So Mr. West has embarked on his Yeezus tour accompanied by 'white Jesus' showing that he knows all to well how to shock and confuse people. He will also be accompanied by Kendrick Lamar and A Tribe Called Quest. The NYC leg of tour will be ATCQ's last show EVER.
This is significant for numerous reasons.
With the nationwide resurgence of 'conscious' hip-hop from the likes of T.D.E on the west coast , the East coast Beasts (Beast Coast) and the Save Money Crew out of Chicago - ATCQ are symbolically passing the baton on to the next generation of Native Tongues by bowing out. Birthed at the height of afrocentricity in NYC during the 80s ATCQ have been purveyors of unadulterated rap music and torch bearers of hip hop culture - whilst much contemporary rap music might not seem it let's not forget that it is an art form.
Kanye's sound has evolved from classic boom bap backpack rap through electro to punk rock and he has always kept the art in the mainstream. He's just have replaced the breakers for ballet dancers and the graffiti for George Condo. Most recently he's been urging buyers to 'please add graffiti' to their copy of Yeezus allowing them to partake in the creative process. G.O.O.D marketing!
He's been harping on about the minimalism of his new music but If you want real minimalism just listen back to the first ATCQ records - each track is basically just a sampled break and sampled bassline. Speed up a track like 'Rhythm' and you've got the basis for Hardcore track. I digress, however, I really wanted to talk about the article - Rap's New Age of Aquarius (p.17) written by Piff Gang's Nick Bam for Lily Mercer's new publication Viper.
A coincidence (or fate) that a year ago today Kendrick released his debut album GKMC - so it's fitting that today is the first time I'll listen to it - didn't realise it had been that long! The first thing about the album is that it opens with a prayer:
As an opening statement for an album this is about as clear as you can make it. Whilst artists may give their token 'thanks to God' when they receive awards or some like DMX and numerous R&B bands have 'prayerludes' few nowadays are overt about their faith on record. I can imagine this being up to the label execs not wanting to alienate any potential audiences and maximise profit. His album recently surpassed the 1 million mark in sales so he must be doing something right?
He takes every rap cliché from smoking weed to women and flips it on its head. He doesn't glorify drugs, drink or gangs - I'm surprised I even like it! In my teens I would skip through rap albums to find the r&b / love song and on GKMC it's the opening track - it's like he read my mind so I can't hate. But it's more than a 'lust' song. We're introduced to his two main sources of temptation Sherane and 'the homies'. 'The Art of Peer Pressure' is a masterclass in storytelling. The whole album is cinematic but this song especially needs a video. It reminded me of 'Stan' - which is funny because my one gripe when I first heard it was that he put on his slim shady-esque voice in 'Backseat Freestyle' but now I know the story behind it - it makes sense.
The next songs that struck me were the Neptunes produced 'Good Kid', 'Sing about me, I'm Dying of Thirst' and 'Black Boy Fly'. It 's hard to single out individual tracks songs because each one is an essential piece of the story. It's one of those albums that you just have to let ride. At times dark and reflective at others uplifting and energetic but always 'real'. 'Real' in the sense that the stories come from his actual experiences. Whilst many rappers think it's ok to lie for the sake of entertainment - Kendrick acknowledges the fact that he's not in a gang and that he doesn't smoke weed - but not in a holier than though manner - he knows what's good for him and stays in his lane (except when with his homies).
He knows how to finesse the boundary between ignorant and conscious. A track like 'Swimming pools' has such a catchy chorus and uplifting beat that you could easily ignore or forget what the song is about. The harsh reality of alcoholism. For a casual listener 90% of the album will go straight over their head and that's part of the reason why I didn't rush to listen it because of the ridiculous amount of hype surrounding it.
'Compton' had to happen and who better than Just Blaze to provide the epic soundtrack. He goes from being teen 'fresh out of school' to King Kendrick in 12 tracks - a journey that only a few have made in the past. The real end of the album for me is 'Real' which shows his growth from the 'Backseat Freestyle' where he boasts naivety about manhood to the realisation that material objects bring no satisfaction. If I remember correctly in his interview with Zane Lowe Kanye talks about the people suffering from a lack of self-belief so it fits neatly that the realisation in 'Real' is of the need for self-knowledge and self-value.
Nick Bam calls the album the 'first highly successful Christian rap album' so now might be the time to check out Lecrae? He highlights the overt pagan and occult references in much on the new wave of hip hop but having watched They sold their souls for Rock n Roll this is nothing new. A lot of artists now don't even try to hide it with back masking or other techniques - they're just blatant. So why shouldn't there be more references to God in music? There is an underlying spirituality in GKMC but it's not so heavy that it deters - it's clearly a part of his life that has has a positive impact so why not 'give back, with [his] words of encouragement [to] 'the black and brown kids in Compton' and all over the world.
I didn't mean for this post to turn into a mini review but the album is dope and definitely lives up to its hype. I just hope it's one that people keep on repeat because it needs multiple listens. No throwaways on this one. Hip hop needs the positivity and knowledge that the pioneers brought now more than ever so Kanye's selections are just what the doctor ordered. Like Kendrick everyone has their Sherane's and bad friends but not everyone has their parents, a conscience or even a god to lead them and Kendrick's delivers a message finely balanced between spiritually and reality which I think can help people navigate through their own struggles.
