As you know, we lost some legends recently. RIP Isaac Hayes. I will forever honor the one and only Black Moses. His music, his
presence, and his swag were a huge influence on me, as well as all of
black music. Never Can Say Goodbye. RIP Bernie Mac. He was
absolutely one of the finest and most truthful comedians to come down
the pike in the last couple of decades. He will be missed. And as Mac
said it, I live by it—
I ain’t scared of you
motherfuckas.
But you motherfuckers of the half-ass variety should be scared of
Die Already, the debut LP by the Gigantics (“Onry
Ozzborn‘s five-man production team,” ahem). Die Already‘s
ambitious thematic conceit is the pairing of local MCs with some of the
brightest stars of the national independent hiphop scene. No, really.
Aesop Rock, Murs, Swollen Members, P.O.S., Mr.Lif, Eligh, Awol One,
Vursatyl, Pigeon John, and Qwel are just a few of the
cats rhyming alongside damn near the entire Oldominion collective, not to mention Vitamin D, Silent Lambs
Project, Cool Nutz, Macklemore, Cancer Rising,
plus Sapient, Gold, Iame of Sandpeople. The
Gigantics’ production runs a bloody mess of styles—bruising,
buzzing synth washes; crusty vinyl leavings; bizarre vocal snatches.
MC-wise, not a soul phones it in, making it all the better when the
homegrowners shine next to stiff-ass comp. As a matter of fact, Die
Already—likely a future indie-hop cult classic—is the
single best yardstick I’ve yet heard of what local talent has to offer
the national sphere. So, you should cop you one—try the Die
Already CD release party on August 21 at King Cobra. In addition to
Onry and the Gigantics, you get Cancer Rising, Step Cousins,
Sonny Bonoho, Candidt, Rudy and the Rhetoric, comedian Brian
Neufang, and DJ Maze Live.
Another local release: Tomorrow Handles That, the debut LP
from the Let Go, who consist of Type, Kublakai,
and sole producer Captain Midnite. Their CD release is at
Nectar on August 27, with Louis Logic, Animal Farm,
DJ 100 Proof, and the Kid Espi. Handles
That‘s premise is simply the healing power of time, and Type and
Koob give their everything with raps both heartful and tongue-in-cheek.
Midnite’s pitched-up soul, while lacking on the low end, suits the best
moments perfectly—the baby-come-back plea “Standing Back,” the
Josh Martinez–assisted “No I Didn’t,” the hopeful
“Searching for Sun.” Unfortunately, comedy-rappish layovers (“Like a
Western,” “Booty Fiend,” “Party Crashers”), beat-to-paste imagery from
the local lexicon (coffee, depression, rain, sunshine), and an
inconsistent vision all serve to derail the overall quality train of
thought. Both MCs have done more inspired work separately, so while
Handles That is a definite solid effort, it could and should
have been a breakthrough and elevation for all concerned; of course,
the Let Go’s very point is perseverance in the face of
adversity—so they ain’t goin’ nowhere yet. 