Well umm, boom, shak-a-lak, I got the flavas*
Nas' "Hip Hop Is Dead" album, as has been said on A Story To Tell previously, was a pretty impressive return to form for the street's disciple, and hip-hop's increasingly cantankerous elder statesman. More than just being a collection of dope tunes and the deft, hard-edged, street-wise yet metaphorical lyricism that Nas is famous for however, I think that one of the things that is interesting about this record is that it set about raising some key questions about the state of rap in the modern age.
Now, Nas is too shrewd a player to label an album with such a controversial title without recognising the marketing potential of such a move (his new album clearly shows us that, if we were in any doubt!), but if you put the shock factor to one side, what is significant is that in listening to the album you soon realise that he has also tried to answer some of these questions, and for that he was rightfully applauded. The album, in part, is a criticism of laziness in rap, a commerce-over-credibility mentality that has stripped the music of its core values, and thus power. But it is also a committed paean to a time when rap had something key to say, and people actually listened.
In many ways, Nas was showing himself to be a fan just like the rest of us, and in harking back to the good old days but in a forward thinking rather than pessimistically nostalgic fashion, he served to highlight just what we have been missing, but also how we might get it back. One such tool in this armoury of self-improvement was of course the stellar "Where Are They Now?", asking the same questions many of us have thrown around in late-night discussions, with a name check of the great and the good, many of whom then cropped up for cameos on the 3 brilliant remix versions of the song. All potentially worthy of attention, but for me one of the greatest reminders of brilliance came in the shape of subterranean excellence * the mighty, mighty Lords of the Underground.
Of course no one would ever forget the Lords, for me, albeit momentarily, the undisputed kings of early 1990s hip-hop and of course forever immortalised in Biggie's "Machine Gun Funk". But a reminder of why is always welcome. The sheer power and energy of 1993's debut album "Here Come The Lords" was astonishing at the time, and still holds up today, immediately conjuring up images of the best of Yo! MTV Raps and valuing banging, good*time, bass-shaking and funky hip-hop above all else. A time when Das-EFX could riggeddy-rock the mic with out sounding in the least bit wiggeddy-wack, different times indeed, but ones we all remember fondly I am sure. With their initial offering, the New Jersey trio * DJ Lord Jazz (hit me one time, make it funky), and rappers Mr. Funke and DoItAll * served up one of the key recordings of the East Coast canon, and the run of classic cuts including the scene-stealing "Chief Rocka", traffic-stopping "Here Come The Lords", and impeccable stand-out "Funky Child" are great examples of the energy and styles this crew brought to the scene.
1993 was already pretty frenetic, but somehow the Lords came and injected yet more life into the party, a quite astonishing feat really. Lyrically the Lords aren't the most accomplished by any means, but any technical deficiencies are more than outweighed by an undoubted enthusiasm and panache in delivery, with a mixture of the humorous, the tongue-twistingly eloquent, and the downright loudness that is an infectious and heady mix. And then of course there is the production. Because "Here Come The Lords" is noteworthy also for providing us with an example, arguably his last of real note, of the brilliance of the legendary Marley Marl. Along with his protégé K-Def, Marley provides an impeccable lesson in horn-led, sample-heavy, hook-laden funk of an absolutely outstanding quality. Listen again to "Funky Child" and get lost in its aural majesty, sinister yet uplifting, complex yet simple in its impact.
Despite stand-out follow-up single "Tic Toc", and a sizeable period of grace and favour, the Lords never matched the success of their debut, and despite the fact that three albums (including 2007's "House Of Lords") followed, have slipped out of consciousness somewhat, easy to do in rap's sometime cruel and inexorable onwards flow. But their place amongst the top table is still guaranteed, such is the significance of their early work, and whether enjoying mainstream and critical success, or on the down low, they will never be dead and buried, the undisputed Lords of the Undergound.
Now, Nas is too shrewd a player to label an album with such a controversial title without recognising the marketing potential of such a move (his new album clearly shows us that, if we were in any doubt!), but if you put the shock factor to one side, what is significant is that in listening to the album you soon realise that he has also tried to answer some of these questions, and for that he was rightfully applauded. The album, in part, is a criticism of laziness in rap, a commerce-over-credibility mentality that has stripped the music of its core values, and thus power. But it is also a committed paean to a time when rap had something key to say, and people actually listened.
In many ways, Nas was showing himself to be a fan just like the rest of us, and in harking back to the good old days but in a forward thinking rather than pessimistically nostalgic fashion, he served to highlight just what we have been missing, but also how we might get it back. One such tool in this armoury of self-improvement was of course the stellar "Where Are They Now?", asking the same questions many of us have thrown around in late-night discussions, with a name check of the great and the good, many of whom then cropped up for cameos on the 3 brilliant remix versions of the song. All potentially worthy of attention, but for me one of the greatest reminders of brilliance came in the shape of subterranean excellence * the mighty, mighty Lords of the Underground.
Of course no one would ever forget the Lords, for me, albeit momentarily, the undisputed kings of early 1990s hip-hop and of course forever immortalised in Biggie's "Machine Gun Funk". But a reminder of why is always welcome. The sheer power and energy of 1993's debut album "Here Come The Lords" was astonishing at the time, and still holds up today, immediately conjuring up images of the best of Yo! MTV Raps and valuing banging, good*time, bass-shaking and funky hip-hop above all else. A time when Das-EFX could riggeddy-rock the mic with out sounding in the least bit wiggeddy-wack, different times indeed, but ones we all remember fondly I am sure. With their initial offering, the New Jersey trio * DJ Lord Jazz (hit me one time, make it funky), and rappers Mr. Funke and DoItAll * served up one of the key recordings of the East Coast canon, and the run of classic cuts including the scene-stealing "Chief Rocka", traffic-stopping "Here Come The Lords", and impeccable stand-out "Funky Child" are great examples of the energy and styles this crew brought to the scene.
1993 was already pretty frenetic, but somehow the Lords came and injected yet more life into the party, a quite astonishing feat really. Lyrically the Lords aren't the most accomplished by any means, but any technical deficiencies are more than outweighed by an undoubted enthusiasm and panache in delivery, with a mixture of the humorous, the tongue-twistingly eloquent, and the downright loudness that is an infectious and heady mix. And then of course there is the production. Because "Here Come The Lords" is noteworthy also for providing us with an example, arguably his last of real note, of the brilliance of the legendary Marley Marl. Along with his protégé K-Def, Marley provides an impeccable lesson in horn-led, sample-heavy, hook-laden funk of an absolutely outstanding quality. Listen again to "Funky Child" and get lost in its aural majesty, sinister yet uplifting, complex yet simple in its impact.
Despite stand-out follow-up single "Tic Toc", and a sizeable period of grace and favour, the Lords never matched the success of their debut, and despite the fact that three albums (including 2007's "House Of Lords") followed, have slipped out of consciousness somewhat, easy to do in rap's sometime cruel and inexorable onwards flow. But their place amongst the top table is still guaranteed, such is the significance of their early work, and whether enjoying mainstream and critical success, or on the down low, they will never be dead and buried, the undisputed Lords of the Undergound.
posted by Twelve Bar at 5:28 PM
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