with the sound of Chicago.
Eight local hip-hop bands have banded together, hoping to spark a movement that fuses the raw energy of garage bands with the addictive pulse of hip-hop. Together, they're called the Chicago Drop, representing almost 50 musicians and MCs.
And suddenly, they've got a lot going on. In February, they released a collaborative self-titled CD, which led to the creation of their own record label and a series of shows at the Note. They're developing an Internet radio show they'll stream on their Web site (thechicagodrop.com). They meet at least once every two weeks to discuss ways they can help each other through promotions, joint performances and making sure any club dates by bands in the collective are packed to the rafters.
"It started off with the CD, and that was so successful that we felt like we had to keep rolling with it," says Cary Kanno, guitarist for the band Abstract Giants, and one of the collective's organizers. "Our goal is to generate a scene and have this be another genre that could rise up out of Chicago."
Sonically, the groups in the Drop merge elements ranging from funk and soul to rock, reggae and salsa with the driving rhythms of hip-hop -- but played more with real instruments than synthesizers and drum machines. Individually, some of the groups, like Small Change, have a more straight hip-hop sound, while others, like Planets Audible, seem to be more an outgrowth of rock. Lyrically, all of the bands tend toward socially conscious lyrics rather than the thugged-out, diamond-studded wordplay that dominates mainstream rap.
But they share one goal. "We want to create a scene. We want to make this grow into a movement," Kanno pledges.
The early prognosis for such a movement seems good. Kanno's band just headlined a show at Metro during MOBfest, the annual Chicago showcase that helped propel bands like the Killers and Disturbed onto the national scene. Recently Treologic, another band in the Drop, beat out more than 600 bands to win the Disc Makers Independent Music World Series of the Midwest, which included $35,000 in prizes. Local music listings consistently find the Drop bands playing venues as diverse as the legendary roots-rock spot Fitzgerald's and the hip North Side spot Subterranean, even playing clubs that normally don't book hip-hop, like Schubas.
Schubas talent buyer Matt Rucins explains the appeal of a large live-instrumentation band: "We're a small venue. If you just have one or two people up there, it feels odd. But if you have a full band, you're going to attract a person's attention a little better."
Chris Baronner, talent buyer at Metro says another attraction is that the Drop bands' fusion of socially conscious lyricism with adept musicianship plays well to diverse crowds. "There's hip-hop everywhere, but here they really seem to focus on their music. And it's not like they are just playing Metro," he says. "They can play anywhere, Martyrs, HotHouse, Double Door, Subterranean, anywhere. With something like punk, you need that all-ages crowd. But these guys can appeal to anyone, all ages, 21-one plus, festivals, college gigs -- and when they play, you see that."
But while the Drop is catching the ear of show promoters and clubgoers, some members of the collective want to push things further -- to become a real movement instead of just a local twist on organic hip-hop or an extension of rap-rock. The greatest hurdle may be getting past the wide influence of the Roots, the Philadelphia-based band that almost singly defined "organic hip-hop" long before any of the Drop bands even formed.
Treologic keyboardist Lance Loiselle says the organization of the Drop offers the Chicago scene an advantage. "We've all been getting together biweekly to discuss gigs we can play together," he explains. "[After the release of the CD] we did three Thursdays at the Note. We're really promoting the scene as a group by playing together and going to see each other. We're also starting to talk about the second Chicago Drop CD. We're trying to bring people into the Chicago scene where it's real fertile and the people are really into the music."
And that, Kanno says, is the most exhilarating thing about the Drop. "The excitement is the raw talent that is getting harnessed right now. It's just an exciting time. These are the bands I want to see, these are the shows I want to go to."
David Jakubiak is a local free-lance writer.
EIGHT BANDS OUT THE GROUPS THAT COMPRISE THE CHICAGO DROP
The Chicago Drop is a collective of eight organic and experimental hip-hop bands who have come together to cultivate a Chicago-based hip-hop movement based on live instrumentation. For more visit thechicagodrop.com.
ABSTRACT GIANTS>>
This eight-man crew, made of seven Oak Park kids and a Wisconsin import, creates hip-hop seeping rock and funk elements. The rapid wordplay of a trio of MCs is punctuated by the skillful violin playing of Jason Vinluan.
BAD NEWS JONES>>
Add a sax, three rappers, keys and a steady rhythm section to a mango-guava punch and you'll get Bad News Jones, a septet that blends Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms with a pure hip-hop grind.
FARM CREW
Call it art student hip-hop. Farm Crew has long been known as one of Chicago's premier alternative hip-hop acts, blending rock, jazz and real-life experience to create a sound that's part Native Tongue and part folk storybook.
PLANETS AUDIBLE
The punk element of the Drop, Planets Audible creates hard-pounding hip-hop driven by strings, strings and more strings. Comprising two guitars, bass and drums, this is a crew that adds thrash to the boom-bap.
SMALL CHANGE^^
Fronted by the tag-team of raw lyricists made up of MCs Vitamin D and Jah Safe, the five-man band Small Change draws from funk and reggae to create music that ranges from mellow to frenetic, often tinged with biting social criticism or raucous humor.
STAR PEOPLE>>
Thoroughly trained in jazz, this quartet's foundation is the live sampling technique of multi-instrumentalist Josh Thurston-Milgrom and reggae-dripped wordplay of rapper-singer-songwriter Cosmos Ray. Thurston-Milgrom. He calls their sound "hip-hop-reggae with jazz chops."
TABAKIN^^
Named for frontman Noah Tabakin, this quartet creates a tight fusion of rock and funk elements and punctuates its live performances with lengthy freestyles riddled with unfiltered lyricism.
TREOLOGIC
A sextet that has developed out of the rich history of Chicago hip-hop and jazz, Treologic prides itself on the tightness of its compositions. These draw on hip-hop, jazz, funk and gospel.
Comments
definetly.
thanks for the loc., loco.
Suburban like Public Enemy, De La Soul, EPMD, etc. Long Island suburban?
You don't even have to answer that...I'm just trying to poke fun at the suburban generalization.
Maybe that's why skateboard rap is a better name.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
He listened to Kiss but I wouldn't really call his neighborhood the suburbs.
Oh, I was just getting at Young Phonics a little bit with that one.
I'm anti suburban bashing, pro-doing music that moves you (and maybe will move others) and anti-mimickry/gimmickry/bastardization.
Peace
T.N.
What do you have against minstrel shows?
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Sweet--me too!
You should call him and find out.
Neither one, really--I just thought the juxtaposition of the picture with your manifesto was funny.
THAT'S MY SHIT. I got doubles of the War Report if you wanna trade Phonics.
also Phonics, yo what's the name of that horrible jam/funk band that was always at the Justice League with that corny ass trumpet player dude? I'm dying over here!
ROFL! OHHH DUDE I REMEBER THAT GUY! He had this super lame ass dance (shuffling his shoulders and shit)
RAW DELUXE!
Yep, lots of college kids get down to "Pistolgrip Pump"...but probably not the college kids you're thinking of.
oh lord, are these the mysterious sect of college kids who don't fit the "hackey sack" mold in Austin?
I mean outside of that song being big with black college dance troupes.....
honestly, some of the worst music I've ever heard. this guy is probally one the biggest wiggers as well.
READ:
COMPLETELY NAG CHAMPA DEFICIENT!
Nope..wrong!
My lock are 8 years and counting and I've never stepped in a salon. I let it grow and they locked. Yep it's that easy. No fashion dreads here. Do the blowed go to salons?
but i think it was even qbert...or no, someone else, was it dj babu on scratch or somethign that said qbert is like an inspiration for asians everywhere? that shiet is necessary, as speaking for myself, its hard to look up to people when u dont see yourself in them. and the next 10 years are gonna kick way more integration in our society and im hopeful it will transcend into the audio world.
how does this post even relate to the topic at hand?
because (and this may be a generalization) id say 90% of kids pick up instruments to cover and make rock music. i dont think a lot of kids say "man i'd love to play the guitar riff in hypnotize, or the lick in de la's "say no go", and i think they should. and they will. give it time.
i think that the roots will definitely spark interest and inspire some legitimate bands in the future and should be respected for that. as for them taking things to the next level, i agree they really havent, but godamn they put on a live show and a half
one thing i want to point out though, is the stigma of a "live hip hop band". does anyone really go "oh that sounds better because it was done by a live band"? I dont, and i dont give a phuck if its the turntables, instruments or fruit loops that generate the sound, if its makes my ear drums cum, come again!
Look, I like this record as much as anyone. I bought it when it was new, and bumped it for way longer than your average hip-hop flava of the month...but can we not agree that THIS VERY ALBUM is the inspiration for all these garbage hip-hop-jam-bands you guys are railing against?? For that matter, as much as I like this record, it was more the MC's on it (although, okey, Jamalski is not going to get the time of day from me outside of this LP), and the novelty of a dude like Kool G. Rap rhyming in front of a band that made it so hot...I'm not sure what I want to say, except it's funny how many people have held this up in this thread as:
While holding up artist X[/b] and saying,
"this is garbage"
when it's pretty much the same fucking thing, except without Main Source on the mics...
BUT seriously, there's some great things happening in Texas right now with the live hip hop bands. We had a whole showcase of this type of thing at SXSW this year and I will say Mojoe out of San Antonio is killing it. Not formulaic at all, definitely on their own shiot. Down south live band shit with skilled MC's who are different from the typical Texas sound but not too far out there.
Then Bavu Blakes has that dude D-Madness, blind guy who plays drums bass and keys at the same time. Also plays violin and more. Fucking brilliant man. Add like 9 more pieces to that and Bavu is fucking killin em.
And as for the Scarface live band, it's pretty amazing. 12 pieces. It's like one of the most jammin live shows I have ever seen. Of course I am a huge Face fan, but shit those guys get it going. None of the above are nag champa craving hacky sack hippies at all. I have seen a few of those bands and yes they are annoying as shit.
jam on down.
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2004-01-16/music_phases2.html
[email]lol@groove[/email] assembly! hahaha.
Conversely, snoop's band is on point like what!
from todays sun-times
The Chicago Drop hopes to fuse raw energy, hip-hop pulse
June 27, 2005
BY DAVID JAKUBIAK Advertisement
Think of hip-hop and you likely think of programmed beats and electronic backing tracks. But live instrumentation has been a subtle force in hip-hop for more than a decade, from the acid-jazz movement of the early 1990s, to the emergence of the Roots and the more recent trend of artists such as Snoop Dogg and Big Boi of OutKast taking bands with them on the road. Now, a group of Chicago musicians wants to make these sounds synonymous with the sound of Chicago.
Eight local hip-hop bands have banded together, hoping to spark a movement that fuses the raw energy of garage bands with the addictive pulse of hip-hop. Together, they're called the Chicago Drop, representing almost 50 musicians and MCs.
And suddenly, they've got a lot going on. In February, they released a collaborative self-titled CD, which led to the creation of their own record label and a series of shows at the Note. They're developing an Internet radio show they'll stream on their Web site (thechicagodrop.com). They meet at least once every two weeks to discuss ways they can help each other through promotions, joint performances and making sure any club dates by bands in the collective are packed to the rafters.
"It started off with the CD, and that was so successful that we felt like we had to keep rolling with it," says Cary Kanno, guitarist for the band Abstract Giants, and one of the collective's organizers. "Our goal is to generate a scene and have this be another genre that could rise up out of Chicago."
Sonically, the groups in the Drop merge elements ranging from funk and soul to rock, reggae and salsa with the driving rhythms of hip-hop -- but played more with real instruments than synthesizers and drum machines. Individually, some of the groups, like Small Change, have a more straight hip-hop sound, while others, like Planets Audible, seem to be more an outgrowth of rock. Lyrically, all of the bands tend toward socially conscious lyrics rather than the thugged-out, diamond-studded wordplay that dominates mainstream rap.
But they share one goal. "We want to create a scene. We want to make this grow into a movement," Kanno pledges.
The early prognosis for such a movement seems good. Kanno's band just headlined a show at Metro during MOBfest, the annual Chicago showcase that helped propel bands like the Killers and Disturbed onto the national scene. Recently Treologic, another band in the Drop, beat out more than 600 bands to win the Disc Makers Independent Music World Series of the Midwest, which included $35,000 in prizes. Local music listings consistently find the Drop bands playing venues as diverse as the legendary roots-rock spot Fitzgerald's and the hip North Side spot Subterranean, even playing clubs that normally don't book hip-hop, like Schubas.
Schubas talent buyer Matt Rucins explains the appeal of a large live-instrumentation band: "We're a small venue. If you just have one or two people up there, it feels odd. But if you have a full band, you're going to attract a person's attention a little better."
Chris Baronner, talent buyer at Metro says another attraction is that the Drop bands' fusion of socially conscious lyricism with adept musicianship plays well to diverse crowds. "There's hip-hop everywhere, but here they really seem to focus on their music. And it's not like they are just playing Metro," he says. "They can play anywhere, Martyrs, HotHouse, Double Door, Subterranean, anywhere. With something like punk, you need that all-ages crowd. But these guys can appeal to anyone, all ages, 21-one plus, festivals, college gigs -- and when they play, you see that."
But while the Drop is catching the ear of show promoters and clubgoers, some members of the collective want to push things further -- to become a real movement instead of just a local twist on organic hip-hop or an extension of rap-rock. The greatest hurdle may be getting past the wide influence of the Roots, the Philadelphia-based band that almost singly defined "organic hip-hop" long before any of the Drop bands even formed.
Treologic keyboardist Lance Loiselle says the organization of the Drop offers the Chicago scene an advantage. "We've all been getting together biweekly to discuss gigs we can play together," he explains. "[After the release of the CD] we did three Thursdays at the Note. We're really promoting the scene as a group by playing together and going to see each other. We're also starting to talk about the second Chicago Drop CD. We're trying to bring people into the Chicago scene where it's real fertile and the people are really into the music."
And that, Kanno says, is the most exhilarating thing about the Drop. "The excitement is the raw talent that is getting harnessed right now. It's just an exciting time. These are the bands I want to see, these are the shows I want to go to."
David Jakubiak is a local free-lance writer.
EIGHT BANDS OUT THE GROUPS THAT COMPRISE THE CHICAGO DROP
The Chicago Drop is a collective of eight organic and experimental hip-hop bands who have come together to cultivate a Chicago-based hip-hop movement based on live instrumentation. For more visit thechicagodrop.com.
ABSTRACT GIANTS>>
This eight-man crew, made of seven Oak Park kids and a Wisconsin import, creates hip-hop seeping rock and funk elements. The rapid wordplay of a trio of MCs is punctuated by the skillful violin playing of Jason Vinluan.
BAD NEWS JONES>>
Add a sax, three rappers, keys and a steady rhythm section to a mango-guava punch and you'll get Bad News Jones, a septet that blends Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms with a pure hip-hop grind.
FARM CREW
Call it art student hip-hop. Farm Crew has long been known as one of Chicago's premier alternative hip-hop acts, blending rock, jazz and real-life experience to create a sound that's part Native Tongue and part folk storybook.
PLANETS AUDIBLE
The punk element of the Drop, Planets Audible creates hard-pounding hip-hop driven by strings, strings and more strings. Comprising two guitars, bass and drums, this is a crew that adds thrash to the boom-bap.
SMALL CHANGE^^
Fronted by the tag-team of raw lyricists made up of MCs Vitamin D and Jah Safe, the five-man band Small Change draws from funk and reggae to create music that ranges from mellow to frenetic, often tinged with biting social criticism or raucous humor.
STAR PEOPLE>>
Thoroughly trained in jazz, this quartet's foundation is the live sampling technique of multi-instrumentalist Josh Thurston-Milgrom and reggae-dripped wordplay of rapper-singer-songwriter Cosmos Ray. Thurston-Milgrom. He calls their sound "hip-hop-reggae with jazz chops."
TABAKIN^^
Named for frontman Noah Tabakin, this quartet creates a tight fusion of rock and funk elements and punctuates its live performances with lengthy freestyles riddled with unfiltered lyricism.
TREOLOGIC
A sextet that has developed out of the rich history of Chicago hip-hop and jazz, Treologic prides itself on the tightness of its compositions. These draw on hip-hop, jazz, funk and gospel.
David Jakubiak