Tom Jennings

PAGE 22 • VARIANT • VOLUME 2 NUMBER 22 • SPRING 2005 Beautiful Struggles and Gangsta Blues Tom Jennings ‘Life is a beautiful struggle / People layers (spoken and/or sung lyrics mainstream politics and religion. search through the rubble / For a and choruses), but whose origins Meanwhile, the sheer brilliance suitable hustle / Some people using sit squarely in dance music.2 The of the arrangements transcends their noodle / Some people using most recent and wildly successful the weakness of his MC voice—as their muscle / Some people put it all phenomenon here is the does the raft of ranking guests. together / Make it fit like a puzzle’ synthesised Deep South Talib Kweli,‘I Try’ minimalism of Atlanta party hip- Highlights of Low Lives hop, exemplified in Lil’ Jon’s ‘I’m tired of the hunger I see on Among those whose hip-hop credentials rest anthemic ‘Get Low’ and double album Crunk Juice. people’s faces / Tired of the animosity purely on their MC shoulders, though, there’s The precursors of this lowest common between the races / Tired of nothing wrong with Jean Grae’s vocal cadence— denominator (and no worse for it) approach, corruption in high and low places … / and her skills place her right up there with the however, are more varied. When copyright holders Maybe life ain’t as bad as it seems / cream of the wordplay crop.6 Her 2004 output increasingly interfered with and suppressed hip- But if dreaming is the best I can do / Then I’ll be includes a second full length release, This Week,7 hop’s original sampling and repetition of broken dreaming my whole life through’ which, although patchy in terms of production, beats in the 1990s, further displays exhilarating lyrical dexterity and range. Tanya Stephens,‘What A Day’ fascinating and fruitful Born in South Africa to jazz pianist Abdullah In many ways 2004 has been one of paradigm shifts ensued: Dr Ibrahim and singer Sathima Bea Benjamin, and the worst years in living memory, for Dre’s G-Funk meticulously having majored in singing at NY’s La Guardia all sorts of depressingly familiar manipulates instrumental ‘Fame’ School, her frustrating travails in hip-hop reasons in the fields of politics, samples and studio have tempted retirement while also honing her economics and the sheer ballooning orchestration; Timbaland’s hunger. Now with the option of joining the Philly scale of human misery and hypnotically sultry bass and hip-hop ensemble and live-instrument champions suffering. Things in the sphere of percussion alchemy highlights The Roots, her solo status will soar if only an the mass media have also been far organic recorded fragments;3 appropriate recording and performing jigsaw from hot—for popular music in and the genius of the puzzle can be assembled. This Week contains particular given the relentless Neptunes creates compelling highly infectious germs; perhaps the next album advance of vacant pretty pop idols and their stripped-bare synthetic beats capable of Jeanius (wholly produced by the gifted 9th attendant trivia masquerading as culture. But, resonating with virtually any style known to Wonder) will release a Grae epidemic. scratch the apparently ubiquitous naffness of humanity. If Jean Grae’s breakthrough is overdue, Masta surface, and a surprisingly rich texture comes to Ace has long been a hip-hop hero—in the light—with, for example, some of the most Quality Quirks legendary Juice Crew and then for two early ‘90s outstanding mainstream releases of recent times Together with the classic NY breakbeat structure rap classics: Slaughtahouse and Sittin’ On Chrome. in all regions of the Black Atlantic rap/R&B/reggae and along with the slower jazz-inflected The reflective 5th release, A Long Hot Summer, nexus appearing in the course of this benighted arrangements associated with Philadelphia will be his final album because “it’s time for me to year.1 The fact that such intelligent, troubling, production and nu-soul, this vastly expanded hip- live through other people”.8 Fortunately it’s a uplifting, hard-hitting, heart- hop palette has facilitated the reincorporation of superb bowing out, full of sonic poignancy, sober warming, honest and challenging musical and cultural traditions that its artists have maturity and wisdom. The magical first single, material can coexist with long aspired to. Now, with the twin leverage of ‘Good Ol’ Love’ is possibly the most heartfelt widespread popular appeal in commercial success and (relatively) independent affirmation of love for humanity, with absolutely musically sophisticated, exciting status, hip-hop is itself overflowing into other no piety or sentimentality, you’ll ever hear. And a and imaginative formats is genres. Discounting Common’s misfiring tribute deep, wry, affection for the warts-and-all potential testament to the creativity and to 1960s psychedelia (Electric Circus), Atlanta’s of lower class guts shines through Ace’s Summer persistence of its makers as well Outkast have led the way, fusing Southern States (i.e. his young adulthood)—with a passionate and as the appetites of sizeable soul and funk with Big Beat and the camp, irony honest understanding of the misguided choices we publics of all ages and and rhythms of disco in Speakerboxx/The Love all make in conditions we cannot control, and backgrounds. Below (2003); Fear Of A Mixed Planet from Shock their ramifications for all of our karmas. In an G4 reimagines both the music and the planetary ideal rap memoir, the consistently excellent guests The Low Down humanism of George Clinton; Mos Def falters in and producers are privileged to pay tribute. One noticeable trend from the grass-roots has his quest to blend raw electric blues with rap in Nas is something of a veteran, too, but while been a welcome re-emphasis on dance and the the disappointing The New Danger; and, hooking also more seasoned he’s stayed angry, sustaining party—understood as a local, community up with various hip-hop guests, Zap Mama’s an output of cutting edge ghetto hip-hop since the occurrence rather than the favoured corporate Ancestry in Progress is a beautiful rendering of zenith of Illmatic (1994). His subsequent work has option of the stadium megaconcert. Younger UK African vocal styles and ‘World Music’ in bluesy, often suffered critically—largely through a generations may have spent teenage years in the soulful clothing. persistent misunderstanding of his vision. The rave and jungle scenes but were deeply, if First class honours for innovation, though, go to project has always been to chronicle, critique and subliminally, influenced by the parental record Chicago’s Kanye West—already a sought-after hit- overcome through musical poetry—mobilising as collections too—of soul and reggae for example. making producer signed to Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella— medium and metaphor his own responses and Now they turn to their other love—the hip-hop whose College Dropout breaks new ground for fun. resonances—the existential anguish arising from they’ve also grown up with—out of a desire to Accelerating classic soul vocal samples is not itself the material and social reality of his people. connect with wider audiences (and possibly earn a unique,5 but West is particularly clever in Street’s Disciple, the new double album, continues living); and DIY and independent labels are mobilising them to suit a range of tempos and and in fact transcends prior achievements by more progressing along a slow but steady learning curve themes, and his rhythmic design perfectly fully approaching a synthesis of personal and inspired by the US experience of playing the matches the vocals. His concept album exploits political spirit. Over throbbing beats he spits fury majors’ game without losing all autonomy. the theme of education to attack the whole at the electoral charade, the damage done by the Across the Atlantic, the economic and cultural panoply of official and unofficial institutions domestic and New World Orders, and the power of the diversified market for R&B and rap which reproduce economic, cultural and social complacent stupidities of media stars and fantasy is well-developed, and its cultural practices more domination. His insightful and very witty lyrics lifestyles. Suggestively interspersed with more routinely recuperated. The production processes reveal personal ambivalence, and the passion, melodic arrangements, allegories of sin and crime of digital sonic design are wholly integrated into pain and hope which persist in the face of the (passion, money, sex, violence, drugs, the compositional complexity of music which—as blight of consumerism and the damaging relationships) culminate in his impending with reggae—prioritises combinations of vocal dishonesties of liberal and ghetto aspiration, marriage9 offered as redemption. Nothing is VARIANT • VOLUME 2 NUMBER 22 • SPRING 2005 • PAGE 23 resolved; as in life—which Street’s arrogance of many peers, his first determined self-confidence, and you get pure Disciple is a magnificent full-length album, Council Estate inspirational soul. The album is full of highlights, representational slice of.10 of Mind, presents an with utterly authentic personal biography more autobiographical odyssey interesting for eschewing self-indulgence. The Revolutionary and structured around dialogue from arrangements are a surprising bonus, with up- the renowned television film tempo gospel flourishes, bass-heavy dance beats, Gangsta? Made In Britain.16 But rather and a deep love of hip-hop, funk and R&B Despite the depth of lyrical talent than rehearsing yet another breaking out all over the place in exemplary and personal exploration all of earnest wake-up call to the liberal fashion.18 these MCs express, however, the middle classes, Skinny shows For ‘soul’ more conventionally political consciousness in their instead how the hardest of hard understood, these shores could work is, at best, confused.

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